Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Fort Saskatchewan

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $2,174 in Fort Saskatchewan, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Fort Saskatchewan
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Fort Saskatchewan Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Fort Saskatchewan

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,174

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Fort Saskatchewan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,174 in Fort Saskatchewan.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Fort Saskatchewan $2,174

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,367 in Fort Saskatchewan.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Fort Saskatchewan $3,367

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $4,560 in Fort Saskatchewan.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Fort Saskatchewan $4,560

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 41% less than in Fort Saskatchewan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 5% below, Fort Saskatchewan is 61% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$28.07 CA$39.68

-64.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$64.3 CA$90.9

-37.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$10.63 CA$15.02

-19.57%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.93 CA$5.56

-39.44%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$3.13 CA$4.42

-48.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$2.52 CA$3.57

-59.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$7.83 CA$11.06

-68.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$9.06 CA$12.81

-59.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$2.53 CA$3.57

-52.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$3.07 CA$4.34

-33.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$3.08 CA$4.35

-58.44%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$3.43 CA$4.85

-33.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$14.97 CA$21.16

-28.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$13.15 CA$18.59

-66.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$20.39 CA$28.83

-51.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$3.19 CA$4.50

-11.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.86 CA$2.63

-4.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$3.55 CA$5.02

-54.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$3.65 CA$5.16

-50.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$2.40 CA$3.39

-49.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$1.92 CA$2.71

-45.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$2.43 CA$3.43

-68.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.57 CA$2.22

-57.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$15.68 CA$22.16

-80.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$12.73 CA$17.99

-36.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$2.71 CA$3.83

-56.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$3.32 CA$4.70

-24.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$2.33 CA$3.30

-57.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$60.5 CA$85.6

-17.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$3.29 CA$4.65

-62.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.52 CA$2.16

-39.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$23.08 CA$32.63

-61.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$0.99 CA$1.40

31.31%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$27.4K CA$38.8K

-12.97%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$18.8K CA$26.6K

74.86%

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

$133 R$676

$147 CA$208

-9.48%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$38.07 CA$53.8

-71.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$53.9 CA$76.2

-57.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$39.52 CA$55.9

-22.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$17.97 CA$25.41

77.24%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$9.43 CA$13.33

-14.63%

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

$598 R$3,029

$736 CA$1,041

-18.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$12.2K CA$17.3K

9.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$63.6 CA$89.9

-33.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$37.27 CA$52.7

33.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$83.6 CA$118

-10.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$102 CA$145

-32.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$1,242 CA$1,756

-27.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$884 CA$1,250

-40.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$1,908 CA$2,697

-30.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$1,669 CA$2,360

-54.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$4,111 CA$5,812

-2.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$3,521 CA$4,977

-55.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$3,118 CA$4,407

-79.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.07

96.54%

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 Fort Saskatchewan: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Fort Saskatchewan

$884 40.7% 67% $355

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Fort Saskatchewan

$399 18.3% 85.7% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Fort Saskatchewan

$239 11% 43.2% $72

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Fort Saskatchewan

$383 17.6% 132% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Fort Saskatchewan

$129 5.9% 22% $23

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Fort Saskatchewan

$81 3.7% 34.9% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Fort Saskatchewan

$58 2.7% 24.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,242 in Fort Saskatchewan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort Saskatchewan pays 387% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $64.0 in Fort Saskatchewan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $399 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇦 Fort Saskatchewan

🕒 Local time

21:25 9:25 PM

18:25 6:25 PM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

28,624

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Fort Saskatchewan 10,820 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Fort Saskatchewan

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 Fort Saskatchewan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Fort Saskatchewan differ by about 69% in total monthly costs ($1,289 vs $2,174 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 387% lower in Fort Saskatchewan. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,242 in Fort Saskatchewan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $598 in Rio de Janeiro versus $736 in Fort Saskatchewan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 86% higher in Fort Saskatchewan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,174 in Fort Saskatchewan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Fort Saskatchewan. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Fort Saskatchewan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.