Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Burlington

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $2,634 in Burlington, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 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
128

Cost of Living Index in Burlington
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Burlington Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Burlington

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,634 in Burlington, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Burlington $2,634

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,790 in Burlington, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Burlington $3,790

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $4,946 in Burlington, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Burlington $4,946

Rio de Janeiro is about 51% cheaper than Burlington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Rio de Janeiro sits 5% below the global median, while Burlington is 95% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$21.10 CA$29.82

-52.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$71.3 CA$101

-43.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$10.70 CA$15.13

-20.09%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.40 CA$4.81

-30.00%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.98 CA$2.80

-18.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.53 CA$2.16

-32.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$5.52 CA$7.81

-55.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$6.16 CA$8.71

-39.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$2.63 CA$3.72

-54.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.78 CA$3.93

-26.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$3.71 CA$5.24

-65.50%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$3.51 CA$4.97

-34.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$9.94 CA$14.05

8.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$10.43 CA$14.75

-57.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$14.22 CA$20.10

-30.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$3.56 CA$5.03

-21.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.51 CA$2.13

17.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$2.72 CA$3.84

-41.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$3.53 CA$4.99

-49.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.92 CA$2.71

-36.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$1.84 CA$2.61

-43.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$2.05 CA$2.89

-62.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.47 CA$2.08

-54.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$13.04 CA$18.44

-76.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$10.57 CA$14.94

-23.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$2.61 CA$3.69

-54.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.85 CA$4.02

-11.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$2.55 CA$3.61

-61.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$97.3 CA$138

-48.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$4.96 CA$7.01

-75.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$2.39 CA$3.38

-61.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$42.21 CA$59.7

-78.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.15 CA$1.63

13.04%

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

$20.2K CA$28.5K

62.97%

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

$133 R$676

$143 CA$202

-6.50%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$44.20 CA$62.5

-75.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$66.7 CA$94.3

-65.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$51.3 CA$72.5

-39.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$29.46 CA$41.65

8.11%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$15.93 CA$22.51

-49.47%

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

$598 R$3,029

$1,151 CA$1,628

-48.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$19.2K CA$27.1K

-29.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$68.0 CA$96.1

-38.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$63.8 CA$90.1

-22.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$97.1 CA$137

-23.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$97.0 CA$137

-29.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$1,617 CA$2,286

-44.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$1,393 CA$1,969

-61.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$2,558 CA$3,616

-48.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$2,136 CA$3,019

-64.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$5,013 CA$7,087

-20.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$4,029 CA$5,696

-61.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$3,161 CA$4,468

-79.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

4.52

163.94%

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 Burlington: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Burlington

$1.4K 52.9% 163% $863

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Burlington

$338 12.8% 57.6% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Burlington

$254 9.6% 51.7% $86

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Burlington

$296 11.2% 79.2% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Burlington

$147 5.6% 38.7% $41

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Burlington

$124 4.7% 108% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Burlington

$83 3.2% 77.3% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,617 in Burlington. 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 394% higher in Burlington, 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 $71.0 in Burlington. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $338 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇦 Burlington

🕒 Local time

16:18 4:18 PM

15:18 3:18 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

183,314

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Burlington 8,260 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Burlington

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 Burlington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Burlington is pricier by about 104%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $3,952 in Burlington. 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.

Kindergarten costs $598 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,151 in Burlington. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 58% more in Burlington, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,289, than in Burlington at $2,634. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burlington 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, Burlington makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.