Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Fort Wellington

For one person, living is cheaper in Fort Wellington: $1,008 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Fort Wellington
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Fort Wellington Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Fort Wellington

🇬🇾 Guyana

$1,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,008 in Fort Wellington.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Fort Wellington $1,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,699 in Fort Wellington.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Fort Wellington $1,699

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,391 in Fort Wellington.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Fort Wellington $2,391

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 28% more expensive than in Fort Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Fort Wellington 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$17.87 GYD 3,715

-43.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$72.5 GYD 15.1K

-44.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$9.39 GYD 1,952

-8.95%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$5.80 GYD 1,206

-58.97%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.26 GYD 261

27.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.64 GYD 134

60.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$1.86 GYD 388

32.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$3.38 GYD 702

9.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$3.62 GYD 753

-67.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.03 GYD 422

0.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.97 GYD 410

-35.03%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$4.01 GYD 834

-42.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$15.49 GYD 3,220

-30.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$6.99 GYD 1,453

-36.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$8.95 GYD 1,862

9.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$8.05 GYD 1,674

-65.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$4.08 GYD 848

-56.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$3.93 GYD 817

-59.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$6.88 GYD 1,430

-73.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$2.34 GYD 486

-47.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$3.02 GYD 627

-65.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$3.11 GYD 647

-75.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.66 GYD 345

-59.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$3.39 GYD 704

-11.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$16.63 GYD 3,458

-51.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.86 GYD 387

-36.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.62 GYD 544

-4.20%

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

$4.36 GYD 906

-72.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$2.41 GYD 502

-61.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$11.74 GYD 2,440

-23.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.08 GYD 224

20.37%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$27.1K GYD 5.6M

-11.88%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$22.9K GYD 4.8M

43.68%

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

$133 R$676

$118 GYD 24.6K

12.70%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$21.89 GYD 4,550

-50.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$43.78 GYD 9,102

-47.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$6.14 GYD 1,277

31.11%

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

$598 R$3,029

$1,021 GYD 212.3K

-41.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$18.4K GYD 3.8M

-26.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$37.86 GYD 7,870

11.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$41.97 GYD 8,726

18.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$133 GYD 27.6K

-43.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$84.2 GYD 17.5K

-18.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

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

$962 GYD 200.0K

-33.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.94

71.90%

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 Wellington: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Fort Wellington

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Fort Wellington

$397 39.4% 84.9% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Fort Wellington

$184 18.3% 10.1% $17

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Fort Wellington

$264 26.3% 60.3% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Fort Wellington

$134 13.3% 26.3% $28

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Fort Wellington

$16 * 1.6% 72.6% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Fort Wellington

$12 * 1.2% 73.8% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

Fort Wellington pays 50% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $73.0 in Fort Wellington for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $397 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇬🇾 Fort Wellington

🕒 Local time

17:33 5:33 PM

16:33 4:33 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

118

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Guyanese Dollar GYD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 GYD = 4.81 USD

1,000 GYD = 4.28 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GYD, 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).

Guyanese Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 208 GYD (1,000 GYD = 4.81 USD). 1 EUR = 234 GYD (1,000 GYD = 4.28 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Fort Wellington 3,610 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Fort Wellington

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 Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fort Wellington is cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. The 28% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 50% lower in Fort Wellington. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $598 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,021 in Fort Wellington. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Fort Wellington – a meal for two runs $73.0 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,008 in Fort Wellington versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Fort Wellington but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Fort Wellington the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Fort Wellington is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Rio de Janeiro, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Rio de Janeiro and Fort Wellington are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Fort Wellington gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.