Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Saint Lucia

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $1,360 in Saint Lucia, rent and utilities included – about $900 less a year. The total is higher in Saint Lucia despite lower rent and utilities.

Rio de Janeiro
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,285
/mo nomad
🇱🇨 Saint Lucia
$1,360
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Rio de Janeiro is 38.2% cheaper than Saint Lucia without rent, and 5.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Rio de Janeiro is 39% cheaper than Saint Lucia without rent, and 18.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rio de Janeiro
Saint Lucia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.98 R$49.83
$8.06 EC$21.77
23.82%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.34 R$201
$74.7 EC$202
-46.02%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.48 R$42.35
$9.37 EC$25.29
-9.50%
Cappuccino
$2.36 R$11.80
$3.94 EC$10.63
-40.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 R$8.13
$1.43 EC$3.86
13.99%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.01 R$5.06
$1.01 EC$2.72
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.44 R$12.19
$2.89 EC$7.79
-15.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.69 R$18.43
$3.26 EC$8.79
13.19%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rio de Janeiro
Saint Lucia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 R$5.72
$2.19 EC$5.92
-47.49%
White Bread (500g)
$2.07 R$10.34
$1.68 EC$4.53
23.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.29 R$6.42
$1.68 EC$4.54
-23.21%
Eggs
$2.27 R$11.32
$4.91 EC$13.25
-53.77%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.00 R$54.9
$11.47 EC$30.98
-4.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.31 R$21.51
$11.33 EC$30.60
-61.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.74 R$48.63
$14.89 EC$40.21
-34.59%
Apples (1kg)
$2.83 R$14.12
$7.74 EC$20.90
-63.44%
Banana (1kg)
$1.84 R$9.17
$1.83 EC$4.94
0.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 R$7.96
$5.08 EC$13.72
-68.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 R$9.00
$8.59 EC$23.21
-79.05%
Potato (1kg)
$1.26 R$6.28
$3.49 EC$9.43
-63.90%
Onion (1kg)
$1.07 R$5.34
$2.07 EC$5.59
-48.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.75 R$3.75
$3.02 EC$8.16
-75.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 R$3.29
$1.34 EC$3.62
-50.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.05 R$15.21
$7.47 EC$20.18
-59.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.18 R$40.84
$12.02 EC$32.44
-31.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.19 R$5.92
$2.21 EC$5.96
-46.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.39 R$11.92
$5.12 EC$13.82
-53.32%
🚌 Getting Around
Rio de Janeiro
Saint Lucia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.01 R$5.06
$1.13 EC$3.05
-10.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$50.2 R$250
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 R$6.33
$9.28 EC$25.04
-86.31%
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
$1.58 EC$4.27
-15.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.4K R$117.0K
$29.1K EC$78.6K
-19.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.6K R$167.6K
$40.9K EC$110.5K
-17.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rio de Janeiro
Saint Lucia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$134 R$666
$130 EC$350
3.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.23 R$61.0
$40.65 EC$110
-69.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.65 R$113
$45.35 EC$122
-50.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rio de Janeiro
Saint Lucia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.56 R$158
$52.6 EC$142
-40.03%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$30.87 R$154
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.23 R$41.07
$6.74 EC$18.19
22.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rio de Janeiro
Saint Lucia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$603 R$3,011
$215 EC$581
180.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.2K R$66.1K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rio de Janeiro
Saint Lucia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$41.62 R$208
$63.7 EC$172
-34.64%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.94 R$249
$53.4 EC$144
-6.53%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.0 R$375
$109 EC$296
-31.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$68.3 R$341
$110 EC$296
-37.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rio de Janeiro
Saint Lucia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$905 R$4,519
$509 EC$1,373
77.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$527 R$2,633
$355 EC$958
48.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,346 R$6,720
$1,070 EC$2,889
25.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$774 R$3,865
$687 EC$1,855
12.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,981 R$19.9K
$142 EC$383
2708.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,562 R$7,798
$163 EC$439
860.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rio de Janeiro
Saint Lucia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$643 R$3,210
$768 EC$2,073
-16.27%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.93
7.75
53.94%

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 Lucia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Rio de Janeiro
$527
Saint Lucia
$355 32.7% $173
Groceries & Markets
Rio de Janeiro
$215
Saint Lucia
$402 87.3% $187
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rio de Janeiro
$168
Saint Lucia
$216 28.1% $47
Eating Out
Rio de Janeiro
$164
Saint Lucia
$171 4.1% $6.7
Clothing & Footwear
Rio de Janeiro
$106
Saint Lucia
$151 43.1% $46
Getting Around
Rio de Janeiro
$60
Saint Lucia
$14 * 77% $46
Sport & Entertainment
Rio de Janeiro
$48
Saint Lucia
$66 37.7% $18

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Good to know
🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro
🇱🇨 Saint Lucia
🕒 Local time
09:36 9:36 AM
08:36 8:36 AM
1 h behind Rio de Janeiro
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
6,211,223
167,591
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Rio de Janeiro Saint Lucia 4,540 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Rio de Janeiro
  • Saint Lucia

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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