Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Meadow Lake, SK

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $2,276 in Meadow Lake, SK, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Meadow Lake, SK
Learn more

Meadow Lake, SK Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Meadow Lake, SK

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,276

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Meadow Lake, SK

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 Meadow Lake, SK actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,276 in Meadow Lake, SK, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Meadow Lake, SK $2,276

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,267 in Meadow Lake, SK, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Meadow Lake, SK $3,267

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $4,258 in Meadow Lake, SK, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Meadow Lake, SK $4,258

Rio de Janeiro is about 43% cheaper than Meadow Lake, SK, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Rio de Janeiro sits 5% below the global median, while Meadow Lake, SK is 69% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$50.8

$15.33 CA$21.79

-34.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$204

$71.3 CA$101

-43.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.16

$9.17 CA$13.04

-6.76%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$11.99

$3.66 CA$5.21

-34.97%

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

$1.61 R$8.14

$1.95 CA$2.77

-17.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.20

$1.80 CA$2.55

-42.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.49

$3.80 CA$5.39

-35.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.69

$5.66 CA$8.05

-34.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.24 CA$1.76

-4.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.34

$2.27 CA$3.23

-9.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.46

$4.71 CA$6.70

-72.82%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.55

$3.47 CA$4.93

-34.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.3

$8.32 CA$11.83

29.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.26

$11.75 CA$16.70

-62.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.65

$16.11 CA$22.90

-38.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.19

$3.54 CA$5.03

-20.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$8.99

$1.40 CA$1.99

27.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.10

$4.17 CA$5.93

-61.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.07

$3.11 CA$4.42

-42.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.14

$2.72 CA$3.86

-55.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.24

$1.62 CA$2.30

-35.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.90

$1.78 CA$2.53

-56.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.36

$1.48 CA$2.10

-54.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.21

$14.57 CA$20.71

-79.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.77

$13.92 CA$19.79

-41.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.00

$2.78 CA$3.95

-57.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.67

$3.28 CA$4.66

-23.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$4.98

$2.34 CA$3.32

-57.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$253

$65.3 CA$92.9

-23.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.17

$4.36 CA$6.19

-72.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.64

$1.24 CA$1.76

-25.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.25

$10.42 CA$14.81

-13.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.55

$1.16 CA$1.65

12.07%

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

$23.9K R$120.5K

$27.5K CA$39.2K

-13.33%

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

$32.9K R$165.9K

$21.0K CA$29.8K

56.52%

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

$133 R$673

$203 CA$289

-34.35%

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

$10.82 R$54.6

$47.34 CA$67.3

-77.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$58.3 CA$82.9

-60.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$155

$40.22 CA$57.2

-23.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$18.61 CA$26.45

71.14%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.65

$11.19 CA$15.91

-28.06%

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

$598 R$3,016

$484 CA$687

23.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$67.7K

$14.3K CA$20.3K

-5.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$212

$62.4 CA$88.7

-32.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$251

$42.63 CA$60.6

16.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$376

$83.4 CA$119

-10.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$347

$108 CA$153

-36.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,558

$1,258 CA$1,787

-28.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,672

$1,104 CA$1,569

-52.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,695

$1,962 CA$2,789

-32.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,814

$1,667 CA$2,370

-54.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.2K

$3,925 CA$5,578

2.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,875

$3,380 CA$4,804

-53.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,228

$2,838 CA$4,034

-77.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

4.8

148.54%

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 Meadow Lake, SK: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Meadow Lake, SK

$1.1K 48.5% 109% $575

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Meadow Lake, SK

$343 15.1% 59.7% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Meadow Lake, SK

$309 13.6% 84.8% $142

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Meadow Lake, SK

$239 10.5% 45.1% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Meadow Lake, SK

$133 5.9% 26% $27

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Meadow Lake, SK

$85 3.7% 42.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Meadow Lake, SK

$63 2.8% 33.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,258 in Meadow Lake, SK. 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 344% higher in Meadow Lake, SK, 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 $71.0 in Meadow Lake, SK. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $343 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇦 Meadow Lake, SK

🕒 Local time

02:58 2:58 AM

23:58 11:58 PM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

5,266

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.198 USD

1 BRL = 0.177 EUR

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 5.05 BRL (1 BRL = 0.198 USD). 1 EUR = 5.65 BRL (1 BRL = 0.177 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Meadow Lake, SK 10,580 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Meadow Lake, SK

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 Meadow Lake, SK: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Meadow Lake, SK is pricier by about 77%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $3,414 in Meadow Lake, SK. 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.

Public transport costs about 30% less in Rio de Janeiro. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $598 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $484 in Meadow Lake, SK. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing 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 Meadow Lake, SK at $2,276. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Meadow Lake, SK it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rio de Janeiro – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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