Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Markham and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $2,416 in Markham, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Markham
Learn more

Markham Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

Jump to prices

Markham

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,416

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,416 in Markham versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Markham $2,416
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Markham versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

Markham $3,465
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,514 in Markham versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

Markham $4,514
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Markham is roughly 87% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Markham is 79% above, Rio de Janeiro is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 CA$24.70

$10.06 R$50.5

72.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.4 CA$76.0

$40.44 R$203

32.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 CA$14.89

$8.55 R$42.90

22.46%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.42

$2.38 R$11.92

60.08%

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

$1.70 CA$2.42

$1.61 R$8.09

5.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 CA$1.67

$1.03 R$5.17

13.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.59 CA$5.10

$2.47 R$12.41

45.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 CA$7.99

$3.70 R$18.58

51.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 CA$2.76

$1.19 R$5.99

63.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$2.05 R$10.28

8.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.70

$1.28 R$6.42

48.44%

Eggs

$2.99 CA$4.25

$2.29 R$11.48

30.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.0

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 CA$16.64

$4.41 R$22.13

165.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.81 CA$9.68

$9.84 R$49.35

-30.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 CA$5.25

$2.81 R$14.11

31.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 CA$1.80

$1.78 R$8.94

-29.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 CA$3.31

$1.60 R$8.05

45.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.63

$1.80 R$9.02

81.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 CA$2.92

$1.22 R$6.11

68.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 CA$2.79

$1.04 R$5.21

88.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 CA$4.08

$0.77 R$3.88

272.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$0.67 R$3.34

120.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.44 CA$19.11

$3.01 R$15.12

346.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.53 CA$20.66

$8.08 R$40.52

79.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 CA$3.41

$1.19 R$5.97

101.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 CA$4.54

$2.51 R$12.60

27.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 CA$4.32

$0.99 R$4.95

207.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$127

$50.1 R$251

78.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 CA$4.71

$1.22 R$6.14

171.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.61

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.60 CA$26.44

$8.97 R$44.98

107.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.61

$1.30 R$6.51

-13.08%

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

$28.1K CA$40.0K

$23.9K R$119.8K

17.75%

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

$18.1K CA$25.8K

$32.9K R$164.9K

-44.85%

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

$125 CA$178

$133 R$669

-6.00%

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

$26.20 CA$37.26

$10.82 R$54.3

142.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.69 CA$65.0

$22.90 R$115

99.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.62 CA$60.6

$30.79 R$154

38.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.28 CA$30.26

$31.85 R$160

-33.19%

Cinema Ticket

$10.19 CA$14.49

$8.05 R$40.41

26.58%

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

$870 CA$1,237

$598 R$2,998

45.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.5K CA$39.0K

$13.4K R$67.3K

104.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.21 CA$61.4

$42.04 R$211

2.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.22 CA$52.9

$49.68 R$249

-25.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 CA$130

$74.5 R$374

22.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$149

$68.7 R$345

52.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,554 CA$2,210

$903 R$4,531

72.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 CA$1,978

$529 R$2,656

162.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,699 CA$3,838

$1,326 R$6,655

103.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,236 CA$3,179

$756 R$3,792

195.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,896 CA$8,382

$4,010 R$20.1K

47.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,309 CA$7,549

$1,560 R$7,829

240.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,132 CA$4,453

$640 R$3,209

389.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.56

11.93

-61.78%

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

Last update for Markham: 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

Markham

$1.4K 57.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 61.9% $862

Groceries & Markets

Markham

$279 * 11.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 23% $64

Eating Out

Markham

$257 10.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 35.8% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Markham

$197 8.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 15.3% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Markham

$124 5.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 15% $19

Getting Around

Markham

$105 * 4.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 42.9% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Markham

$63 2.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 25.6% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,554 in Markham and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Markham pays 390% 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: $53.0 in Markham vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Markham

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

19:26 7:26 PM

20:26 8:26 PM

1 h ahead of Markham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

338,503

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Markham Rio de Janeiro 8,290 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Markham
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

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

Rio de Janeiro wins on cost – living expenses run 87% lower than in Markham. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rio de Janeiro the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 390% higher in Markham, 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: $1,554 in Markham versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $870 in Markham versus $598 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 30% higher in Markham. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,416 in Markham, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Markham. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Rio de Janeiro delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,289 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Rio de Janeiro hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Markham 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 87% less than in Markham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.