Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Sault Ste. Marie

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,059 in Sault Ste. Marie, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Sault Ste. Marie
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Sault Ste. Marie Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Sault Ste. Marie

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Sault Ste. Marie

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 Sault Ste. Marie actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,059 in Sault Ste. Marie.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Sault Ste. Marie $2,059

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,008 in Sault Ste. Marie.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Sault Ste. Marie $3,008

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,956 in Sault Ste. Marie.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Sault Ste. Marie $3,956

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 38% less than in Sault Ste. Marie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 6% below, Sault Ste. Marie is 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$17.17 CA$24.28

-45.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$70.6 CA$99.8

-43.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$10.23 CA$14.46

-18.48%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$3.47 CA$4.90

-34.01%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$1.64 CA$2.32

-3.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$1.35 CA$1.91

-25.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$4.68 CA$6.62

-54.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$5.00 CA$7.07

-26.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$2.42 CA$3.43

-53.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$2.14 CA$3.02

-2.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$3.27 CA$4.63

-61.77%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$2.98 CA$4.22

-24.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$8.32 CA$11.76

31.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$9.97 CA$14.10

-56.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$10.51 CA$14.86

-8.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$3.14 CA$4.43

-9.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$0.99 CA$1.40

82.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$3.06 CA$4.33

-48.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$3.54 CA$5.01

-48.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.97 CA$2.79

-39.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$1.69 CA$2.39

-37.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$2.77 CA$3.92

-72.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$1.27 CA$1.79

-46.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$15.75 CA$22.26

-81.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$10.67 CA$15.08

-25.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$1.84 CA$2.60

-35.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$2.28 CA$3.23

6.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$2.24 CA$3.16

-58.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

$57.5 CA$81.2

-12.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$3.47 CA$4.91

-65.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$2.31 CA$3.26

-64.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$22.97 CA$32.47

-60.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.08 CA$1.52

19.44%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$26.5K CA$37.5K

-14.02%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$20.3K CA$28.6K

67.58%

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

$134 R$681

$174 CA$246

-22.91%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$44.36 CA$62.7

-75.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$76.7 CA$108

-70.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$50.3 CA$71.0

-39.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

$17.62 CA$24.90

78.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$11.18 CA$15.80

-30.86%

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

$584 R$2,960

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$4,984 CA$7,046

156.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$45.63 CA$64.5

-9.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$35.58 CA$50.3

38.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$74.8 CA$106

-1.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$120 CA$170

-45.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$893 CA$1,262

0.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$931 CA$1,316

-43.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$1,325 CA$1,873

0.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$1,455 CA$2,057

-48.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$1,868 CA$2,640

113.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$5,432 CA$7,679

-71.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

$3,049 CA$4,310

-78.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

5.53

115.73%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Last update for Sault Ste. Marie: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Sault Ste. Marie

$931 45.2% 76.6% $404

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Sault Ste. Marie

$299 14.5% 40% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Sault Ste. Marie

$295 14.3% 75.9% $127

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Sault Ste. Marie

$255 12.4% 63.6% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Sault Ste. Marie

$124 6% 20.1% $21

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Sault Ste. Marie

$81 4% 36.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Sault Ste. Marie

$73 3.5% 59.2% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $900 in Rio de Janeiro and $893 in Sault Ste. Marie. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sault Ste. Marie pays 376% 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 $71.0 in Sault Ste. Marie for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $299 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇦 Sault Ste. Marie

🕒 Local time

14:06 2:06 PM

13:06 1:06 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

73,368

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Sault Ste. Marie 8,760 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Sault Ste. Marie

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 Sault Ste. Marie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Sault Ste. Marie differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($1,273 vs $2,059 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 376% lower in Sault Ste. Marie. 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: $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $893 in Sault Ste. Marie. 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 $71.0 in Sault Ste. Marie. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Rio de Janeiro runs roughly 14% less than in Sault Ste. Marie. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,059 in Sault Ste. Marie, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Sault Ste. Marie. 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 62% less than in Sault Ste. Marie. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.