Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Azua and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Azua: $660 a month against $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Azua
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Azua Living Index
63

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

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Azua

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$660

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $660 in Azua versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro.

Azua $660
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,060 in Azua versus $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro.

Azua $1,060
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,460 in Azua versus $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro.

Azua $1,460
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Living in Azua costs roughly 49% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Azua 51% lower, Rio de Janeiro 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.61 DOP 524

$9.98 R$49.83

-13.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.37 DOP 2,518

$40.34 R$201

2.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.15 DOP 435

$8.48 R$42.35

-15.68%

Cappuccino

$1.36 DOP 82.5

$2.36 R$11.80

-42.37%

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

$0.68 DOP 41.59

$1.63 R$8.13

-58.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 DOP 23.53

$1.01 R$5.06

-61.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 DOP 157

$2.44 R$12.19

5.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 DOP 252

$3.69 R$18.43

12.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 DOP 73.0

$1.15 R$5.72

4.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 DOP 111

$2.07 R$10.34

-11.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 DOP 63.8

$1.29 R$6.42

-18.60%

Eggs

$1.47 DOP 89.3

$2.27 R$11.32

-35.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.55 DOP 399

$11.00 R$54.9

-40.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.69 DOP 224

$4.31 R$21.51

-14.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.83 DOP 294

$9.74 R$48.63

-50.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 DOP 228

$2.83 R$14.12

32.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 DOP 86.2

$1.84 R$9.17

-22.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.23 DOP 197

$1.60 R$7.96

101.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 DOP 138

$1.80 R$9.00

26.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.68 DOP 224

$1.26 R$6.28

192.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 DOP 178

$1.07 R$5.34

173.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 DOP 58.6

$0.75 R$3.75

28.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 DOP 98.9

$0.66 R$3.29

146.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 DOP 289

$3.05 R$15.21

55.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.12 DOP 1,042

$8.18 R$40.84

109.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 DOP 178

$1.19 R$5.92

145.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 DOP 205

$2.39 R$11.92

41.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 DOP 151

$1.27 R$6.33

96.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.27 DOP 199

$0.90 R$4.51

263.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 DOP 83.7

$1.33 R$6.65

3.01%

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

$15.0K DOP 915.2K

$23.4K R$117.0K

-35.83%

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

$25.7K DOP 1.6M

$33.6K R$167.6K

-23.31%

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

$94.7 DOP 5,767

$134 R$666

-29.03%

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

$27.44 DOP 1,670

$12.23 R$61.0

124.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.28 DOP 2,391

$22.65 R$113

73.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.21 DOP 1,230

$31.56 R$158

-35.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 DOP 309

$8.23 R$41.07

-38.40%

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

$152 DOP 9,263

$603 R$3,011

-74.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,570 DOP 339.0K

$13.2K R$66.1K

-57.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.60 DOP 1,619

$41.62 R$208

-36.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.31 DOP 2,758

$49.94 R$249

-9.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.8 DOP 3,824

$75.0 R$375

-16.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.8 DOP 4,063

$68.3 R$341

-2.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,576 DOP 217.7K

$3,981 R$19.9K

-10.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

-7.80%

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

Last update for Azua: 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.

Groceries & Markets

Azua

$240 35.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 10.6% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Azua

$161 24%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 4.3% $6.9

Eating Out

Azua

$132 19.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 24.1% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Azua

$91 13.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 16.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Azua

$30 4.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 58.2% $18

Getting Around

Azua

$19 * 2.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 219% $41

Accommodation & Living

Azua

- * 0%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $41.00 in Azua vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $240 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Azua

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

02:37 2:37 AM

03:37 3:37 AM

1 h ahead of Azua

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

128,264

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.64 USD

100 DOP = 1.46 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇴 Dominican Peso ($)

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 60.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.27 DOP (100 DOP = 1.46 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).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Azua Rio de Janeiro 5,490 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Azua
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

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

Azua is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 95% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $990 in Azua and $1,927 in Rio de Janeiro to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Shoppers in Rio de Janeiro pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $660 per month in Azua versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro – a 95% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $660 in Azua versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Azua but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Azua the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Azua 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 Azua gentler on the wallet – expenses run 95% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.