Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Pickering, ON

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $2,540 in Pickering, ON, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Pickering, ON
Learn more

Pickering, ON Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Pickering, ON

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,540

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Pickering, ON

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,540 in Pickering, ON, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Pickering, ON $2,540

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,563 in Pickering, ON, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Pickering, ON $3,563

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $4,586 in Pickering, ON, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Pickering, ON $4,586

Rio de Janeiro is about 49% cheaper than Pickering, ON, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Rio de Janeiro sits 5% below the global median, while Pickering, ON is 88% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$13.80 CA$19.51

-27.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$56.7 CA$80.2

-28.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$10.44 CA$14.76

-18.10%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$2.03 CA$2.88

17.24%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.59 CA$2.24

1.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.55 CA$2.20

-33.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$4.57 CA$6.46

-45.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$4.68 CA$6.61

-20.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$2.16 CA$3.05

-44.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.17 CA$3.07

-5.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$4.35 CA$6.14

-70.57%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$3.57 CA$5.05

-35.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$9.36 CA$13.23

14.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$11.24 CA$15.90

-60.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$13.82 CA$19.53

-28.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$3.06 CA$4.33

-8.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$0.53 CA$0.75

235.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$2.40 CA$3.39

-33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$2.05 CA$2.90

-12.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$2.06 CA$2.91

-40.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$2.64 CA$3.73

-60.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$2.62 CA$3.70

-70.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.23 CA$1.74

-45.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$13.32 CA$18.83

-77.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$12.75 CA$18.03

-36.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.79 CA$2.53

-33.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.29 CA$3.24

9.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$2.75 CA$3.89

-64.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$162 CA$228

-68.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.73 CA$3.87

-55.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$2.19 CA$3.10

-57.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$21.56 CA$30.49

-58.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.08 CA$1.53

20.37%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$24.6K CA$34.8K

-3.09%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$19.7K CA$27.9K

66.70%

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

$133 R$676

$102 CA$144

30.85%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$32.94 CA$46.56

-67.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$48.68 CA$68.8

-52.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$58.6 CA$82.8

-47.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$25.42 CA$35.94

25.30%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$11.11 CA$15.71

-27.54%

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

$598 R$3,029

$503 CA$711

18.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$27.6K CA$39.0K

-51.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$71.9 CA$102

-41.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$52.4 CA$74.0

-5.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$80.5 CA$114

-7.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$78.4 CA$111

-12.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$1,644 CA$2,324

-45.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$1,437 CA$2,031

-63.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$2,476 CA$3,500

-46.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$2,094 CA$2,961

-63.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$4,203 CA$5,942

-4.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$3,896 CA$5,508

-59.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$2,911 CA$4,116

-78.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

4.22

182.70%

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 Pickering, ON: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Pickering, ON

$1.4K 56.6% 171% $907

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Pickering, ON

$315 12.4% 46.7% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Pickering, ON

$184 7.2% 9.8% $16

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Pickering, ON

$211 8.3% 27.8% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Pickering, ON

$127 5% 20.5% $22

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Pickering, ON

$186 7.3% 211% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Pickering, ON

$81 3.2% 72.3% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,644 in Pickering, ON. 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 355% higher in Pickering, ON, 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 $57.0 in Pickering, ON. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $315 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇦 Pickering, ON

🕒 Local time

05:46 5:46 AM

04:46 4:46 AM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

91,771

💱 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 Pickering, ON 8,270 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Pickering, ON

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 Pickering, ON: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, $2,540 in Pickering, ON – roughly 97% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $3,811 in Pickering, ON. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro and $2,540 in Pickering, ON. That's a gap of about 97%.

Public transport costs about 223% less in Rio de Janeiro. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,289, than in Pickering, ON at $2,540. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pickering, ON 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 $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro to $2,540 in Pickering, ON. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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