Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aguada and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguada: $1,176 a month against $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Rio de Janeiro despite lower rent and utilities.

86

Cost of Living Index in Aguada
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Aguada Living Index
63

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

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Aguada

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,176

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,176 in Aguada versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro.

Aguada $1,176
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,209 in Aguada versus $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro.

Aguada $1,209
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,242 in Aguada versus $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro.

Aguada $1,242
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Living in Aguada costs roughly 8% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Aguada 12% lower, Rio de Janeiro 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.10 $11.10

$9.98 R$49.83

11.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.88 $11.88

$8.48 R$42.35

40.09%

Cappuccino

$2.02 $2.02

$2.36 R$11.80

-14.41%

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

$2.05 $2.05

$1.63 R$8.13

25.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.01 R$5.06

0.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.44 R$12.19

-36.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$3.69 R$18.43

-20.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.15 R$5.72

47.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.07 R$10.34

19.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

Eggs

$4.41 $4.41

$2.27 R$11.32

94.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.33 R$6.65

-31.58%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

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

$251 $251

$134 R$666

88.28%

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

$60.6 $60.6

$12.23 R$61.0

395.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.6 $55.6

$31.56 R$158

76.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$5.93 $5.93

$8.23 R$41.07

-27.95%

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

$509 $509

$603 R$3,011

-15.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.56 $35.56

$41.62 R$208

-14.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.63 $39.63

$49.94 R$249

-20.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 $81.3

$75.0 R$375

8.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.5 $99.5

$68.3 R$341

45.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$501 $501

$905 R$4,519

-44.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$456 $456

$527 R$2,633

-13.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,184 $2,184

$643 R$3,210

239.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

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

Last update for Aguada: October 4, 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

Aguada

$456 38.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 15.7% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aguada

$312 * 26.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 46% $144

Eating Out

Aguada

$175 14.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 6.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Aguada

$115 9.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 8.3% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Aguada

$68 5.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 28.9% $19

Groceries & Markets

Aguada

$59 * 5%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 261% $155

Getting Around

Aguada

- * 0%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

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 $501 in Aguada and $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aguada pays 240% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Aguada

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

06:34 6:34 AM

07:34 7:34 AM

1 h ahead of Aguada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,000

6,211,223

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 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).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Aguada Rio de Janeiro 5,280 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Aguada
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

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

Aguada and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($1,176 vs $1,285 including rent). Aguada is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 240% higher in Aguada, 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: $501 in Aguada versus $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $509 in Aguada versus $603 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you'll spend $1,176 per month in Aguada versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,176 in Aguada versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Aguada but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Aguada 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.

Safety-wise, Aguada and Rio de Janeiro are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Aguada gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.