Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Gros Islet

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $1,442 in Gros Islet, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in Gros Islet despite lower rent and utilities.

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

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Gros Islet

🇱🇨 Saint Lucia

$1,442

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Gros Islet

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,442 in Gros Islet.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Gros Islet $1,442

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,177 in Gros Islet.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Gros Islet $2,177

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,913 in Gros Islet.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Gros Islet $2,913

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 11% less than in Gros Islet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 4% below, Gros Islet is 8% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$7.31 EC$19.73

36.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$59.6 EC$161

-32.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$9.16 EC$24.72

-7.42%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$4.53 EC$12.23

-47.90%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$1.87 EC$5.04

-12.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$1.89 EC$5.10

-46.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$2.82 EC$7.61

-13.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$3.79 EC$10.24

-2.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$2.53 EC$6.83

-54.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$1.72 EC$4.64

20.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$1.99 EC$5.37

-35.18%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$4.90 EC$13.22

-53.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$12.34 EC$33.33

-10.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$15.75 EC$42.52

-72.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$15.83 EC$42.73

-38.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$5.90 EC$15.94

-52.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$1.62 EC$4.38

13.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$2.24 EC$6.05

-28.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$2.21 EC$5.96

-18.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$2.24 EC$6.04

-43.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$2.16 EC$5.83

-50.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$5.52 EC$14.90

-86.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$1.84 EC$4.96

-64.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$5.89 EC$15.90

-48.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$15.08 EC$40.72

-45.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$4.56 EC$12.31

-47.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

$0.96 EC$2.58

5.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

$33.9K EC$91.6K

-30.96%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$44.0K EC$118.9K

-23.75%

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

$134 R$666

$242 EC$654

-44.85%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$39.58 EC$107

-69.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$55.9 EC$151

-59.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$44.44 EC$120

-28.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$7.00 EC$18.91

17.57%

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

$603 R$3,011

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$18.75 EC$50.6

121.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$11.07 EC$29.90

351.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$73.5 EC$198

2.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$75.3 EC$203

-9.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

$590 EC$1,593

53.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

$396 EC$1,070

33.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

$985 EC$2,658

36.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

$647 EC$1,746

19.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

$743 EC$2,007

-13.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

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 Gros Islet: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Gros Islet

–

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Gros Islet

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Gros Islet

–

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Gros Islet

–

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Gros Islet

–

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Gros Islet

–

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Gros Islet

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $905 in Rio de Janeiro and $590 in Gros Islet. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gros Islet pays 16% 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 $60.0 in Gros Islet for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $387 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇱🇨 Gros Islet

🕒 Local time

09:29 9:29 AM

08:29 8:29 AM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

21,660

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.331 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, 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).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.331 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Gros Islet 4,540 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Gros Islet

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 Gros Islet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Gros Islet. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rio de Janeiro the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Gros Islet. 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: $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $590 in Gros Islet. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,285 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,442 in Gros Islet – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 80% higher in Gros Islet. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,442 in Gros Islet, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Gros Islet. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Rio de Janeiro delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,285 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Rio de Janeiro hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Gros Islet. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.