Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hearst and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,210 in Hearst, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Hearst
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Hearst Living Index
62

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

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Hearst

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,210

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Hearst versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Hearst $2,210
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,203 in Hearst versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Hearst $3,203
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,197 in Hearst versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Hearst $4,197
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Hearst is roughly 74% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hearst is 63% above, Rio de Janeiro is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.35 CA$24.53

$9.38 R$47.54

84.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 CA$93.4

$40.00 R$203

65.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.67 CA$15.09

$8.34 R$42.28

27.94%

Cappuccino

$3.60 CA$5.09

$2.29 R$11.62

57.21%

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

$2.01 CA$2.83

$1.59 R$8.05

26.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.20

$1.01 R$5.10

53.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.18 CA$7.32

$2.14 R$10.85

142.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.58 CA$7.88

$3.66 R$18.55

52.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 CA$2.95

$1.13 R$5.72

84.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 CA$3.60

$2.09 R$10.60

22.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.65

$1.25 R$6.36

163.20%

Eggs

$3.34 CA$4.73

$2.25 R$11.39

48.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.67 CA$13.67

$10.92 R$55.3

-11.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.53 CA$16.30

$4.36 R$22.10

164.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 CA$20.15

$9.60 R$48.66

48.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.78 CA$5.35

$2.85 R$14.46

32.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$1.81 R$9.16

-30.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 CA$5.13

$1.58 R$8.02

129.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 CA$5.18

$1.83 R$9.28

100.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 CA$3.52

$1.20 R$6.10

107.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 CA$3.06

$1.06 R$5.35

104.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 CA$3.51

$0.75 R$3.81

230.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$0.68 R$3.45

130.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 CA$19.63

$2.94 R$14.90

372.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.84 CA$18.15

$7.98 R$40.43

60.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 CA$3.70

$1.18 R$5.98

121.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.37

$2.42 R$12.26

27.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 CA$3.17

$0.94 R$4.78

138.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.3 CA$88.0

$50.3 R$255

23.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 CA$3.95

$1.20 R$6.10

132.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 CA$1.98

$0.83 R$4.20

68.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.95 CA$32.44

$8.97 R$45.48

155.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 CA$1.61

$1.29 R$6.53

-11.63%

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

$27.9K CA$39.4K

$22.8K R$115.5K

22.31%

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

$18.9K CA$26.7K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-44.41%

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

$132 CA$186

$134 R$681

-2.00%

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

$38.55 CA$54.5

$10.73 R$54.4

259.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 CA$77.0

$22.84 R$116

138.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.47 CA$57.2

$30.16 R$153

34.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.81 CA$25.18

$31.49 R$160

-43.44%

Cinema Ticket

$11.12 CA$15.72

$7.73 R$39.17

43.86%

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

$748 CA$1,057

$584 R$2,960

28.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K CA$18.5K

$12.8K R$64.9K

1.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 CA$75.9

$41.12 R$208

30.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.42 CA$54.3

$49.26 R$250

-22.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.4 CA$118

$73.7 R$373

13.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 CA$145

$65.9 R$334

55.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 CA$1,724

$900 R$4,561

35.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 CA$1,560

$527 R$2,673

109.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,918 CA$2,711

$1,332 R$6,754

43.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,687 CA$2,384

$748 R$3,790

125.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,145 CA$5,860

$3,990 R$20.2K

3.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,557 CA$5,028

$1,560 R$7,908

127.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,120 CA$4,410

$640 R$3,246

387.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.66

11.93

-60.94%

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

Last update for Hearst: October 19, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hearst

$1.1K 49.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 52.2% $576

Groceries & Markets

Hearst

$347 15.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 38.4% $133

Eating Out

Hearst

$265 12%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 41.2% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hearst

$225 10.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 25.3% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Hearst

$125 5.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 17.3% $22

Getting Around

Hearst

$81 3.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 26.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Hearst

$63 2.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 27.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,220 in Hearst and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hearst pays 387% 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: $66.0 in Hearst vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $347 vs $214 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Hearst

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

11:31 11:31 AM

12:31 12:31 PM

1 h ahead of Hearst

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Hearst Rio de Janeiro 9,010 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Hearst
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

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

Hearst and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 74% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $1,273 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 387% higher in Hearst, 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: $1,220 in Hearst versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $748 in Hearst versus $584 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 62% higher in Hearst. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,210 in Hearst, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Hearst. 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.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Hearst. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.