Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Ajax, ON

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $2,482 in Ajax, ON, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in Ajax, ON
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Ajax, ON Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Ajax, ON

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Ajax, ON

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Rio de Janeiro and in Ajax, ON actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,482 in Ajax, ON, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Ajax, ON $2,482

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,526 in Ajax, ON, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Ajax, ON $3,526

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $4,571 in Ajax, ON, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Ajax, ON $4,571

Rio de Janeiro is about 48% cheaper than Ajax, ON, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Rio de Janeiro sits 5% below the global median, while Ajax, ON is 84% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$17.81 CA$25.18

-43.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$53.0 CA$75.0

-23.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$10.42 CA$14.73

-17.95%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.49 CA$4.94

-31.81%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.73 CA$2.45

-6.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.50 CA$2.13

-31.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$3.46 CA$4.90

-28.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$5.44 CA$7.68

-31.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.95 CA$2.75

-38.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.80 CA$3.97

-26.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$3.33 CA$4.70

-61.56%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$3.01 CA$4.26

-23.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$8.91 CA$12.60

20.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$11.24 CA$15.89

-60.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$16.83 CA$23.79

-41.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$3.99 CA$5.64

-29.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.63 CA$2.30

9.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$4.10 CA$5.79

-60.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$3.27 CA$4.63

-44.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$2.93 CA$4.14

-58.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$1.93 CA$2.73

-46.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$2.97 CA$4.20

-74.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.89 CA$2.67

-64.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$14.08 CA$19.90

-78.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$12.58 CA$17.78

-35.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.99 CA$2.82

-40.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.63 CA$3.72

-4.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$2.35 CA$3.32

-57.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$85.4 CA$121

-41.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$3.27 CA$4.63

-62.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$24.92 CA$35.23

-64.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.11 CA$1.57

17.12%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$27.2K CA$38.5K

-12.31%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$18.6K CA$26.2K

77.06%

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

$133 R$676

$126 CA$178

5.92%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$26.46 CA$37.41

-59.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$57.0 CA$80.6

-59.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$33.60 CA$47.50

-8.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$10.32 CA$14.59

208.62%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$9.94 CA$14.05

-19.01%

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

$598 R$3,029

$885 CA$1,251

-32.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$17.6K CA$24.8K

-23.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$49.32 CA$69.7

-14.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$37.67 CA$53.3

31.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$83.4 CA$118

-10.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$105 CA$148

-34.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$1,522 CA$2,152

-40.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$1,384 CA$1,956

-61.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$2,245 CA$3,173

-40.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$2,134 CA$3,017

-64.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$2,935 CA$4,149

-78.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

4.8

148.54%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ajax, ON: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Ajax, ON

$1.4K 55.8% 161% $854

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Ajax, ON

$356 14.4% 66% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Ajax, ON

$209 8.4% 25.3% $42

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Ajax, ON

$257 10.4% 55.7% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Ajax, ON

$124 5% 17% $18

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Ajax, ON

$98 * 4% 63.8% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Ajax, ON

$53 2.2% 14.1% $6.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,522 in Ajax, ON. 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 359% higher in Ajax, ON, 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 $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $53.0 in Ajax, ON. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $356 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇦 Ajax, ON

🕒 Local time

20:22 8:22 PM

19:22 7:22 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

119,677

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Ajax, ON 8,270 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Ajax, ON

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

Rio de Janeiro vs Ajax, ON: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ajax, ON is pricier by about 93%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $3,723 in Ajax, ON. 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 $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro and $2,482 in Ajax, ON. That's a gap of about 93%.

Public transport costs about 70% 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 $1,289, than in Ajax, ON at $2,482. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ajax, ON 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, Ajax, ON makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.