Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guangzhou (Canton) and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton): $914 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Guangzhou (Canton)
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Guangzhou (Canton) Living Index
57

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

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Guangzhou (Canton)

🇨🇳 China

$914

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guangzhou (Canton) 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 Guangzhou (Canton) and in Rio de Janeiro actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $914 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) vs $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Guangzhou (Canton) $914
Rio de Janeiro $1,182

A couple spends around $1,442 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) vs $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Guangzhou (Canton) $1,442
Rio de Janeiro $1,750

A family of three spends $1,971 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) vs $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Guangzhou (Canton) $1,971
Rio de Janeiro $2,318

Guangzhou (Canton) is about 23% cheaper than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Guangzhou (Canton) and Rio de Janeiro are more affordable than the global median – Guangzhou (Canton) 33% lower, Rio de Janeiro 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ¥20.19

$9.08 R$48.58

-66.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.73 ¥198

$37.25 R$199

-20.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.72

$8.02 R$42.91

-33.17%

Cappuccino

$3.19 ¥21.24

$2.19 R$11.72

45.66%

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

$0.54 ¥3.60

$1.46 R$7.83

-63.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.43

$0.99 R$5.28

-63.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.31 ¥8.76

$2.03 R$10.85

-35.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ¥18.33

$3.45 R$18.45

-20.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ¥12.48

$1.06 R$5.67

76.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 ¥12.79

$1.98 R$10.62

-3.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.31

$1.17 R$6.28

-5.98%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.42

$2.21 R$11.81

-29.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.83 ¥112

$10.11 R$54.1

66.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 ¥34.51

$4.12 R$22.02

25.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 ¥80.0

$9.17 R$49.08

30.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 ¥14.79

$2.72 R$14.55

-18.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.34

$1.71 R$9.15

-26.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ¥9.66

$1.53 R$8.19

-5.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.45

$1.66 R$8.89

3.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.31

$1.14 R$6.09

-16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 ¥8.08

$0.99 R$5.32

22.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 ¥5.59

$0.65 R$3.46

29.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥4.75

$0.60 R$3.20

18.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 ¥26.09

$2.79 R$14.96

40.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.86 ¥72.4

$7.48 R$40.03

45.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ¥6.81

$1.09 R$5.84

-6.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ¥12.84

$2.33 R$12.49

-17.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.92

$0.90 R$4.79

-51.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.29 ¥122

$53.0 R$284

-65.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.77 ¥11.78

$1.17 R$6.24

51.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 ¥2.66

$0.78 R$4.18

-48.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.21 ¥48.09

$8.37 R$44.79

-13.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ¥9.12

$1.21 R$6.49

13.22%

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

$19.7K ¥131.5K

$21.5K R$114.9K

-8.11%

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

$17.8K ¥118.9K

$31.1K R$166.6K

-42.72%

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

$60.4 ¥402

$124 R$666

-51.49%

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

$16.16 ¥108

$10.03 R$53.7

61.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.47 ¥96.5

$20.88 R$112

-30.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.9 ¥472

$28.35 R$152

149.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.27 ¥81.8

$29.33 R$157

-58.17%

Cinema Ticket

$6.53 ¥43.50

$7.62 R$40.75

-14.30%

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

$1,612 ¥10.7K

$563 R$3,012

186.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K ¥164.6K

$12.0K R$64.5K

104.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.97 ¥326

$39.25 R$210

24.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.73 ¥271

$46.36 R$248

-12.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.1 ¥547

$68.4 R$366

19.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.3 ¥475

$63.4 R$339

12.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 ¥3,391

$776 R$4,153

-34.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$270 ¥1,797

$473 R$2,532

-43.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,224 ¥8,158

$1,391 R$7,443

-12.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ¥3,335

$739 R$3,954

-32.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,271 ¥55.1K

$3,393 R$18.2K

143.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,705 ¥24.7K

$1,570 R$8,403

135.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,269 ¥8,457

$597 R$3,194

112.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

11.93

-71.67%

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

Last update for Guangzhou (Canton): October 26, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guangzhou (Canton)

$270 29.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40% 75.5% $204

Groceries & Markets

Guangzhou (Canton)

$242 26.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17% 16.9% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Guangzhou (Canton)

$109 12%

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3% 10.5% $12

Eating Out

Guangzhou (Canton)

$94 10.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7% 58.9% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guangzhou (Canton)

$91 10%

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1% 70.7% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Guangzhou (Canton)

$84 9.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7% 48.1% $40

Getting Around

Guangzhou (Canton)

$24 2.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2% 159% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $509 in Guangzhou (Canton) versus $776 in Rio de Janeiro. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Guangzhou (Canton) are about 2.1 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Guangzhou (Canton) versus $37 in Rio de Janeiro. Groceries tell a different story – $242 in Guangzhou (Canton) vs $201 in Rio de Janeiro – so Rio de Janeiro wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Guangzhou (Canton)

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

14:39 2:39 PM

03:39 3:39 AM

11 h behind Guangzhou (Canton)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,043,500

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.96 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Guangzhou (Canton) Rio de Janeiro 17,610 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Guangzhou (Canton)
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

Guangzhou (Canton) vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $914 in Guangzhou (Canton), $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro – roughly 29% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,371 per month in Guangzhou (Canton) and $1,774 in Rio de Janeiro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton), especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $509 there versus $776 in Rio de Janeiro.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $914 in Guangzhou (Canton) and $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro. That’s a gap of about 29%.

Public transport costs about 65% less in Guangzhou (Canton). For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Rio de Janeiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $914 in Guangzhou (Canton) to $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.