Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between George Town and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $4,862 in George Town, rent and utilities included – about $42,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

237

Cost of Living Index in George Town
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George Town Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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George Town

🇰🇾 Cayman Islands

$4,862

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in George Town and in Rio de Janeiro

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in George Town and in Rio de Janeiro actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,862 in George Town versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro.

George Town $4,862
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,338 in George Town versus $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro.

George Town $7,338
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,814 in George Town versus $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro.

George Town $9,814
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Living in George Town is roughly 278% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: George Town is 263% above, Rio de Janeiro is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.59 KYD 25.09

$9.98 R$49.83

206.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$116 KYD 94.7

$40.34 R$201

186.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.82 KYD 13.79

$8.48 R$42.35

98.35%

Cappuccino

$7.14 KYD 5.86

$2.36 R$11.80

202.54%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 KYD 2.51

$1.63 R$8.13

87.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 KYD 2.33

$1.01 R$5.06

181.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.11 KYD 5.83

$2.44 R$12.19

191.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.74 KYD 7.99

$3.69 R$18.43

163.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.70 KYD 3.85

$1.15 R$5.72

308.70%

White Bread (500g)

$4.13 KYD 3.38

$2.07 R$10.34

99.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.41 KYD 3.62

$1.29 R$6.42

241.86%

Eggs

$7.21 KYD 5.91

$2.27 R$11.32

217.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$56.9 KYD 46.64

$11.00 R$54.9

417.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.04 KYD 15.62

$4.31 R$21.51

341.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.67 KYD 16.13

$9.74 R$48.63

101.95%

Apples (1kg)

$7.55 KYD 6.19

$2.83 R$14.12

166.78%

Banana (1kg)

$3.63 KYD 2.98

$1.84 R$9.17

97.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.19 KYD 5.07

$1.60 R$7.96

286.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.91 KYD 6.49

$1.80 R$9.00

339.44%

Potato (1kg)

$4.12 KYD 3.38

$1.26 R$6.28

226.98%

Onion (1kg)

$4.07 KYD 3.34

$1.07 R$5.34

280.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.19 KYD 2.62

$0.75 R$3.75

325.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 KYD 1.86

$0.66 R$3.29

242.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.16 KYD 11.61

$3.05 R$15.21

364.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$25.66 KYD 21.04

$8.18 R$40.84

213.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.29 KYD 3.52

$1.19 R$5.92

260.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 KYD 4.47

$2.39 R$11.92

128.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.38 KYD 1.95

$1.01 R$5.06

135.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.8 KYD 65.5

$50.2 R$250

59.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.15 KYD 15.70

$1.27 R$6.33

1407.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.74 KYD 3.07

$0.90 R$4.51

315.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.62 KYD 36.59

$9.44 R$47.13

372.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 KYD 1.30

$1.33 R$6.65

18.80%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$42.1K KYD 34.6K

$23.4K R$117.0K

79.82%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$42.0K KYD 34.4K

$33.6K R$167.6K

25.10%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$450 KYD 369

$134 R$666

236.83%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$120 KYD 98.2

$12.23 R$61.0

878.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$113 KYD 92.6

$22.65 R$113

398.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$217 KYD 178

$31.56 R$158

586.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.74 KYD 28.48

$30.87 R$154

12.54%

Cinema Ticket

$18.64 KYD 15.28

$8.23 R$41.07

126.49%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,818 KYD 1,490

$603 R$3,011

201.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.5K KYD 21.7K

$13.2K R$66.1K

100.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 KYD 71.3

$41.62 R$208

109.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$74.1 KYD 60.8

$49.94 R$249

48.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 KYD 113

$75.0 R$375

83.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 KYD 119

$68.3 R$341

113.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,861 KYD 2,346

$905 R$4,519

216.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,479 KYD 2,033

$527 R$2,633

369.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,698 KYD 4,672

$1,346 R$6,720

323.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,775 KYD 3,915

$774 R$3,865

516.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,919 KYD 7,314

$3,981 R$19.9K

124.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,270 KYD 1,861

$1,562 R$7,798

45.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,223 KYD 5,923

$643 R$3,210

1023.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

-32.94%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for George Town: October 5, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

George Town

$2.5K 50.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 78.7% $2K

Groceries & Markets

George Town

$727 14.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 70.5% $513

Monthly Utilities & Internet

George Town

$682 13.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 75.3% $514

Eating Out

George Town

$460 9.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 64.3% $296

Sport & Entertainment

George Town

$254 5.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 81.1% $206

Clothing & Footwear

George Town

$200 4.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 47.1% $94

Getting Around

George Town

$127 2.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 52.8% $67

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,861 in George Town and $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

George Town pays 1023% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $116 in George Town vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $727 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇾 George Town

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

05:01 5:01 AM

07:01 7:01 AM

2 h ahead of George Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,089 Capital

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Cayman Islands Dollar KYD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 KYD = 1.22 USD

1 KYD = 1.09 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to KYD – Cayman Islands Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇾 Cayman Islands Dollar ($)

Cayman Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.82 KYD (1 KYD = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.919 KYD (1 KYD = 1.09 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to KYD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

George Town Rio de Janeiro 6,260 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

George Town
Rio de Janeiro

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

George Town vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

George Town and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 278% in total monthly costs ($4,862 vs $1,285 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1023% higher in George Town, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,861 in George Town versus $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $4,862 per month in George Town versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro – a 278% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Rio de Janeiro runs roughly 59% less than in George Town. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $4,862 in George Town, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in George Town. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, George Town and Rio de Janeiro are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 278% less than in George Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.