Last update: Oct 2026

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

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.

100

Cost of Living Index in Sault Ste. Marie
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Sault Ste. Marie Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Sault Ste. Marie

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sault Ste. Marie 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 Sault Ste. Marie and in Rio de Janeiro actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Sault Ste. Marie is roughly 62% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.17 CA$24.28

$9.38 R$47.54

83.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 CA$99.8

$40.00 R$203

76.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.23 CA$14.46

$8.34 R$42.28

22.66%

Cappuccino

$3.47 CA$4.90

$2.29 R$11.62

51.53%

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

$1.64 CA$2.32

$1.59 R$8.05

3.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 CA$1.91

$1.01 R$5.10

33.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.68 CA$6.62

$2.14 R$10.85

118.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.00 CA$7.07

$3.66 R$18.55

36.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 CA$3.43

$1.13 R$5.72

114.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 CA$3.02

$2.09 R$10.60

2.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CA$4.63

$1.25 R$6.36

161.60%

Eggs

$2.98 CA$4.22

$2.25 R$11.39

32.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.32 CA$11.76

$10.92 R$55.3

-23.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.97 CA$14.10

$4.36 R$22.10

128.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.51 CA$14.86

$9.60 R$48.66

9.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$2.85 R$14.46

10.18%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 CA$1.40

$1.81 R$9.16

-45.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 CA$4.33

$1.58 R$8.02

93.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 CA$5.01

$1.83 R$9.28

93.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 CA$2.79

$1.20 R$6.10

64.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 CA$2.39

$1.06 R$5.35

59.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 CA$3.92

$0.75 R$3.81

269.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 CA$1.79

$0.68 R$3.45

86.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.75 CA$22.26

$2.94 R$14.90

435.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.67 CA$15.08

$7.98 R$40.43

33.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 CA$2.60

$1.18 R$5.98

55.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 CA$3.23

$2.42 R$12.26

-5.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 CA$3.16

$0.94 R$4.78

138.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.5 CA$81.2

$50.3 R$255

14.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$1.20 R$6.10

189.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.31 CA$3.26

$0.83 R$4.20

178.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.97 CA$32.47

$8.97 R$45.48

156.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 CA$1.52

$1.29 R$6.53

-16.28%

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

$26.5K CA$37.5K

$22.8K R$115.5K

16.31%

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

$20.3K CA$28.6K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-40.33%

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

$174 CA$246

$134 R$681

29.72%

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

$44.36 CA$62.7

$10.73 R$54.4

313.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.7 CA$108

$22.84 R$116

235.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 CA$71.0

$30.16 R$153

66.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.62 CA$24.90

$31.49 R$160

-44.05%

Cinema Ticket

$11.18 CA$15.80

$7.73 R$39.17

44.63%

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

$584 R$2,960

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,984 CA$7,046

$12.8K R$64.9K

-61.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.63 CA$64.5

$41.12 R$208

10.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.58 CA$50.3

$49.26 R$250

-27.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.8 CA$106

$73.7 R$373

1.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 CA$170

$65.9 R$334

82.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$893 CA$1,262

$900 R$4,561

-0.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 CA$1,316

$527 R$2,673

76.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,325 CA$1,873

$1,332 R$6,754

-0.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,455 CA$2,057

$748 R$3,790

94.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,868 CA$2,640

$3,990 R$20.2K

-53.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,432 CA$7,679

$1,560 R$7,908

248.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,049 CA$4,310

$640 R$3,246

376.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.53

11.93

-53.65%

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

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sault Ste. Marie

$931 45.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 43.4% $404

Groceries & Markets

Sault Ste. Marie

$299 14.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 28.6% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sault Ste. Marie

$295 14.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 43.1% $127

Eating Out

Sault Ste. Marie

$255 12.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 38.9% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Sault Ste. Marie

$124 6%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 16.7% $21

Getting Around

Sault Ste. Marie

$81 4%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 27% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Sault Ste. Marie

$73 3.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 37.2% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $893 in Sault Ste. Marie and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. 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: $71.0 in Sault Ste. Marie vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $214 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Sault Ste. Marie

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

12:21 12:21 PM

13:21 1:21 PM

1 h ahead of Sault Ste. Marie

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,368

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

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).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sault Ste. Marie Rio de Janeiro 8,760 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sault Ste. Marie
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

Sault Ste. Marie vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sault Ste. Marie and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($2,059 vs $1,273 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 376% higher in Sault Ste. Marie, 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: $893 in Sault Ste. Marie versus $900 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 $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.