Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ames, IA and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $2,142 in Ames, IA, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Ames, IA
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Ames, IA Living Index
63

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

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Ames, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,142

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,142 in Ames, IA versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Ames, IA $2,142
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,242 in Ames, IA versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

Ames, IA $3,242
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,342 in Ames, IA versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

Ames, IA $4,342
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Ames, IA is roughly 66% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ames, IA is 59% above, Rio de Janeiro is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.13 $18.13

$10.06 R$51.0

80.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 $52.0

$40.44 R$205

28.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 $12.18

$8.55 R$43.35

42.46%

Cappuccino

$4.87 $4.87

$2.38 R$12.04

104.62%

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

$2.60 $2.60

$1.61 R$8.18

61.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.03 R$5.22

118.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.47 R$12.54

63.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$3.70 R$18.77

84.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.19 R$6.05

-25.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.05 R$10.38

73.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.28 R$6.49

154.69%

Eggs

$3.34 $3.34

$2.29 R$11.60

45.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.08 $10.08

$10.76 R$54.5

-6.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.62 $13.62

$4.41 R$22.36

208.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.05 $19.05

$9.84 R$49.86

93.60%

Apples (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$2.81 R$14.25

109.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.78 R$9.03

2.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$1.60 R$8.13

318.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$1.80 R$9.11

190.00%

Potato (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.22 R$6.17

272.13%

Onion (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$1.04 R$5.26

291.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 $2.32

$0.77 R$3.92

201.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$0.67 R$3.38

264.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.03 $13.03

$3.01 R$15.27

332.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.11 $16.11

$8.08 R$40.94

99.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.19 R$6.03

141.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.51 R$12.73

98.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.99 R$5.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.57 $35.57

$50.1 R$254

-29.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 $5.09

$1.22 R$6.20

317.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 $1.69

$0.92 R$4.66

83.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.13 $24.13

$8.97 R$45.45

169.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.30 R$6.57

-26.15%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$23.9K R$121.0K

3.60%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-23.70%

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

$176 $176

$133 R$676

32.16%

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

$54.3 $54.3

$10.82 R$54.8

402.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$22.90 R$116

210.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 $69.0

$30.79 R$156

124.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.74 $19.74

$31.85 R$161

-38.02%

Cinema Ticket

$15.97 $15.97

$8.05 R$40.83

98.39%

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

$1,370 $1,370

$598 R$3,029

129.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.1K $36.1K

$13.4K R$68.0K

169.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 $58.4

$42.04 R$213

38.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.68 $44.68

$49.68 R$252

-10.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 $90.1

$74.5 R$378

20.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$68.7 R$348

52.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 $1,005

$903 R$4,578

11.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$822 $822

$529 R$2,684

55.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,860 $1,860

$1,326 R$6,724

40.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,505 $1,505

$756 R$3,831

99.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,432 $2,432

$4,010 R$20.3K

-39.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,185 $2,185

$1,560 R$7,910

40.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,597 $3,597

$640 R$3,242

462.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.41

11.93

-46.27%

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

Last update for Ames, IA: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ames, IA

$822 38.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 35.6% $293

Groceries & Markets

Ames, IA

$436 20.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 50.8% $222

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ames, IA

$302 14.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 44.6% $135

Eating Out

Ames, IA

$293 13.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 43.8% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Ames, IA

$134 6.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 21.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Ames, IA

$101 4.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 53.6% $54

Getting Around

Ames, IA

$53 2.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 12.8% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,005 in Ames, IA and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ames, IA pays 462% 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: $52.0 in Ames, IA vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $436 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ames, IA

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

09:10 9:10 AM

11:10 11:10 AM

2 h ahead of Ames, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,427

6,211,223

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

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Ames, IA Rio de Janeiro 8,880 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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Ames, IA
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

Ames, IA vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Ames, IA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rio de Janeiro the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 462% higher in Ames, IA, 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: $1,005 in Ames, IA versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Rio de Janeiro runs roughly 41% less than in Ames, IA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,370 in Ames, IA versus $598 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,142 in Ames, IA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Ames, IA. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Rio de Janeiro delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,289 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Rio de Janeiro hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Ames, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.