Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney, NS and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,185 a month against $1,620 in Sydney, NS, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sydney, NS
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Sydney, NS Living Index
57

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

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Sydney, NS

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,620

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,620 in Sydney, NS versus $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro.

Sydney, NS $1,620
Rio de Janeiro $1,185

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,580 in Sydney, NS versus $1,737 in Rio de Janeiro.

Sydney, NS $2,580
Rio de Janeiro $1,737

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,539 in Sydney, NS versus $2,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Sydney, NS $3,539
Rio de Janeiro $2,289

Living in Sydney, NS is roughly 37% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney, NS is 20% above, Rio de Janeiro is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.58 CA$16.29

$8.16 R$44.89

41.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 CA$89.0

$37.20 R$205

70.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.29 CA$10.25

$7.52 R$41.40

-3.06%

Cappuccino

$2.80 CA$3.93

$2.10 R$11.58

33.33%

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

$2.23 CA$3.14

$1.36 R$7.49

63.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 CA$2.93

$0.96 R$5.29

117.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R$10.88

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 R$17.94

Milk (1 liter)

$2.51 CA$3.53

$1.09 R$5.97

130.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 CA$3.62

$1.87 R$10.27

37.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 CA$3.48

$1.12 R$6.19

121.43%

Eggs

$3.29 CA$4.63

$2.20 R$12.12

49.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.61 CA$9.29

$9.91 R$54.6

-33.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.45 CA$11.88

$4.11 R$22.62

105.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.02 CA$18.31

$9.25 R$50.9

40.76%

Apples (1kg)

$7.36 CA$10.35

$2.59 R$14.26

184.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 CA$1.57

$1.69 R$9.28

-33.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.08

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 CA$1.99

$1.72 R$9.45

-18.02%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 CA$1.39

$1.16 R$6.36

-14.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 CA$3.00

$1.00 R$5.50

113.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$6.28 CA$8.83

$0.66 R$3.61

851.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R$3.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.99 CA$25.31

$2.69 R$14.81

568.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 R$39.64

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R$5.90

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.17 CA$5.87

$2.24 R$12.32

86.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 CA$1.53

$0.88 R$4.82

23.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.78 CA$68.6

$52.3 R$288

-6.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.27 CA$6.00

$1.18 R$6.49

261.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 R$3.72

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 R$47.94

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.63

$1.20 R$6.59

-3.33%

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

$26.4K CA$37.1K

$21.9K R$120.4K

20.74%

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

$19.0K CA$26.7K

$31.0K R$170.7K

-38.75%

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

$88.8 CA$125

$126 R$691

-29.29%

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

$36.35 CA$51.1

$10.14 R$55.8

258.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.3 CA$103

$20.95 R$115

249.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.08 CA$69.0

$28.51 R$157

72.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.51 CA$4.93

$28.87 R$159

-87.84%

Cinema Ticket

$7.02 CA$9.87

$7.40 R$40.75

-5.14%

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

$721 CA$1,014

$537 R$2,955

34.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K R$87.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 CA$98.6

$38.68 R$213

81.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.1 CA$92.9

$45.06 R$248

46.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.3 CA$140

$68.6 R$378

44.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$153

$64.1 R$353

70.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$913 CA$1,284

$768 R$4,225

18.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 CA$1,005

$491 R$2,701

45.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 CA$2,515

$1,458 R$8,026

22.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 CA$1,994

$743 R$4,088

90.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,325 R$18.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R$8,542

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,553 CA$3,590

$674 R$3,708

278.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.8

11.93

-51.38%

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

Last update for Sydney, NS: November 1, 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

Sydney, NS

$715 44.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$491 41.4% 31.3% $224

Groceries & Markets

Sydney, NS

$266 * 16.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$198 16.7% 25.6% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney, NS

$198 12.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$157 13.2% 21% $42

Eating Out

Sydney, NS

$165 * 10.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$139 11.7% 16.1% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney, NS

$155 9.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$97 8.2% 37.2% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney, NS

$63 3.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$43 3.7% 31.4% $20

Getting Around

Sydney, NS

$57 * 3.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 5.1% 5.2% $3

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 $913 in Sydney, NS and $768 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney, NS pays about 3.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $63 in Sydney, NS vs $37 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $198 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Sydney, NS

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

13:45 1:45 PM

14:45 2:45 PM

1 h ahead of Sydney, NS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,960

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.711 USD

1 CAD = 0.633 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.711 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 CAD (1 CAD = 0.633 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.18 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sydney, NS Rio de Janeiro 7,870 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney, NS
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

Sydney, NS vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,620 in Sydney, NS and $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, so Rio de Janeiro is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Sydney, NS is about 3.8 times higher, 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: $913 in Sydney, NS 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 $63 in Sydney, NS. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,620 per month in Sydney, NS versus $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro – Rio de Janeiro is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Rio de Janeiro gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Rio de Janeiro wins on affordability, Sydney, NS on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.