Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thompson and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $1,808 in Thompson, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Thompson
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Thompson Living Index
63

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

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Thompson

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,808

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,808 in Thompson versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro.

Thompson $1,808
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,730 in Thompson versus $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro.

Thompson $2,730
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,652 in Thompson versus $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro.

Thompson $3,652
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Living in Thompson is roughly 41% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Thompson is 35% above, Rio de Janeiro is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 CA$24.76

$9.98 R$49.83

74.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 CA$90.2

$40.34 R$201

56.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.15

$8.48 R$42.35

25.35%

Cappuccino

$3.62 CA$5.16

$2.36 R$11.80

53.39%

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

$1.96 CA$2.79

$1.63 R$8.13

20.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.30

$1.01 R$5.06

60.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.33 CA$7.59

$2.44 R$12.19

118.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.60 CA$7.99

$3.69 R$18.43

51.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 CA$3.03

$1.15 R$5.72

85.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 CA$3.56

$2.07 R$10.34

20.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.20 CA$4.57

$1.29 R$6.42

148.06%

Eggs

$3.33 CA$4.75

$2.27 R$11.32

46.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.09 CA$14.38

$11.00 R$54.9

-8.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.33

$4.31 R$21.51

165.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.70 CA$20.96

$9.74 R$48.63

50.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 CA$5.20

$2.83 R$14.12

28.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 CA$1.67

$1.84 R$9.17

-36.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 CA$5.38

$1.60 R$7.96

135.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 CA$5.93

$1.80 R$9.00

131.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.40 CA$3.43

$1.26 R$6.28

90.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 CA$3.14

$1.07 R$5.34

105.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 CA$3.45

$0.75 R$3.75

222.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.27

$0.66 R$3.29

142.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.73 CA$19.57

$3.05 R$15.21

350.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.67 CA$18.06

$8.18 R$40.84

54.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 CA$3.83

$1.19 R$5.92

126.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 CA$4.33

$2.39 R$11.92

27.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 CA$3.14

$1.01 R$5.06

117.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.2 CA$95.7

$50.2 R$250

33.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 CA$4.08

$1.27 R$6.33

125.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 CA$1.97

$0.90 R$4.51

53.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.69 CA$32.34

$9.44 R$47.13

140.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 CA$1.60

$1.33 R$6.65

-15.79%

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

$27.8K CA$39.7K

$23.4K R$117.0K

18.79%

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

$20.4K CA$29.1K

$33.6K R$167.6K

-39.14%

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

$137 CA$195

$134 R$666

2.67%

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

$37.96 CA$54.1

$12.23 R$61.0

210.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 CA$75.5

$22.65 R$113

133.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.03 CA$58.5

$31.56 R$158

30.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.67 CA$22.33

$30.87 R$154

-49.24%

Cinema Ticket

$10.96 CA$15.62

$8.23 R$41.07

33.17%

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

$641 CA$913

$603 R$3,011

6.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.8K CA$19.6K

$13.2K R$66.1K

4.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 CA$76.2

$41.62 R$208

28.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.21 CA$54.5

$49.94 R$249

-23.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 CA$120

$75.0 R$375

11.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 CA$146

$68.3 R$341

49.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$672 CA$958

$905 R$4,519

-25.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 CA$960

$527 R$2,633

27.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 CA$1,554

$1,346 R$6,720

-19.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,116 CA$1,590

$774 R$3,865

44.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,094 CA$5,835

$3,981 R$19.9K

2.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,002 CA$5,705

$1,562 R$7,798

156.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,531 CA$2,183

$643 R$3,210

138.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.64

11.93

-61.11%

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

Last update for Thompson: October 5, 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

Thompson

$674 37.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 21.7% $146

Groceries & Markets

Thompson

$350 19.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 38.8% $136

Eating Out

Thompson

$266 14.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 38.5% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thompson

$228 12.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 26.1% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Thompson

$125 7%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 15.5% $19

Getting Around

Thompson

$86 4.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 30% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Thompson

$63 3.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 23.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $672 in Thompson and $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thompson pays 138% 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: $63.0 in Thompson vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Thompson

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

07:28 7:28 AM

2 h ahead of Thompson

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,829

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 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).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Thompson Rio de Janeiro 10,150 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Thompson
Rio de Janeiro

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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

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

Thompson and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($1,808 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 138% higher in Thompson, 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: $672 in Thompson 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 $63.0 in Thompson. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,808 per month in Thompson versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,808 in Thompson, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Thompson. 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 41% less than in Thompson. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.