Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bar Harbor, ME and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,182 a month against $2,693 in Bar Harbor, ME, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Bar Harbor, ME
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Bar Harbor, ME Living Index
57

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

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Bar Harbor, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,693

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,693 in Bar Harbor, ME versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro.

Bar Harbor, ME $2,693
Rio de Janeiro $1,182

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,285 in Bar Harbor, ME versus $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro.

Bar Harbor, ME $4,285
Rio de Janeiro $1,750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,878 in Bar Harbor, ME versus $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro.

Bar Harbor, ME $5,878
Rio de Janeiro $2,318

Living in Bar Harbor, ME is roughly 128% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bar Harbor, ME is 98% above, Rio de Janeiro is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.25 $25.25

$9.08 R$48.58

178.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 $118

$37.25 R$199

217.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.24 $15.24

$8.02 R$42.91

90.02%

Cappuccino

$6.16 $6.16

$2.19 R$11.72

181.28%

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

$3.01 $3.01

$1.46 R$7.83

106.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.99 R$5.28

149.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.95 $7.95

$2.03 R$10.85

291.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.22 $8.22

$3.45 R$18.45

138.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.06 R$5.67

5.66%

White Bread (500g)

$4.55 $4.55

$1.98 R$10.62

129.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$8.66 $8.66

$1.17 R$6.28

640.17%

Eggs

$4.04 $4.04

$2.21 R$11.81

82.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.19 $19.19

$10.11 R$54.1

89.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.17 $10.17

$4.12 R$22.02

146.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.02 $16.02

$9.17 R$49.08

74.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$2.72 R$14.55

77.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.71 R$9.15

Oranges (1kg)

$5.89 $5.89

$1.53 R$8.19

284.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.66 $6.66

$1.66 R$8.89

301.20%

Potato (1kg)

$6.19 $6.19

$1.14 R$6.09

442.98%

Onion (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$0.99 R$5.32

284.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.32 $3.32

$0.65 R$3.46

410.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 $2.61

$0.60 R$3.20

335.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.21 $12.21

$2.79 R$14.96

337.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.77 $14.77

$7.48 R$40.03

97.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.09 R$5.84

72.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.33 R$12.49

12.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.85 $1.85

$0.90 R$4.79

105.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.7 $58.7

$53.0 R$284

10.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.17 R$6.24

73.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 $1.56

$0.78 R$4.18

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 $11.09

$8.37 R$44.79

32.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.21 R$6.49

-13.22%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$21.5K R$114.9K

28.46%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$31.1K R$166.6K

-14.28%

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

$223 $223

$124 R$666

78.88%

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

$70.0 $70.0

$10.03 R$53.7

597.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.8 $78.8

$20.88 R$112

277.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.18 $36.18

$28.35 R$152

27.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$157

Cinema Ticket

$14.09 $14.09

$7.62 R$40.75

84.91%

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

$1,238 $1,238

$563 R$3,012

119.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K $20.4K

$12.0K R$64.5K

69.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 $52.7

$39.25 R$210

34.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.6 $78.6

$46.36 R$248

69.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$68.4 R$366

50.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 $134

$63.4 R$339

111.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,344 $1,344

$776 R$4,153

73.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 $1,145

$473 R$2,532

142.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,177 $2,177

$1,391 R$7,443

56.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,318 $2,318

$739 R$3,954

213.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,107 $3,107

$3,393 R$18.2K

-8.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,260 $2,260

$1,570 R$8,403

43.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,194

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

11.93

-45.52%

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

Last update for Bar Harbor, ME: October 26, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Bar Harbor, ME

$1.1K 42.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40% 58.7% $672

Groceries & Markets

Bar Harbor, ME

$470 17.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17% 57.3% $269

Eating Out

Bar Harbor, ME

$400 14.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7% 62.5% $250

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bar Harbor, ME

$371 13.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1% 58.2% $216

Clothing & Footwear

Bar Harbor, ME

$166 6.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3% 41% $68

Getting Around

Bar Harbor, ME

$76 2.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2% 18.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Bar Harbor, ME

$64 2.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7% 32.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,344 in Bar Harbor, ME and $776 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $118 in Bar Harbor, ME vs $37 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $470 vs $201 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bar Harbor, ME

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

14:20 2:20 PM

15:20 3:20 PM

1 h ahead of Bar Harbor, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,500

6,211,223

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.96 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bar Harbor, ME Rio de Janeiro 7,900 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bar Harbor, ME
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

Bar Harbor, ME vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bar Harbor, ME and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 128% in total monthly costs ($2,693 vs $1,182 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,039 in Bar Harbor, ME and $1,774 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,344 in Bar Harbor, ME versus $776 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,693 per month in Bar Harbor, ME versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro – a 128% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Rio de Janeiro runs roughly 10% less than in Bar Harbor, ME. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,693 in Bar Harbor, ME, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Bar Harbor, ME. 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.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Bar Harbor, ME. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.