Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barbacena and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Barbacena: $798 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Barbacena
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Barbacena Living Index
57

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

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Barbacena

🇧🇷 Brazil

$798

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $798 in Barbacena versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro.

Barbacena $798
Rio de Janeiro $1,182

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,216 in Barbacena versus $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro.

Barbacena $1,216
Rio de Janeiro $1,750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,634 in Barbacena versus $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro.

Barbacena $1,634
Rio de Janeiro $2,318

Living in Barbacena costs roughly 33% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Barbacena 41% lower, Rio de Janeiro 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.08 R$27.15

$9.08 R$48.54

-44.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.42 R$104

$37.25 R$199

-47.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.72 R$30.56

$8.02 R$42.87

-28.68%

Cappuccino

$1.55 R$8.29

$2.19 R$11.70

-29.22%

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

$1.42 R$7.59

$1.46 R$7.82

-2.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 R$4.29

$0.99 R$5.27

-19.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 R$6.55

$2.03 R$10.84

-39.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 R$10.70

$3.45 R$18.43

-42.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 R$5.70

$1.06 R$5.66

0.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 R$10.62

$1.98 R$10.61

0.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.28

$1.17 R$6.27

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.82

$2.21 R$11.80

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.04 R$53.7

$10.11 R$54.1

-0.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.25 R$22.71

$4.12 R$22.00

3.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.98 R$48.00

$9.17 R$49.04

-2.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.55

$2.72 R$14.54

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 R$8.66

$1.71 R$9.15

-5.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.88

$1.53 R$8.18

-3.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R$9.41

$1.66 R$8.88

6.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.30

$1.14 R$6.09

3.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 R$5.39

$0.99 R$5.32

2.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 R$3.77

$0.65 R$3.46

7.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 R$3.30

$0.60 R$3.20

3.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.72 R$14.53

$2.79 R$14.94

-2.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.51 R$40.12

$7.48 R$39.99

0.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.84

$1.09 R$5.83

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 R$12.39

$2.33 R$12.48

-0.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$5.00

$0.90 R$4.79

4.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.71 R$218

$53.0 R$283

-23.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.24

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 R$4.26

$0.78 R$4.17

2.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 R$45.56

$8.37 R$44.75

1.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.49

$1.21 R$6.48

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

$21.9K R$116.8K

$21.5K R$114.8K

1.80%

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

$32.1K R$171.3K

$31.1K R$166.4K

2.95%

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

$125 R$668

$124 R$665

0.35%

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

$10.19 R$54.5

$10.03 R$53.6

1.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.67 R$116

$20.88 R$112

3.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.66 R$121

$28.35 R$152

-20.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.16 R$151

$29.33 R$157

-3.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.61 R$40.70

$7.62 R$40.72

-0.13%

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

$552 R$2,952

$563 R$3,009

-1.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K R$64.5K

$12.0K R$64.4K

0.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.68 R$212

$39.25 R$210

1.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.40 R$243

$46.36 R$248

-2.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.3 R$370

$68.4 R$366

1.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.9 R$331

$63.4 R$339

-2.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 R$1,167

$776 R$4,149

-71.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$159 R$852

$473 R$2,530

-66.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$401 R$2,145

$1,391 R$7,436

-71.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$293 R$1,568

$739 R$3,951

-60.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,641 R$8,774

$3,393 R$18.1K

-51.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,139 R$6,087

$1,570 R$8,394

-27.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,191

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

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

Last update for Barbacena: October 27, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Barbacena

$201 25.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17% 0.2% $0.4

Accommodation & Living

Barbacena

$159 20%

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40% 197% $314

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barbacena

$157 19.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1% 0.9% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Barbacena

$97 12.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3% 0.5% $0.5

Eating Out

Barbacena

$95 12%

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7% 57% $54

Getting Around

Barbacena

$50 6.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2% 24.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Barbacena

$38 4.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7% 15% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $218 in Barbacena and $776 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Barbacena vs $37 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $201 per month, with Barbacena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Barbacena

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

03:28 3:28 AM

Same time as Barbacena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,317

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $798 in Barbacena and $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, so Barbacena is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,196 in Barbacena 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: $218 in Barbacena versus $776 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $552 in Barbacena versus $563 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Barbacena – a meal for two runs $19 versus $37 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.