Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Barrie

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $2,516 in Barrie, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 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 Barrie
Learn more

Barrie Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Barrie

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,516

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Barrie

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 Barrie actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,516 in Barrie.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Barrie $2,516

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,464 in Barrie.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Barrie $3,464

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro versus $4,413 in Barrie.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Barrie $4,413

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 49% less than in Barrie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 4% below, Barrie is 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$14.06 CA$20.05

-29.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$57.2 CA$81.6

-29.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$11.11 CA$15.84

-23.67%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$3.66 CA$5.22

-35.52%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$1.90 CA$2.71

-14.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$1.46 CA$2.08

-30.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$4.99 CA$7.11

-51.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$5.46 CA$7.78

-32.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$2.03 CA$2.90

-43.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$2.48 CA$3.53

-16.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$2.66 CA$3.79

-51.50%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$2.91 CA$4.15

-21.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$9.70 CA$13.82

13.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$14.10 CA$20.10

-69.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$22.09 CA$31.48

-55.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$4.04 CA$5.76

-29.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$1.16 CA$1.66

58.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$3.02 CA$4.31

-47.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$3.84 CA$5.47

-53.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$1.08 CA$1.54

16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$1.34 CA$1.92

-20.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$2.06 CA$2.93

-63.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$1.67 CA$2.38

-60.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$11.32 CA$16.13

-73.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$10.07 CA$14.36

-18.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$2.45 CA$3.49

-51.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$2.11 CA$3.01

13.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

$2.43 CA$3.46

-58.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

$63.9 CA$91.1

-21.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

$3.57 CA$5.08

-64.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

$1.07 CA$1.53

-15.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$1.14 CA$1.63

16.67%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

$27.9K CA$39.8K

-16.09%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$20.4K CA$29.1K

64.32%

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

$134 R$666

$230 CA$328

-41.92%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$34.39 CA$49.02

-64.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$75.8 CA$108

-70.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$39.44 CA$56.2

-19.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

$34.99 CA$49.88

-11.77%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$12.72 CA$18.13

-35.30%

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

$603 R$3,011

$1,382 CA$1,970

-56.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$63.6 CA$90.6

-34.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$43.59 CA$62.1

14.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$148 CA$211

-49.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$84.0 CA$120

-18.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

$1,427 CA$2,034

-36.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

$1,218 CA$1,736

-56.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

$2,051 CA$2,923

-34.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

$1,786 CA$2,546

-56.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

$4,955 CA$7,062

-19.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

$4,122 CA$5,875

-62.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

$3,020 CA$4,305

-78.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

4.68

154.91%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026

Last update for Barrie: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Barrie

$1.2K 49.5% 131% $691

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Barrie

$362 14.7% 68.9% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Barrie

$340 13.8% 102% $172

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Barrie

$239 9.7% 46% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Barrie

$153 6.2% 44.3% $47

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Barrie

$83 3.4% 37.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Barrie

$65 2.6% 35.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $905 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,427 in Barrie. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barrie pays 370% 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: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $57.0 in Barrie for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $362 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇦 Barrie

🕒 Local time

08:19 8:19 AM

07:19 7:19 AM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

141,434

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

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).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Barrie 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Barrie

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 Barrie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Barrie differ by about 96% in total monthly costs ($1,285 vs $2,516 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 370% lower in Barrie. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,427 in Barrie. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Rio de Janeiro runs roughly 27% less than in Barrie. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $603 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,382 in Barrie. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,516 in Barrie, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Barrie. 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.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 96% less than in Barrie. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.