Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ottawa, IL and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,633 in Ottawa, IL, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Ottawa, IL
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Ottawa, IL Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Ottawa, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,633

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,633 per month in Ottawa, IL vs $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Ottawa, IL $2,633
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

A couple spends around $3,645 per month in Ottawa, IL vs $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Ottawa, IL $3,645
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

A family of three spends $4,657 per month in Ottawa, IL vs $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Ottawa, IL $4,657
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Ottawa, IL costs about 107% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ottawa, IL sits 94% above the global median, while Rio de Janeiro is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.83 $14.83

$9.38 R$47.54

58.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 $61.0

$40.00 R$203

52.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.18 $10.18

$8.34 R$42.28

22.06%

Cappuccino

$4.76 $4.76

$2.29 R$11.62

107.86%

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

$2.25 $2.25

$1.59 R$8.05

41.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.01 R$5.10

68.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.39 $5.39

$2.14 R$10.85

151.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.61 $5.61

$3.66 R$18.55

53.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.13 R$5.72

-25.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 $3.03

$2.09 R$10.60

44.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.25 R$6.36

140.80%

Eggs

$3.91 $3.91

$2.25 R$11.39

73.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 $12.23

$10.92 R$55.3

12.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.20 $6.20

$4.36 R$22.10

42.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.51 $12.51

$9.60 R$48.66

30.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 $3.36

$2.85 R$14.46

17.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.81 R$9.16

-21.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$1.58 R$8.02

95.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.83 R$9.28

137.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.20 R$6.10

75.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.06 R$5.35

117.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$0.75 R$3.81

193.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 $1.27

$0.68 R$3.45

86.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.60 $12.60

$2.94 R$14.90

328.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.75 $14.75

$7.98 R$40.43

84.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.18 R$5.98

76.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.42 R$12.26

67.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.94 R$4.78

119.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.20 R$6.10

113.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$0.83 R$4.20

84.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.12 $33.12

$8.97 R$45.48

269.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.29 R$6.53

-9.30%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$22.8K R$115.5K

20.50%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-20.04%

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

$234 $234

$134 R$681

74.52%

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

$45.76 $45.76

$10.73 R$54.4

326.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.1 $67.1

$22.84 R$116

193.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.21 $39.21

$30.16 R$153

30.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.53 $26.53

$31.49 R$160

-15.75%

Cinema Ticket

$11.26 $11.26

$7.73 R$39.17

45.67%

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

$1,001 $1,001

$584 R$2,960

71.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K $19.6K

$12.8K R$64.9K

53.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.96 $47.96

$41.12 R$208

16.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.88 $46.88

$49.26 R$250

-4.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 $115

$73.7 R$373

55.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$65.9 R$334

84.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 $1,641

$900 R$4,561

82.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,483 $1,483

$527 R$2,673

181.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,846 $2,846

$1,332 R$6,754

113.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,203 $2,203

$748 R$3,790

194.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,779 $2,779

$3,990 R$20.2K

-30.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,237 $2,237

$1,560 R$7,908

43.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,448 $2,448

$640 R$3,246

282.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

11.93

-42.83%

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

Last update for Ottawa, IL: October 17, 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

Ottawa, IL

$1.5K 56.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 64.4% $956

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ottawa, IL

$347 13.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 51.7% $179

Groceries & Markets

Ottawa, IL

$314 11.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 32% $100

Eating Out

Ottawa, IL

$260 9.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 40.1% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Ottawa, IL

$149 5.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 30.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Ottawa, IL

$62 2.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 26.1% $16

Getting Around

Ottawa, IL

$18 * 0.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 222% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,641 in Ottawa, IL versus $900 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 282% higher in Ottawa, IL, 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 $61.0 in Ottawa, IL versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $314 vs $214 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ottawa, IL

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

19:57 7:57 PM

21:57 9:57 PM

2 h ahead of Ottawa, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,342

6,211,223

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Ottawa, IL Rio de Janeiro 8,550 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ottawa, IL
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

Ottawa, IL vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ottawa, IL is pricier by about 107%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,950 per month in Ottawa, IL and $1,910 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 $2,633 in Ottawa, IL and $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a gap of about 107%.

Kindergarten costs $1,001 per month in Ottawa, IL and $584 in Rio de Janeiro. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,273, than in Ottawa, IL at $2,633. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ottawa, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rio de Janeiro – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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