Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Milton

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $2,673 in Milton, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 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
131

Cost of Living Index in Milton
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Milton Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Milton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,673

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,673 in Milton.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Milton $2,673

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,762 in Milton.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Milton $3,762

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $4,851 in Milton.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Milton $4,851

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 52% less than in Milton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 5% below, Milton is 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$13.86 CA$19.60

-27.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$69.1 CA$97.7

-41.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$8.54 CA$12.08

0.12%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.51 CA$4.97

-32.19%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$3.01 CA$4.26

-46.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$2.28 CA$3.23

-54.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$4.65 CA$6.58

-46.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$5.81 CA$8.21

-36.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.97 CA$2.78

-39.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.12 CA$3.00

-3.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$2.60 CA$3.67

-50.77%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$3.19 CA$4.50

-28.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$8.72 CA$12.33

23.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$21.67 CA$30.63

-79.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$23.03 CA$32.56

-57.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$4.89 CA$6.92

-42.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.08 CA$1.52

64.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$2.87 CA$4.05

-44.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$3.86 CA$5.45

-53.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$2.38 CA$3.36

-48.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$2.19 CA$3.09

-52.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$2.25 CA$3.19

-65.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.84 CA$2.61

-63.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$11.30 CA$15.98

-73.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$13.50 CA$19.08

-40.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.96 CA$2.77

-39.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.63 CA$3.71

-4.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$2.82 CA$3.99

-64.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$55.4 CA$78.4

-9.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$3.10 CA$4.38

-60.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.50 CA$2.13

-38.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$28.06 CA$39.67

-68.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.01 CA$1.42

28.71%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$24.1K CA$34.0K

-0.78%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$18.9K CA$26.7K

73.86%

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

$133 R$676

$231 CA$326

-42.19%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$55.6 CA$78.6

-80.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$50.8 CA$71.8

-54.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$41.91 CA$59.3

-26.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$19.98 CA$28.25

59.41%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$14.24 CA$20.13

-43.47%

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

$598 R$3,029

$397 CA$562

50.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$10.6K CA$15.0K

26.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$68.5 CA$96.8

-38.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$45.89 CA$64.9

8.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$88.2 CA$125

-15.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$140 CA$198

-50.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$1,503 CA$2,125

-39.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$1,385 CA$1,958

-61.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$2,529 CA$3,576

-47.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$2,016 CA$2,850

-62.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$4,741 CA$6,703

-15.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$4,047 CA$5,721

-61.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$3,170 CA$4,481

-79.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

5.69

109.67%

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 Milton: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Milton

$1.4K 51.8% 162% $856

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Milton

$414 15.5% 92.9% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Milton

$337 12.6% 102% $170

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Milton

$235 8.8% 42.3% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Milton

$154 5.8% 45.8% $48

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Milton

$77 2.9% 29.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Milton

$70 2.6% 50.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,503 in Milton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Milton pays 396% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $69.0 in Milton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $414 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇦 Milton

🕒 Local time

20:27 8:27 PM

19:27 7:27 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

110,128

💱 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 Milton 8,280 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Milton

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 Milton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Milton differ by about 107% in total monthly costs ($1,289 vs $2,673 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 396% lower in Milton. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,503 in Milton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Rio de Janeiro runs roughly 11% less than in Milton. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $598 in Rio de Janeiro versus $397 in Milton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,673 in Milton, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Milton. 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 Milton 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 107% less than in Milton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.