Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between High Level and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $2,098 in High Level, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in High Level
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High Level Living Index
63

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

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High Level

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,098

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,098 in High Level versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

High Level $2,098
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,162 in High Level versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

High Level $3,162
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,226 in High Level versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

High Level $4,226
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in High Level is roughly 63% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: High Level is 55% above, Rio de Janeiro is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.59 CA$23.45

$10.06 R$51.0

64.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 CA$98.8

$40.44 R$205

72.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.72 CA$16.58

$8.55 R$43.35

37.08%

Cappuccino

$3.73 CA$5.27

$2.38 R$12.04

56.72%

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

$1.72 CA$2.43

$1.61 R$8.18

6.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 CA$2.14

$1.03 R$5.22

46.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 CA$8.04

$2.47 R$12.54

130.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.90 CA$8.34

$3.70 R$18.77

59.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 CA$2.81

$1.19 R$6.05

67.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 CA$3.75

$2.05 R$10.38

29.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.77 CA$3.92

$1.28 R$6.49

116.41%

Eggs

$3.76 CA$5.32

$2.29 R$11.60

64.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.10 CA$14.28

$10.76 R$54.5

-6.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.12 CA$14.31

$4.41 R$22.36

129.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.22 CA$20.10

$9.84 R$49.86

44.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.53

$2.81 R$14.25

39.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 CA$1.77

$1.78 R$9.03

-29.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.66 CA$5.18

$1.60 R$8.13

128.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.78 CA$5.35

$1.80 R$9.11

110.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 CA$3.93

$1.22 R$6.17

127.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 CA$3.51

$1.04 R$5.26

138.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 CA$2.99

$0.77 R$3.92

174.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 CA$1.95

$0.67 R$3.38

105.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.27 CA$17.35

$3.01 R$15.27

307.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.99 CA$16.95

$8.08 R$40.94

48.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 CA$3.87

$1.19 R$6.03

129.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 CA$3.86

$2.51 R$12.73

8.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 CA$2.91

$0.99 R$5.00

108.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.0 CA$94.7

$50.1 R$254

33.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 CA$4.18

$1.22 R$6.20

141.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 CA$2.11

$0.92 R$4.66

61.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.92 CA$32.40

$8.97 R$45.45

155.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 CA$1.57

$1.30 R$6.57

-14.62%

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

$29.3K CA$41.4K

$23.9K R$121.0K

22.78%

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

$17.2K CA$24.3K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-47.72%

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

$135 CA$191

$133 R$676

1.18%

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

$38.65 CA$54.6

$10.82 R$54.8

257.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.0 CA$76.4

$22.90 R$116

135.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.78 CA$57.6

$30.79 R$156

32.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 CA$24.29

$31.85 R$161

-46.06%

Cinema Ticket

$10.86 CA$15.35

$8.05 R$40.83

34.91%

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

$772 CA$1,092

$598 R$3,029

29.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K CA$16.2K

$13.4K R$68.0K

-14.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.96 CA$63.6

$42.04 R$213

6.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.50 CA$47.36

$49.68 R$252

-32.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.8 CA$106

$74.5 R$378

0.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 CA$145

$68.7 R$348

48.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 CA$1,690

$903 R$4,578

32.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 CA$1,419

$529 R$2,684

89.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,712 CA$2,420

$1,326 R$6,724

29.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,726 CA$2,440

$756 R$3,831

128.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,435 CA$6,270

$4,010 R$20.3K

10.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,083 CA$5,772

$1,560 R$7,910

161.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

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 High Level: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

High Level

$1K 47.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 47.2% $474

Groceries & Markets

High Level

$338 16.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 36.5% $124

Eating Out

High Level

$266 12.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 37.9% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

High Level

$228 10.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 26.6% $61

Clothing & Footwear

High Level

$115 5.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 8.1% $9.3

Getting Around

High Level

$86 4.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 30.1% $26

Sport & Entertainment

High Level

$62 3%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 25% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,196 in High Level and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $70.0 in High Level vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $338 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 High Level

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

15:38 3:38 PM

18:38 6:38 PM

3 h ahead of High Level

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,200

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 17, 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 17, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

High Level Rio de Janeiro 11,280 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

High Level
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

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

High Level and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 63% in total monthly costs ($2,098 vs $1,289 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,147 in High Level and $1,933 in Rio de Janeiro to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,196 in High Level versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,098 per month in High Level versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro – a 63% 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 34% less than in High Level. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,098 in High Level, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in High Level. 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, High Level 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 63% less than in High Level. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.