Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Cold Lake

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $1,912 in Cold Lake, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Cold Lake
Learn more

Cold Lake Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Cold Lake

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,912

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Cold Lake

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,912 in Cold Lake, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Cold Lake $1,912

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,791 in Cold Lake, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Cold Lake $2,791

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,670 in Cold Lake, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Cold Lake $3,670

Rio de Janeiro is about 33% cheaper than Cold Lake, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Rio de Janeiro sits 5% below the global median, while Cold Lake is 42% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$19.96 CA$28.21

-49.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$57.5 CA$81.2

-29.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$9.67 CA$13.68

-11.58%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.82 CA$5.40

-37.70%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$2.26 CA$3.19

-28.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.42 CA$2.01

-27.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$5.57 CA$7.87

-55.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$6.14 CA$8.68

-39.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.16 CA$1.64

2.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.18 CA$3.09

-5.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$2.87 CA$4.06

-55.40%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$3.07 CA$4.35

-25.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$10.61 CA$14.99

1.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$11.16 CA$15.77

-60.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$18.77 CA$26.53

-47.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$3.50 CA$4.94

-19.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.16 CA$1.64

53.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$2.81 CA$3.97

-43.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$2.48 CA$3.50

-27.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$2.15 CA$3.04

-43.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$1.06 CA$1.50

-1.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$2.33 CA$3.30

-66.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.75 CA$2.48

-61.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$11.94 CA$16.88

-74.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$11.41 CA$16.14

-29.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$3.57 CA$5.05

-66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.85 CA$4.03

-11.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.92 CA$4.13

-58.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.38 CA$1.95

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$20.67 CA$29.22

-56.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.03 CA$1.45

26.21%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$28.3K CA$40.0K

-15.52%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$19.4K CA$27.4K

69.54%

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

$133 R$676

$225 CA$318

-40.71%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$43.04 CA$60.8

-74.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$54.3 CA$76.7

-57.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$12.61 CA$17.82

-36.16%

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

$598 R$3,029

$761 CA$1,075

-21.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$9,434 CA$13.3K

42.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$28.35 CA$40.08

48.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$35.05 CA$49.55

41.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$51.5 CA$72.8

44.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$85.9 CA$121

-20.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$860 CA$1,216

4.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$840 CA$1,188

-37.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$1,544 CA$2,183

-14.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$1,397 CA$1,975

-45.91%

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

$3,084 CA$4,359

-79.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

4.32

176.16%

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 Cold Lake: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Cold Lake

$840 44% 58.7% $311

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Cold Lake

$335 17.5% 55.9% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Cold Lake

$322 16.9% 92.9% $155

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Cold Lake

$289 15.1% 75.4% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Cold Lake

$90 4.7% 14.5% $15

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Cold Lake

$9.8 * 0.5% 83.6% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Cold Lake

$25 * 1.3% 46.2% $22

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 $860 in Cold Lake. 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 382% higher in Cold Lake, 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 $57.0 in Cold Lake. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $335 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇦 Cold Lake

🕒 Local time

18:51 6:51 PM

15:51 3:51 PM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

11,595

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Cold Lake 10,690 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Cold Lake

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 Cold Lake: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cold Lake is pricier by about 48%, 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 $2,868 in Cold Lake. 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 $1,912 in Cold Lake. That's a gap of about 48%.

Kindergarten costs $598 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $761 in Cold Lake. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,289, than in Cold Lake at $1,912. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cold Lake 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, Cold Lake makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.