Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Charlottetown

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,185 a month against $1,889 in Charlottetown, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Charlottetown
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Charlottetown Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,185

/mo nomad

Charlottetown

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,889 in Charlottetown, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,185
Charlottetown $1,889

A couple spends around $1,737 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,834 in Charlottetown, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,737
Charlottetown $2,834

A family of three spends $2,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,779 in Charlottetown, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,289
Charlottetown $3,779

Rio de Janeiro is about 37% cheaper than Charlottetown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Rio de Janeiro sits 12% below the global median, while Charlottetown is 40% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.16 R$44.89

$14.24 CA$20.02

-42.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 R$205

$60.1 CA$84.5

-38.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 R$41.40

$9.78 CA$13.75

-23.11%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R$11.58

$3.57 CA$5.01

-41.18%

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

$1.36 R$7.49

$1.75 CA$2.46

-22.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$5.29

$1.36 CA$1.92

-29.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R$10.88

$5.57 CA$7.84

-64.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 R$17.94

$5.68 CA$7.98

-42.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.97

$2.35 CA$3.30

-53.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 R$10.27

$3.16 CA$4.45

-40.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.19

$4.93 CA$6.93

-77.28%

Eggs

$2.20 R$12.12

$3.97 CA$5.59

-44.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.91 R$54.6

$11.77 CA$16.55

-15.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 R$22.62

$15.37 CA$21.62

-73.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 R$50.9

$17.25 CA$24.26

-46.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 R$14.26

$3.58 CA$5.03

-27.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R$9.28

$1.49 CA$2.10

13.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.08

$3.88 CA$5.46

-62.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 R$9.45

$4.97 CA$6.99

-65.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.36

$1.68 CA$2.36

-30.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.50

$3.21 CA$4.51

-68.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 R$3.61

$2.80 CA$3.94

-76.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R$3.35

$1.97 CA$2.77

-69.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 R$14.81

$18.20 CA$25.60

-85.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 R$39.64

$13.77 CA$19.36

-47.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R$5.90

$3.26 CA$4.58

-67.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 R$12.32

$3.22 CA$4.53

-30.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.82

$1.46 CA$2.05

-39.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.3 R$288

$14.56 CA$20.47

259.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.49

$7.38 CA$10.38

-84.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 R$3.72

$2.20 CA$3.10

-69.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 R$47.94

$28.88 CA$40.61

-69.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.59

$1.27 CA$1.79

-5.51%

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

$21.9K R$120.4K

$28.4K CA$39.9K

-22.99%

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

$31.0K R$170.7K

$21.5K CA$30.3K

43.96%

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

$126 R$691

$127 CA$179

-1.33%

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

$10.14 R$55.8

$33.64 CA$47.31

-69.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.95 R$115

$74.8 CA$105

-71.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 R$157

$60.0 CA$84.4

-52.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.87 R$159

$3.66 CA$5.15

688.80%

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 R$40.75

$10.68 CA$15.02

-30.71%

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

$537 R$2,955

$159 CA$223

238.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K R$87.4K

$8,116 CA$11.4K

95.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.68 R$213

$40.30 CA$56.7

-4.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R$248

$33.57 CA$47.21

34.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 R$378

$84.8 CA$119

-19.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.1 R$353

$131 CA$184

-51.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$4,225

$1,003 CA$1,410

-23.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 R$2,701

$747 CA$1,050

-34.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 R$8,026

$1,680 CA$2,363

-13.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R$4,088

$1,241 CA$1,745

-40.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,325 R$18.3K

$2,976 CA$4,185

11.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R$8,542

$1,924 CA$2,706

-19.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 R$3,708

$2,408 CA$3,387

-72.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

4.58

160.48%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: November 3, 2026

Last update for Charlottetown: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$491 41.4%

Charlottetown

$747 39.5% 52.2% $256

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$198 16.7%

Charlottetown

$418 22.2% 111% $220

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$157 13.2%

Charlottetown

$236 12.5% 50.4% $79

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$139 11.7%

Charlottetown

$238 12.6% 71.3% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$97 8.2%

Charlottetown

$130 6.9% 33.8% $33

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 5.1%

Charlottetown

$39 2.1% 35.8% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$43 3.7%

Charlottetown

$81 4.3% 87.9% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $768 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,003 in Charlottetown. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Charlottetown are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Rio de Janeiro versus $60 in Charlottetown. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $418 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇦 Charlottetown

🕒 Local time

18:20 6:20 PM

17:20 5:20 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

38,809

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

1 CAD = 0.711 USD

1 CAD = 0.636 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.711 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.636 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Charlottetown 7,950 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Charlottetown

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 Charlottetown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Charlottetown costs about 59% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,778 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $2,834 in Charlottetown. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $768 there versus $1,003 in Charlottetown.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,889 in Charlottetown. That makes Rio de Janeiro about 37% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 72% less in Charlottetown. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Rio de Janeiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro to $1,889 in Charlottetown. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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