Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $2,326 in Ankeny, IA, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Ankeny, IA
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Ankeny, 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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Ankeny, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,326

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,326 in Ankeny, IA versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro.

Ankeny, IA $2,326
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,298 in Ankeny, IA versus $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro.

Ankeny, IA $3,298
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,270 in Ankeny, IA versus $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro.

Ankeny, IA $4,270
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Living in Ankeny, IA is roughly 81% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ankeny, IA is 74% above, Rio de Janeiro is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.62 $19.62

$9.98 R$49.83

96.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 $79.1

$40.34 R$201

96.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$8.48 R$42.35

39.15%

Cappuccino

$5.46 $5.46

$2.36 R$11.80

131.36%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$1.63 R$8.13

82.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.01 R$5.06

72.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 $5.06

$2.44 R$12.19

107.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.79 $5.79

$3.69 R$18.43

56.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.15 R$5.72

-20.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.07 R$10.34

40.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.29 R$6.42

153.49%

Eggs

$3.96 $3.96

$2.27 R$11.32

74.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.65 $9.65

$11.00 R$54.9

-12.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 $8.65

$4.31 R$21.51

100.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.96 $14.96

$9.74 R$48.63

53.59%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$2.83 R$14.12

85.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.84 R$9.17

-17.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$1.60 R$7.96

205.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$1.80 R$9.00

103.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.26 R$6.28

76.19%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.07 R$5.34

211.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 $1.88

$0.75 R$3.75

150.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$0.66 R$3.29

301.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.80 $8.80

$3.05 R$15.21

188.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$8.18 R$40.84

80.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.19 R$5.92

42.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.39 R$11.92

3.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.27 R$6.33

61.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$0.90 R$4.51

41.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.71 $19.71

$9.44 R$47.13

108.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.33 R$6.65

-25.56%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$23.4K R$117.0K

52.25%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$33.6K R$167.6K

-24.39%

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

$159 $159

$134 R$666

19.38%

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

$53.2 $53.2

$12.23 R$61.0

334.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.2 $64.2

$22.65 R$113

183.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.0 $74.0

$31.56 R$158

134.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$14.95 $14.95

$8.23 R$41.07

81.65%

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

$1,101 $1,101

$603 R$3,011

82.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K $11.9K

$13.2K R$66.1K

-10.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.27 $48.27

$41.62 R$208

15.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 $34.89

$49.94 R$249

-30.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 $90.1

$75.0 R$375

20.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$68.3 R$341

70.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 $1,109

$905 R$4,519

22.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 $1,141

$527 R$2,633

116.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,971 $1,971

$1,346 R$6,720

46.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 $1,599

$774 R$3,865

106.48%

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)

$5,289 $5,289

$643 R$3,210

722.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

11.93

-46.61%

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

Last update for Ankeny, IA: October 5, 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

Ankeny, IA

$1.1K 49%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 53.8% $613

Groceries & Markets

Ankeny, IA

$353 15.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 39.2% $138

Eating Out

Ankeny, IA

$314 13.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 47.8% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankeny, IA

$277 11.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 39.1% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Ankeny, IA

$130 5.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 19% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Ankeny, IA

$104 4.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 53.8% $56

Getting Around

Ankeny, IA

$8.4 * 0.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 613% $52

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 $1,109 in Ankeny, IA and $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ankeny, IA pays 723% 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: $79.0 in Ankeny, IA vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ankeny, IA

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

05:43 5:43 AM

07:43 7:43 AM

2 h ahead of Ankeny, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,887

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

Ankeny, IA Rio de Janeiro 8,860 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ankeny, IA
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

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

Ankeny, IA and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 81% in total monthly costs ($2,326 vs $1,285 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 723% higher in Ankeny, 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: $1,109 in Ankeny, IA versus $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 64% higher in Ankeny, IA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,326 per month in Ankeny, IA versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro – a 81% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,326 in Ankeny, IA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Ankeny, IA. 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.

Safety-wise, Ankeny, IA 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 Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Ankeny, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.