Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St.Catharines and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,309 in St.Catharines, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in St.Catharines
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St.Catharines Living Index
62

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

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St.Catharines

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,309

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,309 in St.Catharines versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

St.Catharines $2,309
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,210 in St.Catharines versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

St.Catharines $3,210
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,111 in St.Catharines versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

St.Catharines $4,111
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in St.Catharines is roughly 81% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: St.Catharines is 70% above, Rio de Janeiro is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.32 CA$20.24

$9.38 R$47.54

52.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.6 CA$81.5

$40.00 R$203

44.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.63 CA$17.86

$8.34 R$42.28

51.44%

Cappuccino

$3.03 CA$4.29

$2.29 R$11.62

32.31%

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

$1.65 CA$2.34

$1.59 R$8.05

3.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.27

$1.01 R$5.10

58.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 CA$6.58

$2.14 R$10.85

117.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 CA$6.52

$3.66 R$18.55

25.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 CA$2.96

$1.13 R$5.72

84.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 CA$3.08

$2.09 R$10.60

4.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.60 CA$6.50

$1.25 R$6.36

268.00%

Eggs

$4.28 CA$6.06

$2.25 R$11.39

90.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.90 CA$21.06

$10.92 R$55.3

36.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.22 CA$15.86

$4.36 R$22.10

157.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 CA$19.85

$9.60 R$48.66

46.25%

Apples (1kg)

$5.19 CA$7.34

$2.85 R$14.46

82.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 CA$1.57

$1.81 R$9.16

-38.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.36 CA$6.17

$1.58 R$8.02

175.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 CA$5.85

$1.83 R$9.28

126.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$1.20 R$6.10

135.00%

Onion (1kg)

$4.39 CA$6.20

$1.06 R$5.35

314.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 CA$3.67

$0.75 R$3.81

246.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CA$1.83

$0.68 R$3.45

89.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.73 CA$19.41

$2.94 R$14.90

367.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 CA$17.88

$7.98 R$40.43

58.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 CA$4.24

$1.18 R$5.98

154.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 CA$4.28

$2.42 R$12.26

24.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 CA$3.48

$0.94 R$4.78

161.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.9 CA$100

$50.3 R$255

40.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 CA$4.07

$1.20 R$6.10

140.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$0.83 R$4.20

167.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.28 CA$31.50

$8.97 R$45.48

148.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 CA$1.63

$1.29 R$6.53

-10.85%

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

$26.4K CA$37.4K

$22.8K R$115.5K

16.00%

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

$22.0K CA$31.1K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-35.26%

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

$178 CA$251

$134 R$681

32.44%

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

$33.39 CA$47.21

$10.73 R$54.4

211.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.75 CA$67.5

$22.84 R$116

109.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.41 CA$44.41

$30.16 R$153

4.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.10 CA$58.1

$31.49 R$160

30.52%

Cinema Ticket

$11.04 CA$15.60

$7.73 R$39.17

42.82%

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

$504 CA$713

$584 R$2,960

-13.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.6K CA$39.0K

$12.8K R$64.9K

115.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 CA$104

$41.12 R$208

79.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.2 CA$73.8

$49.26 R$250

6.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 CA$113

$73.7 R$373

8.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.7 CA$108

$65.9 R$334

16.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 CA$1,710

$900 R$4,561

34.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 CA$1,638

$527 R$2,673

119.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,707 CA$2,413

$1,332 R$6,754

28.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,557 CA$2,201

$748 R$3,790

108.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,026 CA$4,277

$3,990 R$20.2K

-24.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,705 CA$3,824

$1,560 R$7,908

73.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,969 CA$4,198

$640 R$3,246

363.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.71

11.93

-52.14%

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

Last update for St.Catharines: October 17, 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

St.Catharines

$1.2K 50.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 54.5% $632

Groceries & Markets

St.Catharines

$381 16.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 44% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St.Catharines

$259 11.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 35.2% $91

Eating Out

St.Catharines

$234 10.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 33.5% $78

Clothing & Footwear

St.Catharines

$127 5.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 18.6% $24

Getting Around

St.Catharines

$95 4.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 37.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

St.Catharines

$53 2.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 14.7% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,210 in St.Catharines and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

St.Catharines pays 364% 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: $58.0 in St.Catharines vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $381 vs $214 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 St.Catharines

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

03:34 3:34 AM

04:34 4:34 AM

1 h ahead of St.Catharines

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,113

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

St.Catharines Rio de Janeiro 8,220 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

St.Catharines
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

St.Catharines vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St.Catharines and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 81% in total monthly costs ($2,309 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 364% higher in St.Catharines, 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: $1,210 in St.Catharines 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 $58.0 in St.Catharines. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,309 per month in St.Catharines versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro – a 81% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,309 in St.Catharines, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in St.Catharines. 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 81% less than in St.Catharines. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.