Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Guangzhou (Canton)

For one person, living is cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton): $914 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Guangzhou (Canton)
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Guangzhou (Canton) Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Guangzhou (Canton)

🇨🇳 China

$914

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Guangzhou (Canton)

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 Guangzhou (Canton) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,182 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $914 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Guangzhou (Canton) $914

A couple spends around $1,750 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,442 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,442

A family of three spends $2,318 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,971 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,971

Rio de Janeiro costs about 29% more than Guangzhou (Canton), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Guangzhou (Canton) are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 13% lower, Guangzhou (Canton) 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$48.58

$3.03 ¥20.19

199.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$199

$29.73 ¥198

25.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$42.91

$5.36 ¥35.72

49.63%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.72

$3.19 ¥21.24

-31.35%

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

$1.46 R$7.83

$0.54 ¥3.60

170.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.28

$0.36 ¥2.43

175.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.85

$1.31 ¥8.76

54.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.45

$2.75 ¥18.33

25.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.67

$1.87 ¥12.48

-43.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.62

$1.92 ¥12.79

3.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.28

$1.10 ¥7.31

6.36%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.81

$1.56 ¥10.42

41.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$54.1

$16.83 ¥112

-39.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.02

$5.18 ¥34.51

-20.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.08

$12.00 ¥80.0

-23.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.55

$2.22 ¥14.79

22.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.15

$1.25 ¥8.34

36.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.19

$1.45 ¥9.66

5.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$8.89

$1.72 ¥11.45

-3.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.09

$0.95 ¥6.31

20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.32

$1.21 ¥8.08

-18.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.46

$0.84 ¥5.59

-22.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.20

$0.71 ¥4.75

-15.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$14.96

$3.91 ¥26.09

-28.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$40.03

$10.86 ¥72.4

-31.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.84

$1.02 ¥6.81

6.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.49

$1.93 ¥12.84

20.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.79

$0.44 ¥2.92

104.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$284

$18.29 ¥122

189.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.24

$1.77 ¥11.78

-33.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.18

$0.40 ¥2.66

95.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$44.79

$7.21 ¥48.09

16.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.49

$1.37 ¥9.12

-11.68%

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

$21.5K R$114.9K

$19.7K ¥131.5K

8.83%

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

$31.1K R$166.6K

$17.8K ¥118.9K

74.58%

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

$124 R$666

$60.4 ¥402

106.16%

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

$10.03 R$53.7

$16.16 ¥108

-37.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$112

$14.47 ¥96.5

44.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$152

$70.9 ¥472

-59.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$157

$12.27 ¥81.8

139.04%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$40.75

$6.53 ¥43.50

16.69%

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

$563 R$3,012

$1,612 ¥10.7K

-65.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$64.5K

$24.7K ¥164.6K

-51.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$210

$48.97 ¥326

-19.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$248

$40.73 ¥271

13.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$366

$82.1 ¥547

-16.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$339

$71.3 ¥475

-11.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,153

$509 ¥3,391

52.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,532

$270 ¥1,797

75.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,443

$1,224 ¥8,158

13.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$3,954

$500 ¥3,335

47.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.2K

$8,271 ¥55.1K

-58.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,403

$3,705 ¥24.7K

-57.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,194

$1,269 ¥8,457

-52.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

3.38

252.96%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 25, 2026

Last update for Guangzhou (Canton): October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$270 29.5% 43% $204

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$242 26.5% 20.3% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$91 10% 41.4% $64

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$94 10.3% 37.1% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$109 12% 11.8% $12

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$24 2.6% 61.4% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$84 9.2% 92.5% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $776 in Rio de Janeiro versus $509 in Guangzhou (Canton). Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Guangzhou (Canton) are about 2.1 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Rio de Janeiro versus $30 in Guangzhou (Canton). Groceries tell a different story – $201 in Rio de Janeiro vs $242 in Guangzhou (Canton) – so Rio de Janeiro wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇳 Guangzhou (Canton)

🕒 Local time

08:59 8:59 AM

19:59 7:59 PM

11 h ahead of Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

14,043,500

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.96 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Guangzhou (Canton) 17,610 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Guangzhou (Canton)

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 Guangzhou (Canton): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, $914 in Guangzhou (Canton) – roughly 29% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,774 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,371 in Guangzhou (Canton). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton), especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $509 there versus $776 in Rio de Janeiro.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro and $914 in Guangzhou (Canton). That’s a gap of about 29%.

Public transport costs about 65% less in Guangzhou (Canton). For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Rio de Janeiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $914 in Guangzhou (Canton) to $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.