Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Laval

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $2,319 in Laval, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 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
113

Cost of Living Index in Laval
Learn more

Laval Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Laval

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,319

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Laval

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,319 in Laval, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Laval $2,319

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,261 in Laval, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Laval $3,261

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $4,202 in Laval, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Laval $4,202

Rio de Janeiro is about 44% cheaper than Laval, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Rio de Janeiro sits 5% below the global median, while Laval is 72% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$18.20 CA$25.73

-44.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$70.2 CA$99.2

-42.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$10.70 CA$15.13

-20.09%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.90 CA$5.51

-38.97%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$2.10 CA$2.98

-23.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.49 CA$2.10

-30.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$5.43 CA$7.68

-54.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$7.18 CA$10.15

-48.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$2.25 CA$3.18

-47.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.73 CA$3.86

-24.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$2.91 CA$4.11

-56.01%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$3.05 CA$4.31

-24.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$8.49 CA$12.00

26.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$11.53 CA$16.30

-61.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$11.94 CA$16.88

-17.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$4.06 CA$5.74

-30.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.56 CA$2.20

14.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$3.80 CA$5.38

-57.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$4.04 CA$5.71

-55.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$2.84 CA$4.01

-57.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$1.98 CA$2.80

-47.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$2.53 CA$3.58

-69.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.47 CA$2.07

-54.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$11.41 CA$16.13

-73.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$11.04 CA$15.61

-26.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$2.21 CA$3.12

-46.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.83 CA$4.00

-11.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$2.88 CA$4.07

-65.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$75.4 CA$107

-33.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.95 CA$4.17

-58.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.42 CA$2.01

-35.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$31.96 CA$45.18

-71.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.27 CA$1.79

2.36%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$27.5K CA$38.8K

-13.11%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$19.8K CA$28.0K

65.88%

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

$133 R$676

$85.9 CA$121

55.39%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$34.22 CA$48.38

-68.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$44.64 CA$63.1

-48.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$29.44 CA$41.62

4.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$11.31 CA$15.99

-28.82%

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

$598 R$3,029

$667 CA$943

-10.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$9,290 CA$13.1K

44.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$58.2 CA$82.3

-27.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$51.1 CA$72.2

-2.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$91.9 CA$130

-18.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$106 CA$150

-35.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$1,131 CA$1,599

-20.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$1,250 CA$1,767

-57.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$1,710 CA$2,417

-22.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$1,701 CA$2,404

-55.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$3,031 CA$4,284

32.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$2,582 CA$3,650

-75.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

4.48

166.29%

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 Laval: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Laval

$1.3K 53.9% 136% $721

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Laval

$337 14.5% 56.8% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Laval

$165 7.1% 1.4% $2.4

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Laval

$280 12.1% 69.9% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Laval

$138 6% 30.7% $33

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Laval

$97 4.2% 62% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Laval

$52 2.2% 11% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,131 in Laval. 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 304% higher in Laval, 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 $70.0 in Laval. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $337 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇦 Laval

🕒 Local time

12:49 12:49 PM

11:49 11:49 AM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

438,366

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Laval 8,220 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Laval

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 Laval: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Laval costs about 80% 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 $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $3,479 in Laval. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro and $70.0 in Laval. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro and $2,319 in Laval. That's a gap of about 80%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,289, than in Laval at $2,319. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Laval it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Rio de Janeiro costs $1,289 versus $2,319 in Laval. 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, Laval makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.