Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Duncans

For one person, living is cheaper in Duncans: $1,011 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Duncans
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Duncans Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Duncans

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,011

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,182 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,011 in Duncans, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Duncans $1,011

A couple spends around $1,750 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,673 in Duncans, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Duncans $1,673

A family of three spends $2,318 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,336 in Duncans, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Duncans $2,336

Rio de Janeiro costs about 17% more than Duncans, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Duncans are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 13% lower, Duncans 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$48.54

$13.60 JMD 2,144

-33.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$199

$75.7 JMD 11.9K

-50.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$42.87

$8.14 JMD 1,284

-1.47%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.71

$5.44 JMD 858

-59.74%

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

$1.46 R$7.82

$1.14 JMD 180

28.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.27

$0.71 JMD 111

39.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.84

$2.25 JMD 355

-9.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.43

$3.21 JMD 507

7.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.66

$4.15 JMD 655

-74.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.61

$3.73 JMD 588

-46.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.27

$1.58 JMD 249

-25.95%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.80

$3.58 JMD 565

-38.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$54.1

$11.50 JMD 1,813

-12.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.00

$6.21 JMD 979

-33.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.04

$10.34 JMD 1,631

-11.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.54

$6.01 JMD 947

-54.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.15

$3.97 JMD 625

-56.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.18

$7.54 JMD 1,190

-79.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$8.89

$3.02 JMD 476

-45.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.09

$3.32 JMD 523

-65.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.32

$2.61 JMD 411

-62.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.46

$3.01 JMD 475

-78.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.20

$1.43 JMD 226

-58.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$14.94

$9.48 JMD 1,494

-70.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$39.99

$11.25 JMD 1,775

-33.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.83

$2.78 JMD 439

-60.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.48

$3.96 JMD 625

-41.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.79

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$283

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.24

$1.27 JMD 200

-7.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.17

$3.20 JMD 505

-75.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$44.75

$6.23 JMD 983

34.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.48

$1.45 JMD 228

-16.55%

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

$21.5K R$114.8K

$44.1K JMD 7.0M

-51.30%

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

$31.1K R$166.5K

$32.2K JMD 5.1M

-3.18%

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

$124 R$665

$171 JMD 27.0K

-27.34%

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

$10.03 R$53.7

$29.64 JMD 4,674

-66.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$112

$51.8 JMD 8,166

-59.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$152

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$157

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$40.72

$13.41 JMD 2,115

-43.18%

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

$563 R$3,010

$355 JMD 56.0K

58.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$64.4K

$8,307 JMD 1.3M

44.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$210

$23.91 JMD 3,771

64.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$248

$31.38 JMD 4,949

47.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$366

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

-13.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$339

$103 JMD 16.3K

-38.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,150

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,530

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,437

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$3,951

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,396

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,192

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

9.45

26.24%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 25, 2026

Last update for Duncans: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Duncans

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Duncans

$384 38% 91% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Duncans

$253 25% 62.7% $97

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Duncans

$224 22.1% 49.3% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Duncans

$107 10.6% 9.1% $8.9

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Duncans

$17 * 1.7% 72% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Duncans

$27 * 2.7% 38.4% $17

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Rio de Janeiro versus $76 in Duncans. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $201 vs $384 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇯🇲 Duncans

🕒 Local time

13:42 1:42 PM

11:42 11:42 AM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

5,153

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Duncans 5,920 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Duncans

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 Duncans: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rio de Janeiro is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,774 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,517 in Duncans. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,011 in Duncans. That’s a gap of about 17%.

Kindergarten costs $563 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $355 in Duncans. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,011 in Duncans, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Rio de Janeiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,011 in Duncans to $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.