Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and New Glasgow Nova Scotia

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,185 a month against $2,051 in New Glasgow Nova Scotia, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in New Glasgow Nova Scotia
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New Glasgow Nova Scotia Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,185

/mo nomad

New Glasgow Nova Scotia

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,051

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in New Glasgow Nova Scotia

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 New Glasgow Nova Scotia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,051 in New Glasgow Nova Scotia, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,185
New Glasgow Nova Scotia $2,051

A couple spends around $1,737 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,086 in New Glasgow Nova Scotia, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,737
New Glasgow Nova Scotia $3,086

A family of three spends $2,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $4,121 in New Glasgow Nova Scotia, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,289
New Glasgow Nova Scotia $4,121

Rio de Janeiro is about 42% cheaper than New Glasgow Nova Scotia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Rio de Janeiro sits 12% below the global median, while New Glasgow Nova Scotia is 52% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.16 R$44.82

$18.67 CA$26.38

-56.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 R$204

$57.6 CA$81.4

-35.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 R$41.34

$10.56 CA$14.92

-28.79%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R$11.56

$3.70 CA$5.22

-43.24%

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

$1.36 R$7.48

$2.04 CA$2.89

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$5.28

$1.88 CA$2.66

-48.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R$10.86

$3.73 CA$5.28

-46.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 R$17.92

$4.54 CA$6.42

-28.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.97

$1.92 CA$2.71

-43.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 R$10.26

$2.76 CA$3.90

-32.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.18

$3.49 CA$4.94

-67.91%

Eggs

$2.20 R$12.10

$3.50 CA$4.95

-37.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.91 R$54.5

$13.34 CA$18.85

-25.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 R$22.59

$9.93 CA$14.02

-58.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 R$50.8

$13.25 CA$18.72

-30.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 R$14.24

$5.71 CA$8.06

-54.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R$9.27

$1.41 CA$1.99

19.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.07

$4.77 CA$6.74

-69.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 R$9.43

$4.34 CA$6.13

-60.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.35

$2.08 CA$2.94

-44.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.49

$2.22 CA$3.13

-54.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 R$3.61

$2.18 CA$3.08

-69.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R$3.35

$2.14 CA$3.02

-71.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 R$14.79

$14.54 CA$20.55

-81.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 R$39.58

$14.05 CA$19.85

-48.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R$5.89

$3.38 CA$4.78

-68.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 R$12.30

$3.93 CA$5.55

-43.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.81

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.3 R$288

$57.1 CA$80.6

-8.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.48

$2.94 CA$4.16

-59.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 R$3.71

$1.33 CA$1.88

-48.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 R$47.87

$21.76 CA$30.75

-59.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.59

$1.13 CA$1.59

6.19%

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

$21.9K R$120.2K

$26.4K CA$37.4K

-17.30%

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

$31.0K R$170.4K

$21.7K CA$30.6K

43.07%

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

$126 R$690

$123 CA$174

2.09%

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

$10.14 R$55.7

$42.55 CA$60.1

-76.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.95 R$115

$56.3 CA$79.5

-62.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 R$157

$46.31 CA$65.4

-38.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.87 R$159

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 R$40.69

$12.70 CA$17.94

-41.73%

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

$537 R$2,951

$384 CA$542

39.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K R$87.3K

$12.8K CA$18.0K

24.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.68 R$213

$61.2 CA$86.4

-36.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R$248

$35.57 CA$50.3

26.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 R$377

$105 CA$148

-34.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.1 R$352

$119 CA$168

-46.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$4,219

$1,058 CA$1,495

-27.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 R$2,697

$897 CA$1,268

-45.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 R$8,015

$1,601 CA$2,262

-8.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R$4,082

$1,562 CA$2,206

-52.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,325 R$18.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R$8,530

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 R$3,703

$2,523 CA$3,564

-73.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

4.6

159.35%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: November 3, 2026

Last update for New Glasgow Nova Scotia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$491 41.4%

New Glasgow Nova Scotia

$897 43.8% 82.9% $407

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$198 16.7%

New Glasgow Nova Scotia

$380 18.5% 91.8% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$157 13.2%

New Glasgow Nova Scotia

$222 10.8% 41.6% $65

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$139 11.7%

New Glasgow Nova Scotia

$269 13.1% 93.8% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$97 8.2%

New Glasgow Nova Scotia

$144 7% 48% $47

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 5.1%

New Glasgow Nova Scotia

$67 * 3.3% 10.4% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$43 3.7%

New Glasgow Nova Scotia

$72 3.5% 65.5% $28

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $768 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,058 in New Glasgow Nova Scotia. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in New Glasgow Nova Scotia are about 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Rio de Janeiro versus $58 in New Glasgow Nova Scotia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $380 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇦 New Glasgow Nova Scotia

🕒 Local time

21:45 9:45 PM

20:45 8:45 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

18,665

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

1 CAD = 0.708 USD

1 CAD = 0.633 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 November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 5.5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.708 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 CAD (1 CAD = 0.633 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro New Glasgow Nova Scotia 7,870 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
New Glasgow Nova Scotia

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 New Glasgow Nova Scotia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Glasgow Nova Scotia costs about 73% 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 $1,778 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $3,076 in New Glasgow Nova Scotia. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $768 there versus $1,058 in New Glasgow Nova Scotia.

Groceries cost about 92% more in New Glasgow Nova Scotia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Rio de Janeiro and $58 in New Glasgow Nova Scotia. 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 $1,185, than in New Glasgow Nova Scotia at $2,051. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in New Glasgow Nova Scotia 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 $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro to $2,051 in New Glasgow Nova Scotia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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