Cost of living in Rio de Janeiro

In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, living costs about $955 per month for one person and $2402 for a family of four, including rent.

How expensive is Rio de Janeiro compared to other cities?

Overall living costs in Rio de Janeiro are 8% more expensive than the European benchmark.

How does Rio de Janeiro compare to your city?

Rio de Janeiro is 65% cheaper than New York City, without rent.

Rent in Rio de Janeiro is, on average, 83% lower than in New York City.

What drives the cost of living in Rio de Janeiro?

Who is Rio de Janeiro a good fit for?

Rio de Janeiro is a better match for people who prioritize lifestyle benefits and can afford the premium driven by transport and food. For most moderate-income households, housing costs are the main barrier.

FAQ

Why is Rio de Janeiro so expensive?

The high costs are primarily driven by rent and utilities, which contribute significantly to overall living expenses.

Is food expensive in Rio de Janeiro?

Food is actually 25% lower than the European benchmark, making it more affordable for residents.

Is public transport affordable in Rio de Janeiro?

Public transport costs are 79% higher than the European benchmark, which may be a concern for daily commuters.

Cost of living breakdown

Cost of Living, one person, including rent
955 $
Without Rent
508 $
Rent & Utilities
447 $
Food
255 $
Transport
157 $
Monthly Salary, after tax
365 $
GDP per Capita
10,044 $
Freedom Index
6.92
Lifespan
73 years
Speak English
5%
Population
6.2M

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Update Prices

Restaurants

Lunch menu, inexpensive restaurant 6.12 $
Dinner 32.9 $
Fast food, McDonalds or KFC 6.61 $
Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz 1.86 $
Capuccino 2.28 $
Coke, 330ml 1.16 $

Compare Rio de Janeiro with:

Markets

Milk, 1 L or 1 qt 1.05 $
Bread, 0.5 kg or 1 lb 1.37 $
Rice, 1 kg or 2 lb 1.12 $
Eggs, 12 pack 2.03 $
Cheese, 1 kg or 2 lb 7.85 $
Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2 lb 3.45 $
Round Steak, 1 kg or 2 lb 8.19 $
Apples, 1 kg or 2 lb 2.23 $
Banana, 1 kg or 2 lb 1.57 $
Oranges, 1 kg or 2 lb 1.23 $
Tomato, 1 kg or 2 lb 1.71 $
Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb 1.25 $
Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb 1.21 $
Water, 1 L or 1 qt 0.37 $
Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz 1.84 $
Wine, 750 mL bottle 8.3 $
Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz 1.21 $
Cigarette pack 1.85 $

Transportation

One-way Ticket 1.13 $
Monthly Pass 53.5 $
Gas or Petrol, 1l or 0.26 gal 1.06 $
Taxi, 8 km 8.71 $

Personal Care

Doctor Visit, private clinic 61.4 $
Cold medicine, for 1 week 4.04 $
Hair Shampoo, 400 ml or 12 oz. 3.23 $
Toilet paper, 4 rolls 1.03 $
Toothpaste, 1 tube 0.95 $

Utilities per Month

1 person, electricity, heating, water & garbage 72 $
Family of 4, electricity, heating, water & garbage 110 $
Internet plan, +60 Mbps 19.8 $

Rent per Month

1 Bedroom Apartment, outside of center, 40 sq.m 318 $
3 Bedroom Apartment, outside of center, 85 sq.m 581 $
1 Bedroom Apartment, in city center, 40 sq.m 506 $
3 Bedroom Apartment, in city center, 85 sq.m 850 $

Buy Apartment Price

Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment, in city center 2,041 $
Price per Square Meter to Buy House, in suburbs 1,135 $

Salaries and Financing

Average Monthly Net Salary, after tax 365 $
Mortgage Interest Rate, for 20 years fixed-rate 10.19%

Sports and Leisure

Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 24.8 $
Cinema, 1 seat 6.94 $
Haircut 7.95 $

Clothing and Shoes

Brand Sneakers, mid-range, Nike or similar 75.3 $
Brand Jeans, Levis 501 50.2 $

Childcare

Preschool, full day, monthly for 1 child 535 $
International Primary School, yearly for 1 child 10,815 $

