Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Gordon Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Gordon Town: $1,002 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 Gordon Town
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Gordon Town Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Gordon Town

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,002

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Gordon Town

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,002 in Gordon Town, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Gordon Town $1,002

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,657 in Gordon Town, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Gordon Town $1,657

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,311 in Gordon Town, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Gordon Town $2,311

Rio de Janeiro costs about 29% more than Gordon Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Gordon Town are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Gordon Town 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$13.39 JMD 2,116

-24.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$74.2 JMD 11.7K

-45.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$8.03 JMD 1,269

6.48%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$5.17 JMD 817

-53.97%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.20 JMD 189

34.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.68 JMD 108

51.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$2.19 JMD 345

12.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$3.21 JMD 507

15.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$4.24 JMD 670

-71.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$3.72 JMD 588

-44.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.63 JMD 258

-21.47%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$3.45 JMD 545

-33.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$11.33 JMD 1,790

-5.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$6.34 JMD 1,001

-30.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$10.27 JMD 1,622

-4.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$6.05 JMD 955

-53.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$3.97 JMD 627

-55.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$7.20 JMD 1,138

-77.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$3.11 JMD 491

-42.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$3.25 JMD 513

-62.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$2.70 JMD 427

-61.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$3.10 JMD 490

-75.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.51 JMD 238

-55.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$9.63 JMD 1,521

-68.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$11.21 JMD 1,771

-27.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$2.86 JMD 452

-58.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$4.07 JMD 643

-38.33%

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

$1.17 JMD 185

4.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$3.21 JMD 507

-71.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$6.22 JMD 983

44.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.46 JMD 230

-10.96%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$43.8K JMD 6.9M

-45.46%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

-0.21%

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

$133 R$676

$169 JMD 26.7K

-21.21%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$29.50 JMD 4,660

-63.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$51.6 JMD 8,148

-55.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$12.96 JMD 2,047

-37.89%

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

$598 R$3,029

$366 JMD 57.8K

63.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$8,205 JMD 1.3M

63.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$23.45 JMD 3,704

79.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$31.21 JMD 4,931

59.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$76.0 JMD 12.0K

-1.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$103 JMD 16.3K

-33.38%

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

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 10, 2026

Last update for Gordon Town: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Gordon Town

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Gordon Town

$385 38.4% 79.5% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Gordon Town

$250 25% 49.8% $83

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Gordon Town

$218 21.8% 32.2% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Gordon Town

$105 10.5% 0.5% $0.5

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Gordon Town

$17 * 1.7% 71.3% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Gordon Town

$26 * 2.6% 44.7% $21

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 $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $74.0 in Gordon Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $385 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇯🇲 Gordon Town

🕒 Local time

21:56 9:56 PM

19:56 7:56 PM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

1,088

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Gordon Town 5,830 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Gordon Town

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 Gordon Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rio de Janeiro is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,503 in Gordon Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro and $74.0 in Gordon Town. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 80% cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gordon Town, where all-in costs run around $1,002, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Gordon Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gordon Town – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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