Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Cambridge Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $2,410 in Cambridge Bay, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 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
110

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge Bay
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Cambridge Bay Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Cambridge Bay

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,410

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Cambridge Bay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,410 in Cambridge Bay.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Cambridge Bay $2,410

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,214 in Cambridge Bay.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Cambridge Bay $3,214

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $4,019 in Cambridge Bay.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Cambridge Bay $4,019

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 47% less than in Cambridge Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$50.5

$21.76 CA$30.93

-53.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$203

$64.7 CA$92.0

-37.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$42.90

$9.24 CA$13.14

-7.47%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$11.92

$3.71 CA$5.27

-35.85%

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

$1.61 R$8.09

$2.01 CA$2.86

-19.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.17

$1.55 CA$2.20

-33.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.41

$5.20 CA$7.40

-52.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.58

$6.17 CA$8.77

-40.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$5.99

$1.97 CA$2.81

-39.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.28

$2.53 CA$3.59

-18.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.42

$3.27 CA$4.65

-60.86%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.48

$3.35 CA$4.77

-31.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.0

$9.71 CA$13.81

10.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.13

$11.57 CA$16.45

-61.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.35

$15.03 CA$21.38

-34.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.11

$3.83 CA$5.44

-26.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$8.94

$1.28 CA$1.81

39.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.05

$3.23 CA$4.59

-50.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.02

$3.42 CA$4.86

-47.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.11

$2.82 CA$4.00

-56.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.21

$2.23 CA$3.16

-53.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.88

$2.75 CA$3.91

-72.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.34

$1.52 CA$2.16

-55.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.12

$14.50 CA$20.62

-79.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.52

$12.23 CA$17.39

-33.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.97

$2.74 CA$3.90

-56.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.60

$3.18 CA$4.52

-21.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$4.95

$2.59 CA$3.68

-61.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$251

$64.5 CA$91.7

-22.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.14

$2.83 CA$4.02

-56.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.61

$1.53 CA$2.18

-39.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$44.98

$20.29 CA$28.84

-55.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.51

$1.18 CA$1.68

10.17%

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

$23.9K R$119.8K

$25.7K CA$36.5K

-6.96%

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

$32.9K R$164.9K

$19.1K CA$27.2K

71.88%

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

$133 R$669

$128 CA$181

4.58%

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

$10.82 R$54.3

$37.88 CA$53.9

-71.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$115

$53.7 CA$76.4

-57.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$154

$38.55 CA$54.8

-20.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$160

$16.98 CA$24.14

87.57%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.41

$12.66 CA$18.00

-36.41%

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

$598 R$2,998

$669 CA$951

-10.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$67.3K

$13.3K CA$18.9K

1.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$211

$58.9 CA$83.7

-28.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$249

$42.41 CA$60.3

17.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$374

$74.1 CA$105

0.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$345

$89.2 CA$127

-23.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,531

$1,316 CA$1,871

-31.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,656

$1,277 CA$1,815

-58.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,655

$2,017 CA$2,867

-34.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,792

$1,446 CA$2,056

-47.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.1K

$4,510 CA$6,413

-11.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,829

$3,974 CA$5,651

-60.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,209

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

4.66

156.01%

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 Cambridge Bay: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Cambridge Bay

$1.3K 53% 141% $747

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Cambridge Bay

$347 14.4% 61.7% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Cambridge Bay

$219 9.1% 31.1% $52

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Cambridge Bay

$299 12.4% 81.1% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Cambridge Bay

$119 4.9% 12.6% $13

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Cambridge Bay

$85 3.5% 42.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Cambridge Bay

$64 2.7% 36.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,316 in Cambridge Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $65.0 in Cambridge Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $347 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇦 Cambridge Bay

🕒 Local time

19:39 7:39 PM

16:39 4:39 PM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

1,800

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

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).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Cambridge Bay 11,350 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Cambridge Bay

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 Cambridge Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Cambridge Bay differ by about 87% in total monthly costs ($1,289 vs $2,410 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,933 in Rio de Janeiro and $3,615 in Cambridge Bay to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,316 in Cambridge Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,410 in Cambridge Bay – a 87% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Rio de Janeiro runs roughly 29% less than in Cambridge Bay. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,410 in Cambridge Bay, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Cambridge Bay. 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 87% less than in Cambridge Bay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.