Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Augusta, GA and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $2,454 in Augusta, GA, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Augusta, GA
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Augusta, GA Living Index
63

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

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Augusta, GA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,454

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,454 in Augusta, GA versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Augusta, GA $2,454
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,473 in Augusta, GA versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

Augusta, GA $3,473
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,492 in Augusta, GA versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

Augusta, GA $4,492
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Augusta, GA is roughly 90% 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: Augusta, GA is 82% above, Rio de Janeiro is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 $17.75

$10.06 R$51.0

76.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.6 $88.6

$40.44 R$205

119.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.72 $9.72

$8.55 R$43.35

13.68%

Cappuccino

$6.09 $6.09

$2.38 R$12.04

155.88%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$1.61 R$8.18

69.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.03 R$5.22

119.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.23 $5.23

$2.47 R$12.54

111.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.19 $8.19

$3.70 R$18.77

121.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.19 R$6.05

-29.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.05 R$10.38

8.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$1.28 R$6.49

212.50%

Eggs

$3.94 $3.94

$2.29 R$11.60

72.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.34 $11.34

$10.76 R$54.5

5.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.82 $8.82

$4.41 R$22.36

100.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.51 $14.51

$9.84 R$49.86

47.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$2.81 R$14.25

56.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.78 R$9.03

-15.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$1.60 R$8.13

128.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.80 R$9.11

40.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.22 R$6.17

38.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.04 R$5.26

177.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.89 $1.89

$0.77 R$3.92

145.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.67 R$3.38

252.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.34 $8.34

$3.01 R$15.27

177.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 $9.95

$8.08 R$40.94

23.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.19 R$6.03

47.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 $5.25

$2.51 R$12.73

109.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.99 R$5.00

55.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.40 $39.40

$50.1 R$254

-21.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.22 R$6.20

65.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$0.92 R$4.66

33.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.1 $50.1

$8.97 R$45.45

458.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.30 R$6.57

-30.00%

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

$33.7K $33.7K

$23.9K R$121.0K

41.33%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-14.75%

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

$147 $147

$133 R$676

10.38%

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

$58.5 $58.5

$10.82 R$54.8

440.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.0 $84.0

$22.90 R$116

266.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.65 $27.65

$30.79 R$156

-10.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 $15.22

$8.05 R$40.83

89.07%

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

$941 $941

$598 R$3,029

57.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K $18.0K

$13.4K R$68.0K

33.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 $50.1

$42.04 R$213

19.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 $38.11

$49.68 R$252

-23.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 $72.8

$74.5 R$378

-2.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.5 $75.5

$68.7 R$348

9.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$903 R$4,578

45.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,311 $1,311

$529 R$2,684

147.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,613 $1,613

$1,326 R$6,724

21.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,866 $1,866

$756 R$3,831

146.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,705 $1,705

$4,010 R$20.3K

-57.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,671 $1,671

$1,560 R$7,910

7.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,090 $3,090

$640 R$3,242

383.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.93

-44.93%

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

Last update for Augusta, GA: October 13, 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

Augusta, GA

$1.3K 53.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 59.6% $782

Groceries & Markets

Augusta, GA

$328 13.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 34.6% $114

Eating Out

Augusta, GA

$307 12.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 46.2% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Augusta, GA

$290 11.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 42.3% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Augusta, GA

$106 4.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 0.6% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Augusta, GA

$58 2.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 19.3% $11

Getting Around

Augusta, GA

$54 2.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 11.5% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,316 in Augusta, GA and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Augusta, GA pays 383% 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: $89.0 in Augusta, GA vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Augusta, GA

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

13:37 1:37 PM

14:37 2:37 PM

1 h ahead of Augusta, GA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

194,343

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Augusta, GA Rio de Janeiro 7,490 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Augusta, GA
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

Augusta, GA vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 90% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 383% higher in Augusta, GA, 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: $1,316 in Augusta, GA versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Augusta, GA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $89.0 in Augusta, GA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,454 in Augusta, GA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Augusta, GA. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Rio de Janeiro is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Augusta, GA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 90% less than in Augusta, GA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.