Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Antiguo Cuscatlan and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Antiguo Cuscatlan: $811 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

39

Cost of Living Index in Antiguo Cuscatlan
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Antiguo Cuscatlan Living Index
63

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

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Antiguo Cuscatlan

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$811

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $811 per month in Antiguo Cuscatlan vs $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Antiguo Cuscatlan $811
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

A couple spends around $1,302 per month in Antiguo Cuscatlan vs $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Antiguo Cuscatlan $1,302
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

A family of three spends $1,792 per month in Antiguo Cuscatlan vs $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Antiguo Cuscatlan $1,792
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Antiguo Cuscatlan is about 37% cheaper than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Antiguo Cuscatlan and Rio de Janeiro are more affordable than the global median – Antiguo Cuscatlan 40% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.87 $6.87

$10.06 R$50.8

-31.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.31 $44.31

$40.44 R$204

9.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.18 $7.18

$8.55 R$43.16

-16.02%

Cappuccino

$3.50 $3.50

$2.38 R$11.99

47.06%

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

$1.12 $1.12

$1.61 R$8.14

-30.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.03 R$5.20

-20.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.47 R$12.49

-18.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 $3.61

$3.70 R$18.69

-2.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.19 R$6.03

55.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.05 R$10.34

40.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.28 R$6.46

9.37%

Eggs

$2.94 $2.94

$2.29 R$11.55

28.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.63 $7.63

$10.76 R$54.3

-29.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.83 $6.83

$4.41 R$22.26

54.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 $10.44

$9.84 R$49.65

6.10%

Apples (1kg)

$4.93 $4.93

$2.81 R$14.19

75.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.78 R$8.99

-22.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.60 R$8.10

61.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.80 R$9.07

88.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.22 R$6.14

143.44%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.04 R$5.24

220.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 $1.04

$0.77 R$3.90

35.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 $0.96

$0.67 R$3.36

43.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 $4.10

$3.01 R$15.21

36.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.10 $12.10

$8.08 R$40.77

49.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.19 R$6.00

83.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.51 R$12.67

14.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$4.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$253

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.03 $6.03

$1.22 R$6.17

394.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.91 $2.91

$0.92 R$4.64

216.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.05 $20.05

$8.97 R$45.25

123.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.30 R$6.55

-3.85%

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

$24.6K $24.6K

$23.9K R$120.5K

3.16%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$32.9K R$165.9K

-17.01%

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

$131 $131

$133 R$673

-1.48%

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

$21.05 $21.05

$10.82 R$54.6

94.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.80 $41.80

$22.90 R$116

82.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$155

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$4.85 $4.85

$8.05 R$40.65

-39.75%

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

$166 $166

$598 R$3,016

-72.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,657 $4,657

$13.4K R$67.7K

-65.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.2 $67.2

$42.04 R$212

59.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.90 $47.90

$49.68 R$251

-3.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$74.5 R$376

60.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$68.7 R$347

67.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 $598

$903 R$4,558

-33.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,672

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,695

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,814

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,875

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,228

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

11.93

-28.75%

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

Last update for Antiguo Cuscatlan: 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.

Groceries & Markets

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$285 35.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 24.8% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$194 24%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 14% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$157 19.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 32.8% $52

Eating Out

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$144 17.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 14.9% $21

Getting Around

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$21 * 2.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 191% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$9.7 * 1.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 383% $37

Accommodation & Living

Antiguo Cuscatlan

- * 0%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $598 in Antiguo Cuscatlan 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Antiguo Cuscatlan versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $285 vs $215 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇻 Antiguo Cuscatlan

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

16:14 4:14 PM

19:14 7:14 PM

3 h ahead of Antiguo Cuscatlan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,767

6,211,223

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 = 0.892 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 5.05 BRL (1 BRL = 0.198 USD). 1 EUR = 5.66 BRL (1 BRL = 0.177 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Antiguo Cuscatlan Rio de Janeiro 6,450 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Antiguo Cuscatlan
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $811 in Antiguo Cuscatlan, $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro – roughly 59% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,216 per month in Antiguo Cuscatlan 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 Antiguo Cuscatlan, 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 $44.00 in Antiguo Cuscatlan and $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 33% cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Antiguo Cuscatlan, where all-in costs run around $811, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Antiguo Cuscatlan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Rio de Janeiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $811 in Antiguo Cuscatlan to $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Antiguo Cuscatlan. 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.