Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,185 a month against $2,299 in Windsor, NS, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

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

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Windsor, NS

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,299

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,299 in Windsor, NS versus $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro.

Windsor, NS $2,299
Rio de Janeiro $1,185

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,264 in Windsor, NS versus $1,737 in Rio de Janeiro.

Windsor, NS $3,264
Rio de Janeiro $1,737

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,229 in Windsor, NS versus $2,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Windsor, NS $4,229
Rio de Janeiro $2,289

Living in Windsor, NS is roughly 94% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Windsor, NS is 70% above, Rio de Janeiro is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.52 CA$25.97

$8.16 R$44.75

126.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.98 CA$49.03

$37.20 R$204

-5.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.68 CA$14.97

$7.52 R$41.27

42.02%

Cappuccino

$3.49 CA$4.90

$2.10 R$11.54

66.19%

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

$2.07 CA$2.90

$1.36 R$7.47

52.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 CA$2.61

$0.96 R$5.27

93.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 CA$6.36

$1.98 R$10.84

129.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 CA$8.15

$3.26 R$17.89

78.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 CA$4.12

$1.09 R$5.96

169.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.84

$1.87 R$10.24

46.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.42 CA$4.80

$1.12 R$6.17

205.36%

Eggs

$3.73 CA$5.24

$2.20 R$12.08

69.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.48 CA$18.90

$9.91 R$54.4

36.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.34 CA$21.51

$4.11 R$22.55

273.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.08 CA$18.33

$9.25 R$50.7

41.41%

Apples (1kg)

$5.77 CA$8.08

$2.59 R$14.22

122.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 CA$2.18

$1.69 R$9.26

-7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.70 CA$6.59

$1.47 R$8.05

219.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.71 CA$8.00

$1.72 R$9.42

231.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 CA$2.91

$1.16 R$6.34

79.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 CA$3.13

$1.00 R$5.48

123.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.59 CA$3.63

$0.66 R$3.60

292.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 CA$2.98

$0.61 R$3.34

249.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.29 CA$20.03

$2.69 R$14.77

431.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.24 CA$19.96

$7.20 R$39.52

97.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.31 CA$4.64

$1.07 R$5.88

209.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 CA$5.75

$2.24 R$12.28

83.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 CA$3.19

$0.88 R$4.81

159.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.5 CA$86.2

$52.3 R$287

17.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 CA$4.07

$1.18 R$6.47

145.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.89

$0.68 R$3.71

98.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.62 CA$30.31

$8.71 R$47.79

148.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 CA$1.80

$1.20 R$6.57

6.67%

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

$26.8K CA$37.6K

$21.9K R$120.0K

22.74%

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

$21.6K CA$30.3K

$31.0K R$170.1K

-30.31%

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

$126 CA$177

$126 R$689

0.49%

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

$31.57 CA$44.26

$10.14 R$55.6

211.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.35 CA$49.56

$20.95 R$115

68.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.68 CA$52.8

$28.51 R$156

32.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.48 CA$25.90

$28.87 R$158

-35.99%

Cinema Ticket

$13.06 CA$18.31

$7.40 R$40.62

76.49%

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

$375 CA$526

$537 R$2,946

-30.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K CA$19.1K

$15.9K R$87.2K

-14.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 CA$83.4

$38.68 R$212

53.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.32 CA$49.51

$45.06 R$247

-21.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 CA$146

$68.6 R$376

51.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 CA$170

$64.1 R$352

89.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 CA$1,792

$768 R$4,212

66.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,118 CA$1,568

$491 R$2,692

127.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,998 CA$2,801

$1,458 R$8,002

37.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,669 CA$2,339

$743 R$4,076

124.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,370 CA$6,125

$3,325 R$18.2K

31.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,537 CA$4,958

$1,552 R$8,516

127.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$936 CA$1,312

$674 R$3,697

38.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

11.93

-61.44%

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

Last update for Windsor, NS: October 31, 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

Windsor, NS

$1.1K 48.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$491 41.4% 56.1% $628

Groceries & Markets

Windsor, NS

$427 18.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$198 16.7% 53.6% $229

Eating Out

Windsor, NS

$272 11.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$139 11.7% 49% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Windsor, NS

$193 8.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$157 13.2% 18.9% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Windsor, NS

$144 6.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$97 8.2% 32.4% $47

Getting Around

Windsor, NS

$80 3.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 5.1% 24.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Windsor, NS

$64 2.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$43 3.7% 32.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,278 in Windsor, NS and $768 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Windsor, NS pays 39% 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: $35 in Windsor, NS vs $37 in Rio de Janeiro. Groceries flip the comparison at $427 vs $198, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Windsor, NS

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

08:00 8:00 AM

09:00 9:00 AM

1 h ahead of Windsor, NS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,188

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 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 = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.16 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Windsor, NS Rio de Janeiro 7,840 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Windsor, 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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,299 in Windsor, NS and $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, so Rio de Janeiro is about 48% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 39% higher in Windsor, NS, 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: $1,278 in Windsor, 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 Windsor, NS – a meal for two runs $35 versus $37 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,299 per month in Windsor, NS versus $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro – Rio de Janeiro is about 48% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,299 in Windsor, NS, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Windsor, NS. 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.

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