Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Hay River, NT

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,228 in Hay River, NT, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Hay River, NT
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Hay River, NT Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Hay River, NT

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,228

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Hay River, NT

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 Hay River, NT actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,273 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,228 in Hay River, NT, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Hay River, NT $2,228

A couple spends around $1,841 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,228 in Hay River, NT, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Hay River, NT $3,228

A family of three spends $2,409 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $4,227 in Hay River, NT, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Hay River, NT $4,227

Rio de Janeiro is about 43% cheaper than Hay River, NT, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Rio de Janeiro sits 6% below the global median, while Hay River, NT is 64% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$17.76 CA$25.11

-47.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$64.5 CA$91.1

-37.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$10.38 CA$14.67

-19.65%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$3.54 CA$5.01

-35.31%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$2.03 CA$2.87

-21.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$1.60 CA$2.27

-36.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$5.28 CA$7.46

-59.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$5.67 CA$8.01

-35.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$2.00 CA$2.82

-43.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$2.50 CA$3.53

-16.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$3.28 CA$4.63

-61.89%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$3.44 CA$4.86

-34.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$10.04 CA$14.19

8.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$11.38 CA$16.09

-61.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$14.79 CA$20.91

-35.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$3.71 CA$5.24

-23.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.32 CA$1.87

37.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$3.74 CA$5.29

-57.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$3.79 CA$5.35

-51.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$2.45 CA$3.46

-51.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$2.25 CA$3.17

-52.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$2.42 CA$3.42

-69.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$1.62 CA$2.29

-58.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$14.17 CA$20.03

-79.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$12.77 CA$18.05

-37.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$2.63 CA$3.72

-55.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$3.10 CA$4.38

-21.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$2.26 CA$3.20

-58.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

$62.1 CA$87.7

-18.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$2.79 CA$3.95

-56.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$1.46 CA$2.07

-43.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$22.52 CA$31.83

-60.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.15 CA$1.62

12.17%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$28.0K CA$39.6K

-18.64%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$19.1K CA$27.1K

77.38%

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

$134 R$681

$131 CA$186

2.18%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$37.62 CA$53.2

-71.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$52.7 CA$74.4

-56.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$40.43 CA$57.2

-25.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

$18.00 CA$25.45

74.94%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$10.86 CA$15.35

-28.82%

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

$584 R$2,960

$760 CA$1,074

-23.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$13.1K CA$18.5K

-2.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$52.6 CA$74.4

-21.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$38.34 CA$54.2

28.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$83.9 CA$119

-12.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$104 CA$147

-36.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$1,130 CA$1,597

-20.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$1,120 CA$1,584

-52.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$1,928 CA$2,725

-30.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$1,716 CA$2,426

-56.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$4,164 CA$5,887

-4.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$3,582 CA$5,065

-56.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

$4,273 CA$6,041

-85.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

4.66

156.01%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Last update for Hay River, NT: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Hay River, NT

$1.1K 50.3% 113% $593

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Hay River, NT

$349 15.7% 63.5% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Hay River, NT

$222 10% 32.1% $54

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Hay River, NT

$268 12% 71.9% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Hay River, NT

$125 5.6% 21.2% $22

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Hay River, NT

$81 3.7% 36.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Hay River, NT

$62 2.8% 36.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,130 in Hay River, NT. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 567% higher in Hay River, NT, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $64.0 in Hay River, NT. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $214 vs $349 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇦 Hay River, NT

🕒 Local time

13:21 1:21 PM

10:21 10:21 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

3,600

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Hay River, NT 11,330 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Hay River, NT

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 Hay River, NT: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hay River, NT costs about 75% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,910 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $3,342 in Hay River, NT. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rio de Janeiro, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro and $2,228 in Hay River, NT. That's a gap of about 75%.

Public transport costs about 23% less in Rio de Janeiro. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,273, than in Hay River, NT at $2,228. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hay River, NT it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Rio de Janeiro costs $1,273 versus $2,228 in Hay River, NT. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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