Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Jolly Harbour

For one person, living costs are similar in Rio de Janeiro and in Jolly Harbour: $1,285 and $1,289 a month, rent and utilities included.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Jolly Harbour

🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Jolly Harbour

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 Jolly Harbour actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,285 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,289 in Jolly Harbour, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Jolly Harbour $1,289

A couple spends around $1,888 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,872 in Jolly Harbour, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Jolly Harbour $1,872

A family of three spends $2,491 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,456 in Jolly Harbour, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Jolly Harbour $2,456

Rio de Janeiro and Jolly Harbour have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Jolly Harbour are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 4% lower, Jolly Harbour 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$9.24 EC$24.94

8.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$73.9 EC$200

-45.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$7.61 EC$20.54

11.43%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$5.56 EC$15.01

-57.55%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$2.17 EC$5.86

-24.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$1.12 EC$3.03

-9.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$5.71 EC$15.41

-57.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$4.33 EC$11.69

-14.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$2.90 EC$7.83

-28.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$5.68 EC$15.33

-77.29%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$7.89 EC$21.31

-71.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$5.46 EC$14.75

101.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$6.24 EC$16.85

-30.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$16.90 EC$45.63

-42.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$5.67 EC$15.31

-50.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$1.83 EC$4.95

0.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$3.04 EC$8.20

-47.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$5.70 EC$15.38

-68.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$5.60 EC$15.13

-77.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$6.13 EC$16.56

-87.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$13.08 EC$35.32

-37.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$1.28 EC$3.46

-7.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$1.88 EC$5.07

27.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

$1.89 EC$5.09

-46.56%

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

$5.39 EC$14.55

-83.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$0.72 EC$1.94

84.72%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

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

$134 R$666

$527 EC$1,424

-74.69%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$67.8 EC$183

-66.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$75.5 EC$204

-58.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

$56.4 EC$152

-45.25%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$16.63 EC$44.91

-50.51%

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

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

98.83%

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 Jolly Harbour: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Jolly Harbour

–

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Jolly Harbour

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Jolly Harbour

–

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Jolly Harbour

–

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Jolly Harbour

–

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Jolly Harbour

–

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Jolly Harbour

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $74.0 in Jolly Harbour. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $339 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇦🇬 Jolly Harbour

🕒 Local time

08:47 8:47 AM

07:47 7:47 AM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

2,000

💱 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 Jolly Harbour 4,890 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Jolly Harbour

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 Jolly Harbour: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,927 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,933 in Jolly Harbour. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 58% more in Jolly Harbour, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

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

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,285, than in Jolly Harbour at $1,289. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Jolly Harbour it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Rio de Janeiro costs $1,285 versus $1,289 in Jolly Harbour. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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