Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Thetford Mines

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $1,961 in Thetford Mines, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
95

Cost of Living Index in Thetford Mines
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Thetford Mines Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Thetford Mines

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Thetford Mines

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,961 in Thetford Mines.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Thetford Mines $1,961

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,382 in Thetford Mines.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Thetford Mines $2,382

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,803 in Thetford Mines.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Thetford Mines $2,803

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 34% less than in Thetford Mines, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 5% below, Thetford Mines is 45% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$11.05 CA$15.62

-8.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$40.97 CA$57.9

-1.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$8.49 CA$12.00

0.71%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.48 CA$4.92

-31.61%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$2.01 CA$2.84

-19.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.92 CA$1.30

11.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$3.07 CA$4.35

-19.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$4.44 CA$6.28

-16.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.56 CA$2.20

-23.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.51 CA$3.55

-18.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$2.16 CA$3.06

-40.74%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$2.41 CA$3.40

-4.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$10.01 CA$14.15

7.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$6.25 CA$8.84

-29.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$13.42 CA$18.97

-26.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$2.05 CA$2.90

37.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.43 CA$2.02

24.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$2.08 CA$2.94

-23.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$2.12 CA$2.99

-15.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.90 CA$2.68

-35.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$1.80 CA$2.55

-42.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$0.60 CA$0.85

28.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.47 CA$2.08

-54.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$11.10 CA$15.70

-72.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$10.70 CA$15.13

-24.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.42 CA$2.00

-16.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.86 CA$4.04

-12.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$2.26 CA$3.20

-56.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$64.1 CA$90.6

-21.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$3.21 CA$4.54

-61.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.48 CA$2.09

-37.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$31.73 CA$44.85

-71.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.03 CA$1.46

26.21%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$21.0K CA$29.7K

13.53%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$19.8K CA$28.0K

65.75%

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

$133 R$676

$77.3 CA$109

72.55%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$33.73 CA$47.68

-67.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$42.02 CA$59.4

-45.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$35.46 CA$50.1

-13.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$18.02 CA$25.47

76.75%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$11.12 CA$15.72

-27.61%

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

$598 R$3,029

$503 CA$712

18.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$15.8K CA$22.3K

-15.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$45.04 CA$63.7

-6.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$24.38 CA$34.47

103.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$60.4 CA$85.3

23.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$67.6 CA$95.6

1.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$1,258 CA$1,779

-28.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$1,124 CA$1,589

-52.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$854 CA$1,207

55.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$923 CA$1,305

-18.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$4,311 CA$6,095

-6.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$3,820 CA$5,400

-59.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$1,244 CA$1,759

-48.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

4.48

166.29%

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 Thetford Mines: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Thetford Mines

$1.1K 57.3% 112% $595

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Thetford Mines

$262 13.4% 22% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Thetford Mines

$153 7.8% 8.4% $14

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Thetford Mines

$192 9.8% 16.1% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Thetford Mines

$89 4.5% 16% $17

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Thetford Mines

$84 4.3% 39.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Thetford Mines

$58 2.9% 23.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,258 in Thetford Mines. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thetford Mines pays 95% 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 $41.00 in Thetford Mines for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $262 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇦 Thetford Mines

🕒 Local time

14:51 2:51 PM

13:51 1:51 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

26,072

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Thetford Mines 8,180 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Thetford Mines

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 Thetford Mines: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Thetford Mines differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($1,289 vs $1,961 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 95% lower in Thetford Mines. 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 $1,258 in Thetford Mines. 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 $41.00 in Thetford Mines. 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 $1,961 in Thetford Mines – a 52% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,961 in Thetford Mines, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Thetford Mines. 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 52% less than in Thetford Mines. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.