Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Stony Hill

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $1,614 in Stony Hill, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Stony Hill
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Stony Hill Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Stony Hill

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Stony Hill

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,614 in Stony Hill.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Stony Hill $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,808 in Stony Hill.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Stony Hill $2,808

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $4,002 in Stony Hill.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Stony Hill $4,002

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 20% less than in Stony Hill, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 5% below, Stony Hill is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$13.54 JMD 2,140

-25.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$75.1 JMD 11.9K

-46.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$8.37 JMD 1,322

2.15%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$5.37 JMD 849

-55.68%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.14 JMD 180

41.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.60 JMD 94.8

71.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$1.86 JMD 293

32.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$3.22 JMD 509

14.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$3.08 JMD 487

-61.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$1.55 JMD 245

32.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.65 JMD 260

-22.42%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$3.47 JMD 548

-34.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$11.50 JMD 1,817

-6.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$4.92 JMD 777

-10.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$2.87 JMD 454

242.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$5.89 JMD 931

-52.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$3.76 JMD 594

-52.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$4.12 JMD 652

-61.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$2.45 JMD 388

-26.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$2.75 JMD 435

-55.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$1.90 JMD 300

-45.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$1.61 JMD 255

-52.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.45 JMD 229

-53.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$9.45 JMD 1,493

-68.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$11.13 JMD 1,759

-27.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$2.79 JMD 440

-57.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$3.90 JMD 616

-35.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$1.16 JMD 183

5.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$3.21 JMD 506

-71.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$6.29 JMD 993

42.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$0.72 JMD 113

80.56%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$31.7K JMD 5.0M

-24.61%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$25.3K JMD 4.0M

30.09%

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

$133 R$676

$46.98 JMD 7,422

183.95%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$21.73 JMD 3,433

-50.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$41.54 JMD 6,563

-44.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$75.6 JMD 11.9K

-59.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$19.10 JMD 3,017

66.75%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$12.63 JMD 1,996

-36.26%

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

$598 R$3,029

$360 JMD 56.9K

65.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$8,318 JMD 1.3M

61.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$23.28 JMD 3,678

80.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$31.45 JMD 4,969

57.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$75.0 JMD 11.8K

-0.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$104 JMD 16.5K

-34.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$937 JMD 148.0K

-3.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$764 JMD 120.7K

-30.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$2,225 JMD 351.5K

-40.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$1,877 JMD 296.5K

-59.73%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

32.56%

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 Stony Hill: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Stony Hill

$764 47.4% 44.3% $235

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Stony Hill

$295 18.3% 37.5% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Stony Hill

$110 6.8% 34% $57

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Stony Hill

$221 13.7% 33.7% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Stony Hill

$105 6.5% 0.3% $0.4

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Stony Hill

$17 * 1.1% 71.3% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Stony Hill

$101 6.3% 115% $54

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 $937 in Stony Hill. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $75.0 in Stony Hill for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $295 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇯🇲 Stony Hill

🕒 Local time

03:58 3:58 AM

01:58 1:58 AM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

8,551

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Stony Hill 5,840 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Stony Hill

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 Stony Hill: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Stony Hill differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($1,289 vs $1,614 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,933 in Rio de Janeiro and $2,420 in Stony Hill to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $937 in Stony Hill. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $598 in Rio de Janeiro versus $360 in Stony Hill. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $75.0 in Stony Hill. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,614 in Stony Hill, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Stony Hill. 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 25% less than in Stony Hill. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.