Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Roseau

For one person, living costs are similar in Rio de Janeiro and in Roseau: $1,285 and $1,253 a month, rent and utilities included.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Roseau
Learn more

Roseau Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Roseau

🇩🇲 Dominica

$1,253

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,253 in Roseau.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Roseau $1,253

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,147 in Roseau.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Roseau $2,147

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,041 in Roseau.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Roseau $3,041

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 3% more expensive than in Roseau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 4% lower, Roseau 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$7.52 EC$20.31

32.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$56.4 EC$152

-28.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$6.62 EC$17.88

28.10%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$4.01 EC$10.82

-41.15%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$2.49 EC$6.72

-34.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$2.27 EC$6.14

-55.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$1.90 EC$5.14

28.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$2.52 EC$6.82

46.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$3.41 EC$9.21

-66.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$2.13 EC$5.74

-2.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$1.22 EC$3.30

5.74%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$5.64 EC$15.22

-59.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$2.42 EC$6.54

354.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$11.01 EC$29.73

-60.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$12.84 EC$34.68

-24.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$6.28 EC$16.96

-54.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$2.39 EC$6.45

-23.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$4.50 EC$12.14

-64.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$5.21 EC$14.05

-65.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$3.53 EC$9.52

-64.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$3.04 EC$8.21

-64.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$2.08 EC$5.61

-63.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$2.57 EC$6.94

-74.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$7.44 EC$20.08

-59.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$11.08 EC$29.92

-26.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$2.73 EC$7.38

-56.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$3.07 EC$8.29

-22.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

$1.82 EC$4.92

-44.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

$53.4 EC$144

-6.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

$5.39 EC$14.55

-76.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

$2.97 EC$8.03

-69.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

$10.38 EC$28.02

-9.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$1.39 EC$3.75

-4.32%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

$34.8K EC$93.9K

-32.66%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$30.0K EC$80.9K

12.01%

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

$134 R$666

$141 EC$381

-5.28%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$43.95 EC$119

-72.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$70.9 EC$191

-68.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$47.16 EC$127

-33.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

$22.28 EC$60.2

38.55%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$8.38 EC$22.62

-1.79%

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

$603 R$3,011

$129 EC$349

366.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

$4,414 EC$11.9K

199.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$55.4 EC$150

-24.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$36.98 EC$99.9

35.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$74.4 EC$201

0.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$91.5 EC$247

-25.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

$281 EC$759

221.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

$201 EC$542

162.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

$891 EC$2,407

51.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

$635 EC$1,714

21.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

$121 EC$328

3177.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

$56.6 EC$153

2661.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

$489 EC$1,320

31.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

7.6

56.97%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026

Last update for Roseau: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Roseau

$201 16.1% 62% $327

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Roseau

$371 29.7% 73% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Roseau

$256 20.5% 51.9% $87

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Roseau

$162 12.9% 1.3% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Roseau

$116 9.3% 9.9% $10

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Roseau

$81 6.5% 34.9% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Roseau

$64 5.1% 33.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $905 in Rio de Janeiro and $281 in Roseau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 32% 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 $56.0 in Roseau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $371 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇩🇲 Roseau

🕒 Local time

09:11 9:11 AM

08:11 8:11 AM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

15,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.331 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.331 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Roseau 4,690 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Roseau

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 Roseau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Roseau differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($1,285 vs $1,253 including rent). Roseau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 32% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $281 in Roseau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Roseau – a meal for two runs $56.0 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,285 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,253 in Roseau – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,253 in Roseau versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Roseau but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Roseau 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 Roseau 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 Roseau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.