Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $2,224 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index
63

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

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Kingston

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,224

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,224 per month in Kingston vs $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Kingston $2,224
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

A couple spends around $3,051 per month in Kingston vs $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Kingston $3,051
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

A family of three spends $3,879 per month in Kingston vs $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Kingston $3,879
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Kingston costs about 73% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kingston sits 66% above the global median, while Rio de Janeiro is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.71 CA$20.97

$9.98 R$49.83

47.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.7 CA$89.3

$40.34 R$201

55.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 CA$15.92

$8.48 R$42.35

31.72%

Cappuccino

$3.51 CA$5.00

$2.36 R$11.80

48.73%

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

$2.01 CA$2.87

$1.63 R$8.13

23.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 CA$1.86

$1.01 R$5.06

29.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.87 CA$8.37

$2.44 R$12.19

140.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.27 CA$8.93

$3.69 R$18.43

69.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 CA$2.90

$1.15 R$5.72

77.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 CA$3.48

$2.07 R$10.34

17.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.69

$1.29 R$6.42

155.04%

Eggs

$2.90 CA$4.14

$2.27 R$11.32

27.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.27 CA$14.64

$11.00 R$54.9

-6.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.31 CA$16.12

$4.31 R$21.51

162.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.99 CA$14.24

$9.74 R$48.63

2.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 CA$4.12

$2.83 R$14.12

2.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 CA$1.63

$1.84 R$9.17

-38.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.51 CA$5.00

$1.60 R$7.96

119.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.55 CA$5.06

$1.80 R$9.00

97.22%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 CA$4.71

$1.26 R$6.28

161.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.19

$1.07 R$5.34

109.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.72

$0.75 R$3.75

248.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.26

$0.66 R$3.29

139.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.40 CA$19.10

$3.05 R$15.21

339.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 CA$17.33

$8.18 R$40.84

48.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 CA$3.09

$1.19 R$5.92

82.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 CA$4.68

$2.39 R$11.92

37.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 CA$3.54

$1.01 R$5.06

145.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.2 CA$80.0

$50.2 R$250

11.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 CA$4.37

$1.27 R$6.33

141.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 CA$2.14

$0.90 R$4.51

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.06 CA$44.27

$9.44 R$47.13

229.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 CA$1.63

$1.33 R$6.65

-14.29%

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

$27.6K CA$39.3K

$23.4K R$117.0K

17.63%

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

$18.7K CA$26.7K

$33.6K R$167.6K

-44.28%

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

$120 CA$171

$134 R$666

-10.05%

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

$38.49 CA$54.9

$12.23 R$61.0

214.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CA$90.1

$22.65 R$113

178.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.06 CA$40.00

$31.56 R$158

-11.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.84 CA$12.60

$30.87 R$154

-71.36%

Cinema Ticket

$10.41 CA$14.84

$8.23 R$41.07

26.49%

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

$514 CA$733

$603 R$3,011

-14.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 CA$73.7

$41.62 R$208

24.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.55 CA$46.39

$49.94 R$249

-34.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 CA$114

$75.0 R$375

6.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.3 CA$122

$68.3 R$341

24.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,535 CA$2,188

$905 R$4,519

69.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,181 CA$1,684

$527 R$2,633

123.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,287 CA$3,260

$1,346 R$6,720

69.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,544 CA$2,201

$774 R$3,865

99.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,384 CA$4,824

$3,981 R$19.9K

-14.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,449 CA$3,491

$1,562 R$7,798

56.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,979 CA$4,246

$643 R$3,210

363.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

11.93

-61.36%

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

Last update for Kingston: 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

Kingston

$1.2K 53.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 55.4% $654

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$326 14.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 34.1% $111

Eating Out

Kingston

$248 11.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 34.1% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$222 10%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 24.1% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$112 5.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 5.8% $6.5

Getting Around

Kingston

$77 3.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 21.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$49 2.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 1.8% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,535 in Kingston versus $905 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 run about 363% higher in Kingston, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Kingston versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $326 vs $215 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Kingston

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

08:20 8:20 AM

09:20 9:20 AM

1 h ahead of Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,363

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 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 CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kingston Rio de Janeiro 8,200 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Kingston
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,224 in Kingston, $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro – roughly 73% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,336 per month in Kingston and $1,927 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 Rio de Janeiro, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,224 in Kingston and $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a gap of about 73%.

Public transport costs about 12% less in Rio de Janeiro. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,285, than in Kingston at $2,224. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kingston it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Rio de Janeiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro to $2,224 in Kingston. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Rio de Janeiro. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kingston makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.