Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Andrews and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,185 a month against $2,252 in Saint Andrews, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Saint Andrews
Learn more

Saint Andrews Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

Jump to prices

Saint Andrews

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,252

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saint Andrews and in Rio de Janeiro

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Saint Andrews and in Rio de Janeiro actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,252 in Saint Andrews versus $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro.

Saint Andrews $2,252
Rio de Janeiro $1,185

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,235 in Saint Andrews versus $1,737 in Rio de Janeiro.

Saint Andrews $3,235
Rio de Janeiro $1,737

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,219 in Saint Andrews versus $2,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Saint Andrews $4,219
Rio de Janeiro $2,289

Living in Saint Andrews is roughly 90% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Saint Andrews is 67% above, Rio de Janeiro is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.63 CA$24.79

$8.16 R$44.89

116.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.6 CA$90.8

$37.20 R$205

73.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 CA$14.91

$7.52 R$41.40

40.96%

Cappuccino

$3.73 CA$5.24

$2.10 R$11.58

77.62%

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

$1.98 CA$2.79

$1.36 R$7.49

45.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 CA$2.36

$0.96 R$5.29

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.27 CA$7.41

$1.98 R$10.88

166.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 CA$7.99

$3.26 R$17.94

74.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 CA$2.96

$1.09 R$5.97

93.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 CA$3.57

$1.87 R$10.27

35.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 CA$4.94

$1.12 R$6.19

213.39%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.85

$2.20 R$12.12

56.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.15 CA$14.27

$9.91 R$54.6

2.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.58 CA$16.29

$4.11 R$22.62

181.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 CA$21.08

$9.25 R$50.9

62.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.80 CA$5.35

$2.59 R$14.26

46.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.69 R$9.28

-19.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.59 CA$5.05

$1.47 R$8.08

144.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 CA$5.30

$1.72 R$9.45

119.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.42 CA$3.40

$1.16 R$6.36

108.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 CA$3.08

$1.00 R$5.50

119.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 CA$3.39

$0.66 R$3.61

265.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.24

$0.61 R$3.35

160.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.28 CA$20.09

$2.69 R$14.81

430.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.92 CA$18.17

$7.20 R$39.64

79.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 CA$3.85

$1.07 R$5.90

156.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 CA$4.50

$2.24 R$12.32

42.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 CA$3.31

$0.88 R$4.82

167.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.5 CA$89.2

$52.3 R$288

21.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 CA$4.09

$1.18 R$6.49

146.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 CA$2.09

$0.68 R$3.72

119.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.86 CA$33.55

$8.71 R$47.94

173.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.65

$1.20 R$6.59

-1.67%

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

$28.1K CA$39.5K

$21.9K R$120.4K

28.55%

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

$21.1K CA$29.6K

$31.0K R$170.7K

-32.03%

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

$137 CA$193

$126 R$691

9.16%

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

$38.16 CA$53.7

$10.14 R$55.8

276.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 CA$76.6

$20.95 R$115

159.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.52 CA$52.8

$28.51 R$157

31.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.30 CA$25.74

$28.87 R$159

-36.61%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 CA$15.19

$7.40 R$40.75

45.95%

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

$648 CA$911

$537 R$2,955

20.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K CA$18.7K

$15.9K R$87.4K

-16.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 CA$78.2

$38.68 R$213

43.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.69 CA$54.4

$45.06 R$248

-14.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.6 CA$123

$68.6 R$378

27.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$148

$64.1 R$353

64.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,289 CA$1,813

$768 R$4,225

67.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 CA$1,584

$491 R$2,701

129.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,970 CA$2,771

$1,458 R$8,026

35.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,678 CA$2,359

$743 R$4,088

125.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,296 CA$6,041

$3,325 R$18.3K

29.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,614 CA$5,083

$1,552 R$8,542

132.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 R$3,708

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

11.93

-60.77%

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

Last update for Saint Andrews: November 2, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Andrews

$1.1K 50%

Rio de Janeiro

$491 41.4% 56.4% $635

Groceries & Markets

Saint Andrews

$354 15.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$198 16.7% 44.1% $156

Eating Out

Saint Andrews

$270 12%

Rio de Janeiro

$139 11.7% 48.6% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Andrews

$230 10.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$157 13.2% 31.8% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Andrews

$129 5.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$97 8.2% 24.7% $32

Getting Around

Saint Andrews

$83 3.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 5.1% 27.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Andrews

$59 2.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$43 3.7% 26.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,289 in Saint Andrews and $768 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $65 in Saint Andrews vs $37 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $354 vs $198 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Saint Andrews

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

21:59 9:59 PM

22:59 10:59 PM

1 h ahead of Saint Andrews

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.711 USD

1 CAD = 0.636 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.711 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.636 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 5.5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saint Andrews Rio de Janeiro 7,940 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint Andrews
Rio de Janeiro

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Saint Andrews vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,252 in Saint Andrews and $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, so Rio de Janeiro is about 47% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,377 in Saint Andrews and $1,778 in Rio de Janeiro 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: $1,289 in Saint Andrews versus $768 in Rio de Janeiro. 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 $37 versus $65 in Saint Andrews. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,252 per month in Saint Andrews versus $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro – Rio de Janeiro is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,252 in Saint Andrews, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Saint Andrews. 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 47% less than in Saint Andrews. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.