Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Ocho Rios

For one person, living is cheaper in Ocho Rios: $1,089 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Ocho Rios
Learn more

Ocho Rios Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Ocho Rios

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,089

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Ocho Rios

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,089 in Ocho Rios.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Ocho Rios $1,089

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,565 in Ocho Rios.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Ocho Rios $1,565

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,040 in Ocho Rios.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Ocho Rios $2,040

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 18% more expensive than in Ocho Rios, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Ocho Rios 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$9.32 JMD 1,473

7.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$63.4 JMD 10.0K

-36.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$6.73 JMD 1,063

27.04%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.07 JMD 486

-22.48%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.16 JMD 183

38.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.67 JMD 107

53.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$2.22 JMD 350

11.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$3.08 JMD 486

20.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$3.94 JMD 623

-69.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.78 JMD 439

-26.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.61 JMD 255

-20.50%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$3.58 JMD 566

-36.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$11.47 JMD 1,813

-6.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$6.19 JMD 978

-28.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$10.14 JMD 1,602

-2.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$5.86 JMD 926

-52.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$3.12 JMD 493

-42.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$6.42 JMD 1,015

-75.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$2.44 JMD 385

-26.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$3.28 JMD 518

-62.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$2.54 JMD 401

-59.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$2.85 JMD 451

-72.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.40 JMD 221

-52.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$8.54 JMD 1,349

-64.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$9.25 JMD 1,462

-12.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$2.88 JMD 454

-58.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$3.86 JMD 609

-34.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.95 JMD 151

4.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$1.22 JMD 193

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$3.22 JMD 509

-71.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$6.33 JMD 1,000

41.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.43 JMD 227

-9.09%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$43.7K JMD 6.9M

-45.35%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$33.1K JMD 5.2M

-0.59%

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

$133 R$676

$169 JMD 26.7K

-20.94%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$19.74 JMD 3,118

-45.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$53.6 JMD 8,471

-57.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$11.47 JMD 1,812

-29.82%

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

$598 R$3,029

$358 JMD 56.6K

66.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$8,091 JMD 1.3M

65.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$23.39 JMD 3,696

79.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$31.00 JMD 4,897

60.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$76.2 JMD 12.0K

-2.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$104 JMD 16.4K

-33.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$378 JMD 59.7K

138.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$188 JMD 29.7K

181.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

9.45

26.24%

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 Ocho Rios: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Ocho Rios

$188 17.3% 64.5% $341

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Ocho Rios

$353 32.4% 64.6% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Ocho Rios

$242 22.2% 44.9% $75

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Ocho Rios

$156 14.3% 5.3% $8.8

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Ocho Rios

$105 9.7% 0.3% $0.4

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Ocho Rios

$21 * 1.9% 64.7% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Ocho Rios

$23 * 2.1% 51.1% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $378 in Ocho Rios. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $63.0 in Ocho Rios for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $353 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇯🇲 Ocho Rios

🕒 Local time

00:31 12:31 AM

22:31 10:31 PM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

26,503

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Ocho Rios 5,890 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Ocho Rios

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 Ocho Rios: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ocho Rios is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 18% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,933 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,634 in Ocho Rios to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $378 in Ocho Rios. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $598 in Rio de Janeiro versus $358 in Ocho Rios. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ocho Rios – a meal for two runs $63.0 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,089 in Ocho Rios versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ocho Rios but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Ocho Rios the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ocho Rios is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Rio de Janeiro, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Ocho Rios gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.