Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Saint-Jérôme

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $1,660 in Saint-Jérôme, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Jérôme
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Saint-Jérôme Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Saint-Jérôme

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,660

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,660 in Saint-Jérôme.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Saint-Jérôme $1,660

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,634 in Saint-Jérôme.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Saint-Jérôme $2,634

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,608 in Saint-Jérôme.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Saint-Jérôme $3,608

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 22% less than in Saint-Jérôme, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 5% below, Saint-Jérôme is 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$15.17 CA$21.44

-33.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$69.6 CA$98.4

-41.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$10.52 CA$14.87

-18.73%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.05 CA$4.31

-21.97%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$2.38 CA$3.36

-32.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$2.00 CA$2.83

-48.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$5.02 CA$7.10

-50.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$6.47 CA$9.15

-42.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$3.18 CA$4.50

-62.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.55 CA$3.60

-19.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$3.53 CA$4.99

-63.74%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$3.45 CA$4.87

-33.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$6.10 CA$8.62

76.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$15.45 CA$21.84

-71.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$17.54 CA$24.80

-43.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$3.60 CA$5.09

-21.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$2.49 CA$3.52

-28.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$4.61 CA$6.51

-65.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$4.19 CA$5.92

-57.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$2.86 CA$4.04

-57.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$2.53 CA$3.57

-58.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$2.37 CA$3.36

-67.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$3.77 CA$5.33

-82.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$10.39 CA$14.69

-71.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$10.55 CA$14.91

-23.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.70 CA$2.40

-30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$3.56 CA$5.03

-29.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$3.04 CA$4.30

-67.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$72.6 CA$103

-30.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.46 CA$2.07

-10.96%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

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

$133 R$676

$55.9 CA$79.0

138.60%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$33.45 CA$47.28

-67.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$42.37 CA$59.9

-45.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$14.22 CA$20.10

116.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$8.48 CA$11.99

-5.07%

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

$598 R$3,029

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$53.1 CA$75.1

-20.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$19.54 CA$27.62

154.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$103 CA$146

-27.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$68.9 CA$97.3

-0.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$778 CA$1,100

16.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$647 CA$914

-18.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$1,399 CA$1,978

-5.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$1,174 CA$1,660

-35.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$2,628 CA$3,715

-75.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

138.60%

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 Saint-Jérôme: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Saint-Jérôme

$647 39% 22.2% $117

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Saint-Jérôme

$411 24.7% 91.4% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Saint-Jérôme

$132 7.9% 21.2% $35

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Saint-Jérôme

$245 14.8% 48.5% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Saint-Jérôme

$110 6.6% 4.2% $4.4

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Saint-Jérôme

$85 * 5.1% 41.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Saint-Jérôme

$31 1.9% 33.5% $16

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 $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $778 in Saint-Jérôme. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint-Jérôme pays 311% 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 $70.0 in Saint-Jérôme for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $411 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇦 Saint-Jérôme

🕒 Local time

14:06 2:06 PM

13:06 1:06 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

80,213

💱 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 Saint-Jérôme 8,250 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Saint-Jérôme

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-Jérôme: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Saint-Jérôme differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($1,289 vs $1,660 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 311% lower in Saint-Jérôme. 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 $778 in Saint-Jérôme. 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 $40.00 versus $70.0 in Saint-Jérôme. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Rio de Janeiro runs roughly 45% less than in Saint-Jérôme. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,660 in Saint-Jérôme, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Saint-Jérôme. 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 29% less than in Saint-Jérôme. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.