Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Appleton, WI and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $2,097 in Appleton, WI, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Appleton, WI
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Appleton, WI Living Index
63

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

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Appleton, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,097

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,097 per month in Appleton, WI vs $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Appleton, WI $2,097
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

A couple spends around $3,238 per month in Appleton, WI vs $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Appleton, WI $3,238
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

A family of three spends $4,380 per month in Appleton, WI vs $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Appleton, WI $4,380
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Appleton, WI costs about 63% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Appleton, WI sits 56% above the global median, while Rio de Janeiro is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.91 $17.91

$9.98 R$49.83

79.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.1 $66.1

$40.34 R$201

63.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.11 $11.11

$8.48 R$42.35

31.01%

Cappuccino

$5.23 $5.23

$2.36 R$11.80

121.61%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$1.63 R$8.13

61.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.01 R$5.06

124.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.44 R$12.19

88.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.20 $6.20

$3.69 R$18.43

68.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.15 R$5.72

-14.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.07 R$10.34

44.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$1.29 R$6.42

299.22%

Eggs

$4.71 $4.71

$2.27 R$11.32

107.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.34 $14.34

$11.00 R$54.9

30.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.43 $8.43

$4.31 R$21.51

95.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.31 $15.31

$9.74 R$48.63

57.19%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$2.83 R$14.12

77.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.84 R$9.17

-28.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$1.60 R$7.96

93.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$1.80 R$9.00

140.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.26 R$6.28

63.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.07 R$5.34

159.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 $2.18

$0.75 R$3.75

190.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 $3.13

$0.66 R$3.29

374.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.86 $10.86

$3.05 R$15.21

256.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.14 $15.14

$8.18 R$40.84

85.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.19 R$5.92

41.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.39 R$11.92

45.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 $3.29

$1.27 R$6.33

159.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$0.90 R$4.51

57.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.47 $24.47

$9.44 R$47.13

159.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.33 R$6.65

-23.31%

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

$36.3K $36.3K

$23.4K R$117.0K

54.92%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$33.6K R$167.6K

-26.40%

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

$176 $176

$134 R$666

32.04%

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

$44.67 $44.67

$12.23 R$61.0

265.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 $60.6

$22.65 R$113

167.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.78 $23.78

$31.56 R$158

-24.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.09 $41.09

$30.87 R$154

33.11%

Cinema Ticket

$14.48 $14.48

$8.23 R$41.07

75.94%

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

$1,512 $1,512

$603 R$3,011

150.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.2K $31.2K

$13.2K R$66.1K

135.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.33 $39.33

$41.62 R$208

-5.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.09 $25.09

$49.94 R$249

-49.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.9 $50.9

$75.0 R$375

-32.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$68.3 R$341

58.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,501 $1,501

$905 R$4,519

65.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,017 $1,017

$527 R$2,633

92.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,804 $1,804

$1,346 R$6,720

34.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,910 $1,910

$774 R$3,865

146.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,320 $2,320

$3,981 R$19.9K

-41.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,268 $2,268

$1,562 R$7,798

45.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,011 $4,011

$643 R$3,210

523.85%

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 Appleton, WI: 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

Appleton, WI

$1K 47.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 48.1% $489

Groceries & Markets

Appleton, WI

$381 17.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 43.7% $166

Eating Out

Appleton, WI

$294 13.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 44.3% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Appleton, WI

$282 13.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 40.2% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Appleton, WI

$101 4.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 5% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Appleton, WI

$53 2.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 8.9% $4.7

Getting Around

Appleton, WI

$10 * 0.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 476% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,501 in Appleton, WI versus $905 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 524% higher in Appleton, WI, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Appleton, WI versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $381 vs $215 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Appleton, WI

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

01:05 1:05 AM

03:05 3:05 AM

2 h ahead of Appleton, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,139

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 = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Appleton, WI Rio de Janeiro 8,770 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Appleton, WI
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

Appleton, WI vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Appleton, WI is pricier by about 63%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,145 per month in Appleton, WI and $1,927 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 Rio de Janeiro, 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 $66.0 in Appleton, WI and $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 78% more in Appleton, WI, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,285, than in Appleton, WI at $2,097. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Appleton, WI it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rio de Janeiro – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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