Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint John Island and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $6,201 in Saint John Island, rent and utilities included – about $59,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

297

Cost of Living Index in Saint John Island
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Saint John Island Living Index
63

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

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Saint John Island

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$6,201

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saint John Island 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 John Island and in Rio de Janeiro actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $6,201 in Saint John Island versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro.

Saint John Island $6,201
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $8,382 in Saint John Island versus $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro.

Saint John Island $8,382
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $10.6K in Saint John Island versus $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro.

Saint John Island $10.6K
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Living in Saint John Island is roughly 383% 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 John Island is 363% above, Rio de Janeiro is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$69.9 $69.9

$9.98 R$49.83

600.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$150 $150

$40.34 R$201

271.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.14 $15.14

$8.48 R$42.35

78.54%

Cappuccino

$9.16 $9.16

$2.36 R$11.80

288.14%

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

$3.41 $3.41

$1.63 R$8.13

109.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.01 R$5.06

244.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.13 $5.13

$2.44 R$12.19

110.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.87 $6.87

$3.69 R$18.43

86.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.15 R$5.72

173.91%

White Bread (500g)

$7.96 $7.96

$2.07 R$10.34

284.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$12.02 $12.02

$1.29 R$6.42

831.78%

Eggs

$12.07 $12.07

$2.27 R$11.32

431.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$32.43 $32.43

$11.00 R$54.9

194.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$33.00 $33.00

$4.31 R$21.51

665.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.11 $24.11

$9.74 R$48.63

147.54%

Apples (1kg)

$21.82 $21.82

$2.83 R$14.12

671.02%

Banana (1kg)

$3.91 $3.91

$1.84 R$9.17

112.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$17.29 $17.29

$1.60 R$7.96

980.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$11.89 $11.89

$1.80 R$9.00

560.56%

Potato (1kg)

$7.74 $7.74

$1.26 R$6.28

514.29%

Onion (1kg)

$7.86 $7.86

$1.07 R$5.34

634.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.95 $4.95

$0.75 R$3.75

560.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.55 $3.55

$0.66 R$3.29

437.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.86 $8.86

$3.05 R$15.21

190.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.36 $23.36

$8.18 R$40.84

185.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.58 $4.58

$1.19 R$5.92

284.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 $6.17

$2.39 R$11.92

158.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$7.15 $7.15

$1.01 R$5.06

607.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$149 $149

$50.2 R$250

196.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$30.31 $30.31

$1.27 R$6.33

2286.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.2 $50.2

$9.44 R$47.13

432.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.33 R$6.65

17.29%

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

$47.1K $47.1K

$23.4K R$117.0K

101.15%

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

$52.2K $52.2K

$33.6K R$167.6K

55.54%

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

$297 $297

$134 R$666

122.21%

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

$98.4 $98.4

$12.23 R$61.0

704.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$101 $101

$22.65 R$113

347.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

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

$603 R$3,011

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 $80.4

$41.62 R$208

93.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.69 $49.69

$49.94 R$249

-0.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 $84.9

$75.0 R$375

13.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 $100

$68.3 R$341

47.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,020 $4,020

$905 R$4,519

344.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,511 $3,511

$527 R$2,633

565.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,081 $5,081

$1,346 R$6,720

277.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,566 $4,566

$774 R$3,865

489.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,412 $4,412

$643 R$3,210

586.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

-41.32%

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

Last update for Saint John Island: October 4, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint John Island

$3.5K 57.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 85% $3K

Groceries & Markets

Saint John Island

$987 16.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 78.2% $772

Eating Out

Saint John Island

$781 12.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 79% $617

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint John Island

$496 8.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 66.1% $328

Getting Around

Saint John Island

$208 * 3.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 71.1% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Saint John Island

$142 2.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 25.5% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Saint John Island

- * 0%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

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 $4,020 in Saint John Island and $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint John Island pays 586% 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: $150 in Saint John Island vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $987 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇮 Saint John Island

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

08:00 8:00 AM

09:00 9:00 AM

1 h ahead of Saint John Island

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,170

6,211,223

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Saint John Island Rio de Janeiro 5,150 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint John Island
Rio de Janeiro

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

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

Saint John Island and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 383% in total monthly costs ($6,201 vs $1,285 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 586% higher in Saint John Island, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $4,020 in Saint John Island versus $905 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 $40.00 versus $150 in Saint John Island. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Rio de Janeiro runs roughly 196% less than in Saint John Island. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $6,201 in Saint John Island, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Saint John Island. 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.

Safety-wise, Saint John Island and Rio de Janeiro are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 383% less than in Saint John Island. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.