Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Estevan

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $2,189 in Estevan, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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
106

Cost of Living Index in Estevan
Learn more

Estevan Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Estevan

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,189

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,285 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,189 in Estevan, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Estevan $2,189

A couple spends around $1,888 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,150 in Estevan, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Estevan $3,150

A family of three spends $2,491 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $4,111 in Estevan, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Estevan $4,111

Rio de Janeiro is about 41% cheaper than Estevan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Rio de Janeiro sits 4% below the global median, while Estevan is 63% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$21.39 CA$30.49

-53.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$65.9 CA$93.9

-38.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$5.75 CA$8.20

47.48%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$2.12 CA$3.03

11.32%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$2.22 CA$3.17

-26.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$1.76 CA$2.51

-42.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$6.54 CA$9.32

-62.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$6.01 CA$8.56

-38.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$0.91 CA$1.30

26.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$1.09 CA$1.56

89.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$2.91 CA$4.15

-55.67%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$1.92 CA$2.73

18.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$13.30 CA$18.96

-17.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$6.06 CA$8.64

-28.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$16.45 CA$23.45

-40.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$4.17 CA$5.94

-32.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$1.22 CA$1.74

50.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$3.72 CA$5.30

-56.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$3.57 CA$5.08

-49.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$2.20 CA$3.13

-42.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$2.27 CA$3.24

-52.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$1.43 CA$2.03

-47.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$0.39 CA$0.56

69.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$14.56 CA$20.75

-79.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$12.95 CA$18.46

-36.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$3.57 CA$5.09

-66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$3.38 CA$4.81

-29.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

$2.39 CA$3.41

-57.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

$69.6 CA$99.2

-27.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

$3.66 CA$5.21

-65.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

$0.79 CA$1.12

13.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

$21.06 CA$30.02

-55.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$1.13 CA$1.62

17.70%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

$27.4K CA$39.1K

-14.52%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$20.3K CA$28.9K

65.38%

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

$134 R$666

$125 CA$179

6.47%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$50.9 CA$72.5

-75.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$56.7 CA$80.8

-60.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$37.75 CA$53.8

-16.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

$18.71 CA$26.67

64.99%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$9.49 CA$13.53

-13.28%

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

$603 R$3,011

$475 CA$677

27.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

$10.5K CA$14.9K

26.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$49.79 CA$71.0

-16.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$36.77 CA$52.4

35.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$91.9 CA$131

-18.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$108 CA$154

-36.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

$1,269 CA$1,809

-28.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

$1,111 CA$1,584

-52.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

$2,138 CA$3,047

-37.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

$1,527 CA$2,177

-49.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

$4,148 CA$5,912

-4.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

$3,136 CA$4,470

-50.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

$4,221 CA$6,016

-84.76%

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 6, 2026

Last update for Estevan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Estevan

$1.1K 50.9% 111% $584

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Estevan

$292 13.4% 36% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Estevan

$233 10.7% 38.3% $65

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Estevan

$275 12.6% 67.5% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Estevan

$129 5.9% 21.9% $23

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Estevan

$87 4% 44.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Estevan

$57 2.6% 18.1% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,269 in Estevan. 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 556% higher in Estevan, 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 $66.0 in Estevan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $292 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇦 Estevan

🕒 Local time

11:31 11:31 AM

08:31 8:31 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

11,054

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Estevan 9,950 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Estevan

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 Estevan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, $2,189 in Estevan – roughly 70% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,927 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $3,283 in Estevan. 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.

Kindergarten costs $603 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $475 in Estevan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Estevan, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,285, than in Estevan at $2,189. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Estevan 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 $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro to $2,189 in Estevan. 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, Estevan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.