Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Sarnia

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $2,002 in Sarnia, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Sarnia
Learn more

Sarnia Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Sarnia

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,002

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Sarnia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,002 in Sarnia.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Sarnia $2,002

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,788 in Sarnia.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Sarnia $2,788

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,574 in Sarnia.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Sarnia $3,574

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 36% less than in Sarnia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 5% below, Sarnia is 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$50.8

$13.54 CA$19.24

-25.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$204

$45.30 CA$64.4

-10.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.16

$9.77 CA$13.89

-12.49%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$11.99

$2.95 CA$4.20

-19.32%

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

$1.61 R$8.14

$1.93 CA$2.75

-16.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.20

$1.37 CA$1.94

-24.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.49

$4.26 CA$6.05

-42.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.69

$5.72 CA$8.13

-35.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.25 CA$1.77

-4.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.34

$2.39 CA$3.40

-14.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.46

$2.42 CA$3.45

-47.11%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.55

$2.77 CA$3.94

-17.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.3

$11.04 CA$15.69

-2.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.26

$11.18 CA$15.89

-60.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.65

$13.68 CA$19.44

-28.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.19

$3.51 CA$5.00

-19.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$8.99

$1.17 CA$1.67

52.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.10

$3.48 CA$4.95

-54.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.07

$3.46 CA$4.92

-47.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.14

$1.32 CA$1.87

-7.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.24

$1.80 CA$2.56

-42.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.90

$1.63 CA$2.32

-52.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.36

$1.26 CA$1.79

-46.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.21

$12.21 CA$17.36

-75.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.77

$9.98 CA$14.19

-19.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.00

$2.42 CA$3.44

-50.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.67

$2.77 CA$3.93

-9.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$4.98

$2.30 CA$3.27

-56.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$253

$56.7 CA$80.6

-11.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.17

$2.43 CA$3.46

-49.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.64

$1.70 CA$2.42

-45.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.25

$27.85 CA$39.58

-67.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.55

$1.17 CA$1.66

11.11%

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

$23.9K R$120.5K

$27.4K CA$38.9K

-12.84%

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

$32.9K R$165.9K

$18.8K CA$26.8K

74.57%

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

$133 R$673

$138 CA$197

-3.66%

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

$10.82 R$54.6

$29.32 CA$41.67

-63.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$45.42 CA$64.6

-49.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$155

$23.76 CA$33.77

29.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$17.73 CA$25.20

79.64%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.65

$11.50 CA$16.35

-30.00%

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

$598 R$3,016

$349 CA$497

71.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$67.7K

$15.8K CA$22.5K

-15.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$212

$55.3 CA$78.7

-24.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$251

$29.75 CA$42.28

66.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$376

$74.0 CA$105

0.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$347

$73.0 CA$104

-5.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,558

$1,342 CA$1,907

-32.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,672

$1,032 CA$1,467

-48.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,695

$2,432 CA$3,456

-45.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,814

$1,451 CA$2,063

-47.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,875

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,228

$3,061 CA$4,351

-79.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

5.09

134.38%

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 Sarnia: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Sarnia

$1K 51.5% 94.9% $502

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Sarnia

$310 15.5% 44.4% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Sarnia

$213 10.7% 27.6% $46

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Sarnia

$219 10.9% 32.7% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Sarnia

$104 5.2% 1.2% $1.3

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Sarnia

$77 3.8% 28.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Sarnia

$47 2.3% 0.3% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,342 in Sarnia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sarnia pays 379% 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 $45.00 in Sarnia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $310 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇦 Sarnia

🕒 Local time

00:18 12:18 AM

23:18 11:18 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

71,594

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.198 USD

1 BRL = 0.177 EUR

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 5.05 BRL (1 BRL = 0.198 USD). 1 EUR = 5.65 BRL (1 BRL = 0.177 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Sarnia 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Sarnia

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 Sarnia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Sarnia differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($1,289 vs $2,002 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 379% lower in Sarnia. 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 $1,342 in Sarnia. 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 $45.00 in Sarnia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,002 in Sarnia – a 55% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,002 in Sarnia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Sarnia. 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 55% less than in Sarnia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.