Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Saint Andrews

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,185 a month against $2,252 in Saint Andrews, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Saint Andrews
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Saint Andrews Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,185

/mo nomad

Saint Andrews

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,252

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,252 in Saint Andrews.

Rio de Janeiro $1,185
Saint Andrews $2,252

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,737 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,235 in Saint Andrews.

Rio de Janeiro $1,737
Saint Andrews $3,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $4,219 in Saint Andrews.

Rio de Janeiro $2,289
Saint Andrews $4,219

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 47% less than in Saint Andrews, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 12% below, Saint Andrews is 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.16 R$44.89

$17.63 CA$24.79

-53.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 R$205

$64.6 CA$90.8

-42.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 R$41.40

$10.60 CA$14.91

-29.06%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R$11.58

$3.73 CA$5.24

-43.70%

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

$1.36 R$7.49

$1.98 CA$2.79

-31.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$5.29

$1.68 CA$2.36

-42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R$10.88

$5.27 CA$7.41

-62.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 R$17.94

$5.68 CA$7.99

-42.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.97

$2.11 CA$2.96

-48.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 R$10.27

$2.54 CA$3.57

-26.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.19

$3.51 CA$4.94

-68.09%

Eggs

$2.20 R$12.12

$3.45 CA$4.85

-36.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.91 R$54.6

$10.15 CA$14.27

-2.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 R$22.62

$11.58 CA$16.29

-64.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 R$50.9

$14.99 CA$21.08

-38.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 R$14.26

$3.80 CA$5.35

-31.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R$9.28

$1.36 CA$1.92

24.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.08

$3.59 CA$5.05

-59.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 R$9.45

$3.77 CA$5.30

-54.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.36

$2.42 CA$3.40

-52.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.50

$2.19 CA$3.08

-54.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 R$3.61

$2.41 CA$3.39

-72.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R$3.35

$1.59 CA$2.24

-61.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 R$14.81

$14.28 CA$20.09

-81.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 R$39.64

$12.92 CA$18.17

-44.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R$5.90

$2.74 CA$3.85

-60.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 R$12.32

$3.20 CA$4.50

-30.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.82

$2.35 CA$3.31

-62.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.3 R$288

$63.5 CA$89.2

-17.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.49

$2.91 CA$4.09

-59.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 R$3.72

$1.49 CA$2.09

-54.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 R$47.94

$23.86 CA$33.55

-63.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.59

$1.18 CA$1.65

1.69%

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

$21.9K R$120.4K

$28.1K CA$39.5K

-22.21%

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

$31.0K R$170.7K

$21.1K CA$29.6K

47.12%

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

$126 R$691

$137 CA$193

-8.39%

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

$10.14 R$55.8

$38.16 CA$53.7

-73.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.95 R$115

$54.4 CA$76.6

-61.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 R$157

$37.52 CA$52.8

-24.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.87 R$159

$18.30 CA$25.74

57.76%

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 R$40.75

$10.80 CA$15.19

-31.48%

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

$537 R$2,955

$648 CA$911

-17.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K R$87.4K

$13.3K CA$18.7K

19.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.68 R$213

$55.6 CA$78.2

-30.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R$248

$38.69 CA$54.4

16.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 R$378

$87.6 CA$123

-21.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.1 R$353

$105 CA$148

-39.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$4,225

$1,289 CA$1,813

-40.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 R$2,701

$1,126 CA$1,584

-56.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 R$8,026

$1,970 CA$2,771

-25.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R$4,088

$1,678 CA$2,359

-55.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,325 R$18.3K

$4,296 CA$6,041

-22.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R$8,542

$3,614 CA$5,083

-57.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 R$3,708

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

4.68

154.91%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: November 3, 2026

Last update for Saint Andrews: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$491 41.4%

Saint Andrews

$1.1K 50% 130% $635

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$198 16.7%

Saint Andrews

$354 15.7% 78.9% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$157 13.2%

Saint Andrews

$230 10.2% 46.6% $73

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$139 11.7%

Saint Andrews

$270 12% 94.6% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$97 8.2%

Saint Andrews

$129 5.7% 32.7% $32

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 5.1%

Saint Andrews

$83 3.7% 37.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$43 3.7%

Saint Andrews

$59 2.6% 36.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $768 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,289 in Saint Andrews. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37 in Rio de Janeiro vs $65 in Saint Andrews for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $354 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇦 Saint Andrews

🕒 Local time

19:09 7:09 PM

18:09 6:09 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

1 CAD = 0.711 USD

1 CAD = 0.636 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.711 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.636 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Saint Andrews 7,940 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Saint Andrews

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 Andrews: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro and $2,252 in Saint Andrews, so Rio de Janeiro is about 47% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,778 in Rio de Janeiro and $3,377 in Saint Andrews 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: $768 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,289 in Saint Andrews. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $37 versus $65 in Saint Andrews. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,185 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,252 in Saint Andrews – Rio de Janeiro is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,252 in Saint Andrews, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Saint Andrews. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro 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.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Saint Andrews. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.