Compare Rio de Janeiro with other top cities

Curacao
Rio de Janeiro vs Willemstad (Willemstad is 46% more expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Barber (Barber is 46% more expensive)
Uruguay
Rio de Janeiro vs Montevideo (Montevideo is 39% more expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Salto (Salto is 3% more expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Ciudad de la Costa (Ciudad de la Costa is 23% more expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Rivera (Rivera is 21% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Maldonado (Maldonado is 1% more expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Paysandu (Paysandu is 19% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Tacuarembo (Tacuarembo is 13% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Melo (Melo is 24% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Mercedes (Mercedes is 7% more expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Artigas (Artigas is 8% less expensive)
Trinidad And Tobago
Rio de Janeiro vs Chaguanas (Chaguanas is 12% more expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Port of Spain (Port of Spain is 22% more expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs San Fernando (San Fernando is 1% more expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Scarborough (Scarborough is 15% more expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs San Juan (San Juan is 22% more expensive)
Chile
Rio de Janeiro vs Santiago (Santiago is 26% more expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Puente Alto (Puente Alto is 0% more expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Antofagasta (Antofagasta is 10% more expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Vina del Mar (Vina del Mar is 2% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs San Bernardo (San Bernardo is 11% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Valparaiso (Valparaiso is 0% more expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Temuco (Temuco is 8% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Rancagua (Rancagua is 12% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Concepcion (Concepcion is 3% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Talca (Talca is 11% less expensive)
Guyana
Rio de Janeiro vs Georgetown (Georgetown is 3% more expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Linden (Linden is 6% more expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs New Amsterdam (New Amsterdam is 6% more expensive)
Mexico
Rio de Janeiro vs Mexico City (Mexico City is 25% more expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Tijuana (Tijuana is 10% more expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Ecatepec de Morelos (Ecatepec de Morelos is 23% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Leon (Leon is 25% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Zapopan (Zapopan is 6% more expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Guadalajara (Guadalajara is 3% more expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Puebla (Puebla is 2% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Ciudad Juarez (Ciudad Juarez is 2% more expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Monterrey (Monterrey is 32% more expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl (Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl is 24% less expensive)
Suriname
Rio de Janeiro vs Paramaribo (Paramaribo is 9% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Nieuw Nickerie (Nieuw Nickerie is 12% less expensive)
Ecuador
Rio de Janeiro vs Guayaquil (Guayaquil is 5% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Quito (Quito is 6% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Cuenca (Cuenca is 19% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Santo Domingo (Santo Domingo is 38% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Duran (Duran is 15% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Machala (Machala is 38% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Manta (Manta is 9% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Portoviejo (Portoviejo is 20% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Loja (Loja is 35% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Quevedo (Quevedo is 32% less expensive)
Peru
Rio de Janeiro vs Lima (Lima is 3% more expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Arequipa (Arequipa is 41% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Trujillo (Trujillo is 27% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Chiclayo (Chiclayo is 46% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Callao (Callao is 18% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Piura (Piura is 41% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Cusco (Cusco is 33% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Chimbote (Chimbote is 48% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Huancayo (Huancayo is 38% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Iquitos (Iquitos is 29% less expensive)
Venezuela
Rio de Janeiro vs Caracas (Caracas is 9% more expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Maracaibo (Maracaibo is 26% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Valencia (Valencia is 18% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Maracay (Maracay is 24% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Barquisimeto (Barquisimeto is 25% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Barinas (Barinas is 16% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Ciudad Guayana (Ciudad Guayana is 7% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Catia La Mar (Catia La Mar is 1% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Ciudad Bolivar (Ciudad Bolivar is 9% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Santa Teresa del Tuy (Santa Teresa del Tuy is 5% less expensive)
Colombia
Rio de Janeiro vs Bogota (Bogota is 9% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Medellin (Medellin is 9% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Cali (Cali is 23% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Barranquilla (Barranquilla is 17% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Cartagena (Cartagena is 22% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Cucuta (Cucuta is 42% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Soacha (Soacha is 22% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Soledad (Soledad is 12% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Villavicencio (Villavicencio is 50% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Bucaramanga (Bucaramanga is 33% less expensive)
Brazil
Rio de Janeiro vs Sao Paulo (Sao Paulo is 6% more expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro has similar costs) Rio de Janeiro vs Brasilia (Brasilia is 16% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Fortaleza (Fortaleza is 25% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Salvador (Salvador is 22% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Belo Horizonte (Belo Horizonte is 18% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Manaus (Manaus is 16% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Curitiba (Curitiba is 20% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Recife (Recife is 19% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Goiania (Goiania is 31% less expensive)
Argentina
Rio de Janeiro vs Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires is 5% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Cordoba (Cordoba is 3% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Rosario (Rosario is 34% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs San Miguel de Tucuman (San Miguel de Tucuman is 27% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Mar del Plata (Mar del Plata is 22% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Salta (Salta is 24% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs San Juan (San Juan is 31% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Lanus (Lanus is 15% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Santiago del Estero (Santiago del Estero is 59% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Santa Fe (Santa Fe is 26% less expensive)
Bolivia
Rio de Janeiro vs Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Santa Cruz de la Sierra is 20% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs La Paz (La Paz is 30% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs El Alto (El Alto is 33% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Cochabamba (Cochabamba is 44% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Sucre (Sucre is 31% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Oruro (Oruro is 37% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Potosi (Potosi is 48% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Tarija (Tarija is 34% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Sacaba (Sacaba is 44% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Trinidad (Trinidad is 19% less expensive)
Paraguay
Rio de Janeiro vs Asuncion (Asuncion is 30% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Ciudad del Este (Ciudad del Este is 44% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Luque (Luque is 37% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs San Lorenzo (San Lorenzo is 35% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Pedro Juan Caballero (Pedro Juan Caballero is 45% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Caaguazu (Caaguazu is 57% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Encarnacion (Encarnacion is 46% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Coronel Oviedo (Coronel Oviedo is 44% less expensive) Rio de Janeiro vs Concepcion (Concepcion is 43% less expensive)