Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Lethbridge, AB

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $2,118 in Lethbridge, AB, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Lethbridge, AB
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Lethbridge, AB Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Lethbridge, AB

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,118

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Lethbridge, AB

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,118 in Lethbridge, AB, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Lethbridge, AB $2,118

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,113 in Lethbridge, AB, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Lethbridge, AB $3,113

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $4,108 in Lethbridge, AB, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Lethbridge, AB $4,108

Rio de Janeiro is about 39% cheaper than Lethbridge, AB, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Rio de Janeiro sits 5% below the global median, while Lethbridge, AB is 57% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$20.73 CA$29.31

-51.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$67.8 CA$95.9

-40.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$11.71 CA$16.56

-26.99%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$4.15 CA$5.87

-42.65%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.77 CA$2.50

-9.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$2.05 CA$2.90

-49.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$4.89 CA$6.91

-49.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$5.68 CA$8.03

-34.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$2.20 CA$3.11

-45.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.39 CA$3.39

-14.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$4.32 CA$6.11

-70.37%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$3.32 CA$4.69

-31.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$10.03 CA$14.18

7.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$12.16 CA$17.20

-63.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$12.68 CA$17.93

-22.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$3.37 CA$4.77

-16.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.27 CA$1.79

40.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$2.71 CA$3.83

-40.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$4.55 CA$6.44

-60.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$3.55 CA$5.02

-65.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$3.09 CA$4.37

-66.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$3.12 CA$4.42

-75.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.73 CA$2.44

-61.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$11.77 CA$16.64

-74.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$14.10 CA$19.94

-42.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$3.07 CA$4.34

-61.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$3.84 CA$5.43

-34.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$2.14 CA$3.02

-53.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$68.6 CA$96.9

-26.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$3.47 CA$4.90

-64.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$2.82 CA$3.98

-67.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$42.23 CA$59.7

-78.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.12 CA$1.58

16.07%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$27.4K CA$38.7K

-12.76%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$21.9K CA$30.9K

50.40%

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

$133 R$676

$275 CA$389

-51.53%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$50.4 CA$71.3

-78.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$67.8 CA$95.9

-66.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$43.76 CA$61.9

-29.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$14.02 CA$19.82

127.18%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$13.74 CA$19.42

-41.41%

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

$598 R$3,029

$856 CA$1,211

-30.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$3,569 CA$5,045

276.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$46.21 CA$65.3

-9.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$50.6 CA$71.6

-1.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$74.8 CA$106

-0.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$114 CA$161

-39.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$972 CA$1,374

-7.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$763 CA$1,079

-30.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$1,415 CA$2,000

-6.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$1,249 CA$1,766

-39.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$5,489 CA$7,760

-26.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$2,059 CA$2,911

-24.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$2,907 CA$4,110

-78.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

4.85

145.98%

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 Lethbridge, AB: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Lethbridge, AB

$763 36% 44.1% $234

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Lethbridge, AB

$365 17.2% 70% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Lethbridge, AB

$393 18.6% 135% $226

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Lethbridge, AB

$302 14.3% 83% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Lethbridge, AB

$129 6.1% 21.6% $23

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Lethbridge, AB

$95 4.5% 58.1% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Lethbridge, AB

$71 3.4% 51.9% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $972 in Lethbridge, AB. 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 355% higher in Lethbridge, AB, 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 $68.0 in Lethbridge, AB. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $365 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇦 Lethbridge, AB

🕒 Local time

15:45 3:45 PM

12:45 12:45 PM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

83,517

💱 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 Lethbridge, AB 10,580 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Lethbridge, AB

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 Lethbridge, AB: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, $2,118 in Lethbridge, AB – roughly 64% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $3,176 in Lethbridge, AB. 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.

Groceries cost about 70% more in Lethbridge, AB, 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 $68.0 in Lethbridge, AB. 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 $1,289, than in Lethbridge, AB at $2,118. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lethbridge, AB it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Rio de Janeiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro to $2,118 in Lethbridge, AB. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Lethbridge, AB makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.