Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ambato and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Ambato: $605 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Ambato
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Ambato Living Index
63

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

Jump to prices

Ambato

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$605

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $605 per month in Ambato vs $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Ambato $605
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

A couple spends around $985 per month in Ambato vs $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Ambato $985
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

A family of three spends $1,364 per month in Ambato vs $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Ambato $1,364
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Ambato is about 53% cheaper than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ambato and Rio de Janeiro are more affordable than the global median – Ambato 55% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.46 $3.46

$10.06 R$50.8

-65.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.93 $29.93

$40.44 R$204

-25.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.32 $5.32

$8.55 R$43.16

-37.78%

Cappuccino

$2.76 $2.76

$2.38 R$11.99

15.97%

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

$0.82 $0.82

$1.61 R$8.14

-49.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.03 R$5.20

-27.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.47 R$12.49

-20.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 $3.22

$3.70 R$18.69

-12.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.19 R$6.03

-17.65%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 $0.98

$2.05 R$10.34

-52.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.28 R$6.46

22.66%

Eggs

$1.73 $1.73

$2.29 R$11.55

-24.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$10.76 R$54.3

-49.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$4.41 R$22.26

-30.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$9.84 R$49.65

-60.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.81 R$14.19

-54.80%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.78 R$8.99

-50.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.60 R$8.10

-35.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.80 R$9.07

-42.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.22 R$6.14

-36.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.04 R$5.24

-4.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 $0.73

$0.77 R$3.90

-5.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$0.67 R$3.36

53.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.15 $5.15

$3.01 R$15.21

71.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 $8.78

$8.08 R$40.77

8.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.19 R$6.00

21.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.51 R$12.67

11.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 $0.29

$0.99 R$4.98

-70.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.21 $14.21

$50.1 R$253

-71.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.22 R$6.17

13.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.92 R$4.64

21.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.43 $9.43

$8.97 R$45.25

5.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.30 R$6.55

-33.85%

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

$23.3K $23.3K

$23.9K R$120.5K

-2.27%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$32.9K R$165.9K

-14.35%

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

$39.20 $39.20

$133 R$673

-70.61%

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

$13.58 $13.58

$10.82 R$54.6

25.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.39 $26.39

$22.90 R$116

15.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 $29.76

$30.79 R$155

-3.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$4.39 $4.39

$8.05 R$40.65

-45.47%

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

$224 $224

$598 R$3,016

-62.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,408 $2,408

$13.4K R$67.7K

-82.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.25 $48.25

$42.04 R$212

14.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.22 $35.22

$49.68 R$251

-29.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 $71.2

$74.5 R$376

-4.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.5 $55.5

$68.7 R$347

-19.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$178 $178

$903 R$4,558

-80.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$124 $124

$529 R$2,672

-76.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 $380

$1,326 R$6,695

-71.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 $273

$756 R$3,814

-63.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,130 $1,130

$4,010 R$20.2K

-71.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$884 $884

$1,560 R$7,875

-43.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$679 $679

$640 R$3,228

6.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

-24.56%

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

Last update for Ambato: October 10, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Ambato

$147 24.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 46% $68

Accommodation & Living

Ambato

$124 20.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 326% $405

Eating Out

Ambato

$99 16.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 66.3% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Ambato

$95 15.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 11.8% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ambato

$79 13.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 111% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Ambato

$39 6.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 21.7% $8.4

Getting Around

Ambato

$22 3.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 168% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $178 in Ambato versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 6% higher in Ambato, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Ambato versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $147 vs $215 – making Ambato the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Ambato

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

12:50 12:50 PM

14:50 2:50 PM

2 h ahead of Ambato

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,185

6,211,223

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

1 BRL = 0.198 USD

1 BRL = 0.177 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 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 5.05 BRL (1 BRL = 0.198 USD). 1 EUR = 5.65 BRL (1 BRL = 0.177 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Ambato Rio de Janeiro 4,520 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ambato
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

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

Rio de Janeiro costs about 113% more than Ambato, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $908 per month in Ambato and $1,933 in Rio de Janeiro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ambato, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Ambato and $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $605 in Ambato and $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a gap of about 113%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ambato, where all-in costs run around $605, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Ambato it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ambato costs $605 versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ambato. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rio de Janeiro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.