Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Cornwall, ON

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $1,879 in Cornwall, ON, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
91

Cost of Living Index in Cornwall, ON
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Cornwall, ON Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Cornwall, ON

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,879

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Cornwall, ON

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,879 in Cornwall, ON, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Cornwall, ON $1,879

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,769 in Cornwall, ON, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Cornwall, ON $2,769

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,660 in Cornwall, ON, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Cornwall, ON $3,660

Rio de Janeiro is about 31% cheaper than Cornwall, ON, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Rio de Janeiro sits 5% below the global median, while Cornwall, ON is 39% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$14.50 CA$20.50

-30.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$63.8 CA$90.1

-36.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$11.04 CA$15.61

-22.55%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.43 CA$4.85

-30.61%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$2.03 CA$2.86

-20.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.27 CA$1.80

-18.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$4.57 CA$6.46

-45.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$5.66 CA$8.00

-34.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$2.00 CA$2.83

-40.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.10 CA$2.97

-2.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$2.52 CA$3.56

-49.21%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$2.51 CA$3.54

-8.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$5.54 CA$7.83

94.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$10.27 CA$14.51

-57.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$9.61 CA$13.59

2.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$3.02 CA$4.26

-6.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$0.88 CA$1.25

102.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$3.39 CA$4.80

-52.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$3.43 CA$4.85

-47.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$2.58 CA$3.65

-52.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$2.21 CA$3.13

-52.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$1.20 CA$1.70

-35.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.66 CA$2.35

-59.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$10.23 CA$14.46

-70.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$12.12 CA$17.14

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$2.16 CA$3.06

-44.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.49 CA$3.52

0.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$2.09 CA$2.95

-52.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$47.24 CA$66.8

6.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.78 CA$3.93

-56.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.17 CA$1.66

-21.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$25.68 CA$36.30

-65.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.10 CA$1.55

18.18%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$25.4K CA$35.9K

-6.06%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$18.9K CA$26.8K

73.63%

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

$133 R$676

$117 CA$165

14.45%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$37.86 CA$53.5

-71.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$62.2 CA$87.9

-63.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$19.78 CA$27.96

55.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$12.49 CA$17.66

155.00%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$10.67 CA$15.08

-24.55%

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

$598 R$3,029

$488 CA$689

22.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$11.2K CA$15.9K

19.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$51.3 CA$72.5

-18.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$33.46 CA$47.31

48.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$80.0 CA$113

-6.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$84.9 CA$120

-19.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$1,017 CA$1,437

-11.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$922 CA$1,303

-42.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$1,994 CA$2,819

-33.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$1,483 CA$2,096

-49.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$2,482 CA$3,509

61.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$2,040 CA$2,884

-23.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$2,973 CA$4,203

-78.49%

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: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cornwall, ON: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Cornwall, ON

$922 49% 74.1% $392

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Cornwall, ON

$286 15.2% 33.2% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Cornwall, ON

$217 11.5% 29.6% $49

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Cornwall, ON

$238 12.7% 44.1% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Cornwall, ON

$112 6% 6.3% $6.6

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Cornwall, ON

$64 3.4% 7.3% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Cornwall, ON

$41 2.2% 12.3% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,017 in Cornwall, ON. 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 365% higher in Cornwall, ON, 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 $64.0 in Cornwall, ON. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $286 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇦 Cornwall, ON

🕒 Local time

14:05 2:05 PM

13:05 1:05 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

46,867

💱 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 Cornwall, ON 8,200 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Cornwall, ON

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 Cornwall, ON: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, $1,879 in Cornwall, ON – roughly 46% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $2,819 in Cornwall, ON. 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 $1,879 in Cornwall, ON. That's a gap of about 46%.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Rio de Janeiro. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,289, than in Cornwall, ON at $1,879. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cornwall, ON it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Rio de Janeiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro to $1,879 in Cornwall, ON. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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