Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and High Level

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $2,098 in High Level, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

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

Cost of Living Index in High Level
Learn more

High Level Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

High Level

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,098

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in High Level

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,098 in High Level.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
High Level $2,098

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,162 in High Level.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
High Level $3,162

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $4,226 in High Level.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
High Level $4,226

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 39% less than in High Level, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 5% below, High Level is 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$16.59 CA$23.45

-39.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$69.9 CA$98.8

-42.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$11.72 CA$16.58

-27.05%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.73 CA$5.27

-36.19%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.72 CA$2.43

-6.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.51 CA$2.14

-31.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$5.69 CA$8.04

-56.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$5.90 CA$8.34

-37.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.99 CA$2.81

-40.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.65 CA$3.75

-22.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$2.77 CA$3.92

-53.79%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$3.76 CA$5.32

-39.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$10.10 CA$14.28

6.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$10.12 CA$14.31

-56.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$14.22 CA$20.10

-30.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$3.91 CA$5.53

-28.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.25 CA$1.77

42.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$3.66 CA$5.18

-56.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$3.78 CA$5.35

-52.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$2.78 CA$3.93

-56.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$2.48 CA$3.51

-58.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$2.11 CA$2.99

-63.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.38 CA$1.95

-51.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$12.27 CA$17.35

-75.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$11.99 CA$16.95

-32.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$2.73 CA$3.87

-56.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.73 CA$3.86

-8.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$2.06 CA$2.91

-51.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$67.0 CA$94.7

-25.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.95 CA$4.18

-58.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.49 CA$2.11

-38.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$22.92 CA$32.40

-60.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.11 CA$1.57

17.12%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$29.3K CA$41.4K

-18.55%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$17.2K CA$24.3K

91.28%

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

$133 R$676

$135 CA$191

-1.17%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$38.65 CA$54.6

-72.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$54.0 CA$76.4

-57.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$40.78 CA$57.6

-24.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$17.18 CA$24.29

85.39%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$10.86 CA$15.35

-25.87%

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

$598 R$3,029

$772 CA$1,092

-22.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$11.4K CA$16.2K

17.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$44.96 CA$63.6

-6.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$33.50 CA$47.36

48.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$74.8 CA$106

-0.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$102 CA$145

-32.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$1,196 CA$1,690

-24.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$1,003 CA$1,419

-47.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$1,712 CA$2,420

-22.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$1,726 CA$2,440

-56.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$4,435 CA$6,270

-9.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$4,083 CA$5,772

-61.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

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 10, 2026

Last update for High Level: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

High Level

$1K 47.8% 89.5% $474

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

High Level

$338 16.1% 57.6% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

High Level

$228 10.9% 36.2% $61

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

High Level

$266 12.7% 61.1% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

High Level

$115 5.5% 8.8% $9.3

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

High Level

$86 4.1% 43% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

High Level

$62 3% 33.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,196 in High Level. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $70.0 in High Level for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $338 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇦 High Level

🕒 Local time

20:14 8:14 PM

17:14 5:14 PM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

3,200

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro High Level 11,280 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
High Level

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 High Level: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and High Level differ by about 63% in total monthly costs ($1,289 vs $2,098 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,933 in Rio de Janeiro and $3,147 in High Level to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,196 in High Level. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,098 in High Level – a 63% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Rio de Janeiro runs roughly 34% less than in High Level. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,098 in High Level, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in High Level. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Rio de Janeiro and High Level 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 Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in High Level. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.