Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Saint John's

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $1,816 in Saint John's, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Saint John's
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Saint John's Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Saint John's

🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda

$1,816

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,816 in Saint John's.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Saint John's $1,816

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,873 in Saint John's.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Saint John's $2,873

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,929 in Saint John's.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Saint John's $3,929

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 29% less than in Saint John's, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 4% below, Saint John's is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$22.50 EC$60.8

-55.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$75.0 EC$203

-46.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$10.97 EC$29.62

-22.70%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$3.80 EC$10.27

-37.89%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$2.03 EC$5.47

-19.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$0.87 EC$2.34

16.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$1.87 EC$5.05

30.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$4.48 EC$12.09

-17.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$2.18 EC$5.88

-47.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$2.81 EC$7.59

-26.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$1.90 EC$5.14

-32.11%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$6.63 EC$17.91

-65.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$8.32 EC$22.46

32.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$8.31 EC$22.44

-48.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$6.48 EC$17.49

-56.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$2.42 EC$6.54

-23.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$8.12 EC$21.93

-80.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$8.10 EC$21.87

-77.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$2.92 EC$7.88

-56.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$2.90 EC$7.84

-63.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$2.64 EC$7.12

-71.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$1.61 EC$4.34

-59.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$5.53 EC$14.93

47.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$2.73 EC$7.36

-56.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$4.55 EC$12.29

-47.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$1.63 EC$4.40

-18.40%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

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

$134 R$666

$256 EC$692

-47.93%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$40.32 EC$109

-69.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$81.4 EC$220

-72.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$65.3 EC$176

-51.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$6.43 EC$17.36

27.99%

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

$603 R$3,011

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

$1,855 EC$5,009

613.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$49.21 EC$133

-15.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$75.4 EC$204

-0.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

$1,036 EC$2,796

-12.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

$680 EC$1,835

-22.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

$1,694 EC$4,573

-20.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

$1,497 EC$4,043

-48.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

$1,344 EC$3,630

-52.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

5.5

116.91%

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 Saint John's: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Saint John's

$680 37.2% 28.9% $152

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Saint John's

$349 * 19.1% 62.5% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Saint John's

$378 20.7% 125% $210

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Saint John's

$288 15.8% 76% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Saint John's

$56 * 3.1% 46.9% $50

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Saint John's

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Saint John's

$78 4.3% 62.8% $30

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 $905 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,036 in Saint John's. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint John's pays 109% 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 $75.0 in Saint John's for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $349 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇦🇬 Saint John's

🕒 Local time

11:14 11:14 AM

10:14 10:14 AM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

21,926 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 Saint John's 4,890 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Saint John's

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 John's: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Saint John's differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($1,285 vs $1,816 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 109% lower in Saint John's. 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: $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,036 in Saint John's. 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 $75.0 in Saint John's. 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 $1,816 in Saint John's – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,816 in Saint John's, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Saint John's. 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.

Safety-wise, Rio de Janeiro and Saint John's 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 Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Saint John's. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.