Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Peterborough

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $2,183 in Peterborough, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Peterborough
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Peterborough Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Peterborough

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,183 in Peterborough.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Peterborough $2,183

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,165 in Peterborough.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Peterborough $3,165

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $4,148 in Peterborough.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Peterborough $4,148

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 41% less than in Peterborough, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 5% below, Peterborough is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$12.97 CA$18.34

-22.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$70.6 CA$99.8

-42.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$10.42 CA$14.73

-17.95%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.52 CA$4.98

-32.39%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.67 CA$2.37

-3.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.34 CA$1.89

-23.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$5.75 CA$8.13

-57.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$5.76 CA$8.14

-35.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$2.44 CA$3.45

-51.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.38 CA$3.36

-13.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$2.41 CA$3.40

-46.89%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$3.04 CA$4.29

-24.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$10.61 CA$15.00

1.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$11.16 CA$15.78

-60.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$12.70 CA$17.96

-22.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$3.36 CA$4.75

-16.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.46 CA$2.07

21.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$3.35 CA$4.73

-52.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$4.13 CA$5.83

-56.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.65 CA$2.33

-26.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$2.28 CA$3.22

-54.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$2.32 CA$3.28

-66.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.46 CA$2.06

-54.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$11.39 CA$16.10

-73.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$12.69 CA$17.95

-36.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$2.28 CA$3.22

-47.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$1.56 CA$2.21

60.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$2.25 CA$3.18

-56.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$45.82 CA$64.8

9.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.92 CA$4.13

-58.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.26 CA$1.78

-26.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$20.64 CA$29.18

-56.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.14 CA$1.61

14.04%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$27.5K CA$38.9K

-13.15%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$19.0K CA$26.8K

73.06%

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

$133 R$676

$142 CA$200

-5.74%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$34.77 CA$49.16

-68.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$44.99 CA$63.6

-49.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$43.93 CA$62.1

-29.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$14.12 CA$19.97

125.57%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$11.14 CA$15.75

-27.74%

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

$598 R$3,029

$347 CA$491

72.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$10.4K CA$14.6K

29.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$42.26 CA$59.7

-0.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$37.02 CA$52.3

34.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$85.0 CA$120

-12.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$72.3 CA$102

-4.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$1,390 CA$1,965

-35.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$1,164 CA$1,646

-54.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$2,066 CA$2,920

-35.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$1,805 CA$2,552

-58.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$6,470 CA$9,147

-38.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$6,154 CA$8,700

-74.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$2,937 CA$4,152

-78.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

4.55

162.20%

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 Peterborough: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Peterborough

$1.2K 53.3% 120% $635

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Peterborough

$331 15.2% 54.4% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Peterborough

$221 10.1% 32.4% $54

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Peterborough

$230 10.5% 39.2% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Peterborough

$106 4.9% 0.7% $0.7

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Peterborough

$64 2.9% 6.9% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Peterborough

$66 3% 41.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,390 in Peterborough. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Peterborough pays 359% 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 $71.0 in Peterborough for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $331 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇦 Peterborough

🕒 Local time

07:00 7:00 AM

06:00 6:00 AM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

81,032

💱 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 Peterborough 8,280 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Peterborough

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 Peterborough: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 69% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 359% lower in Peterborough. 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 $1,390 in Peterborough. 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 9% less than in Peterborough. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $598 in Rio de Janeiro versus $347 in Peterborough. 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 $2,183 in Peterborough, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Peterborough. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Peterborough. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.