Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Saint Andrew Parish

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,182 a month against $1,496 in Saint Andrew Parish, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Saint Andrew Parish
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Saint Andrew Parish Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Saint Andrew Parish

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,496

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Saint Andrew Parish

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 Saint Andrew Parish actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,496 in Saint Andrew Parish.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Saint Andrew Parish $1,496

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,422 in Saint Andrew Parish.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Saint Andrew Parish $2,422

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,348 in Saint Andrew Parish.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Saint Andrew Parish $3,348

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 21% less than in Saint Andrew Parish, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 13% below, Saint Andrew Parish is 10% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$48.54

$13.43 JMD 2,120

-32.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$199

$67.2 JMD 10.6K

-44.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$42.87

$8.15 JMD 1,287

-1.60%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.70

$5.42 JMD 855

-59.59%

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

$1.46 R$7.82

$1.20 JMD 190

21.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.27

$0.71 JMD 111

39.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.84

$2.24 JMD 354

-9.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.43

$3.22 JMD 509

7.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.66

$3.38 JMD 533

-68.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.61

$2.60 JMD 411

-23.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.27

$1.63 JMD 257

-28.22%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.80

$3.51 JMD 554

-37.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$54.1

$11.52 JMD 1,818

-12.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.00

$6.23 JMD 983

-33.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.04

$10.36 JMD 1,636

-11.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.54

$6.07 JMD 959

-55.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.15

$3.98 JMD 629

-57.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.18

$4.94 JMD 781

-69.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$8.88

$3.10 JMD 489

-46.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.09

$3.32 JMD 524

-65.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.32

$2.58 JMD 408

-61.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.46

$1.86 JMD 294

-65.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.20

$0.96 JMD 151

-37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$14.94

$9.27 JMD 1,464

-69.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$39.99

$11.46 JMD 1,809

-34.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.83

$2.54 JMD 401

-57.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.48

$3.08 JMD 487

-24.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.79

$0.65 JMD 103

38.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$283

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.24

$0.97 JMD 154

20.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.17

$3.10 JMD 490

-74.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$44.75

$6.14 JMD 969

36.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.48

$1.30 JMD 206

-6.92%

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

$21.5K R$114.8K

$44.9K JMD 7.1M

-52.22%

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

$31.1K R$166.4K

$24.9K JMD 3.9M

25.04%

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

$124 R$665

$115 JMD 18.1K

8.29%

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

$10.03 R$53.6

$29.93 JMD 4,725

-66.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$112

$53.3 JMD 8,414

-60.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$152

$60.1 JMD 9,491

-52.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$157

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$40.72

$13.44 JMD 2,122

-43.30%

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

$563 R$3,009

$254 JMD 40.0K

122.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$64.4K

$8,331 JMD 1.3M

44.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$210

$23.59 JMD 3,725

66.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$248

$31.28 JMD 4,939

48.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$366

$77.4 JMD 12.2K

-11.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$339

$74.8 JMD 11.8K

-15.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,149

$825 JMD 130.2K

-5.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,530

$534 JMD 84.3K

-11.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,436

$1,680 JMD 265.2K

-17.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$3,951

$1,109 JMD 175.0K

-33.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.1K

$2,675 JMD 422.4K

26.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,394

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,191

$726 JMD 114.7K

-17.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

32.56%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 25, 2026

Last update for Saint Andrew Parish: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Saint Andrew Parish

$534 35.7% 12.8% $61

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Saint Andrew Parish

$342 22.9% 70.4% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Saint Andrew Parish

$198 13.3% 27.5% $43

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Saint Andrew Parish

$222 14.9% 48.3% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Saint Andrew Parish

$93 6.2% 4.8% $4.7

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Saint Andrew Parish

$19 * 1.3% 69.1% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Saint Andrew Parish

$87 5.8% 99.6% $43

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 $776 in Rio de Janeiro and $825 in Saint Andrew Parish. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint Andrew Parish pays 22% 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: $37 in Rio de Janeiro vs $67 in Saint Andrew Parish for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $342 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇯🇲 Saint Andrew Parish

🕒 Local time

22:53 10:53 PM

20:53 8:53 PM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

555,995

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.69 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.69 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Saint Andrew Parish 5,830 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Saint Andrew Parish

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 Saint Andrew Parish: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,496 in Saint Andrew Parish, so Rio de Janeiro is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Rio de Janeiro. 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: $776 in Rio de Janeiro versus $825 in Saint Andrew Parish. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $563 in Rio de Janeiro versus $254 in Saint Andrew Parish. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $37 versus $67 in Saint Andrew Parish. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Rio de Janeiro gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Rio de Janeiro wins on affordability, Saint Andrew Parish on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.