Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barnstable, MA and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $2,367 in Barnstable, MA, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Barnstable, MA
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Barnstable, MA Living Index
63

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

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Barnstable, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,367

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,367 in Barnstable, MA versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro.

Barnstable, MA $2,367
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,555 in Barnstable, MA versus $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro.

Barnstable, MA $3,555
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,743 in Barnstable, MA versus $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro.

Barnstable, MA $4,743
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Living in Barnstable, MA is roughly 84% 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: Barnstable, MA is 77% above, Rio de Janeiro is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.12 $18.12

$9.98 R$49.83

81.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.4 $74.4

$40.34 R$201

84.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.84 $9.84

$8.48 R$42.35

16.04%

Cappuccino

$3.92 $3.92

$2.36 R$11.80

66.10%

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

$2.18 $2.18

$1.63 R$8.13

33.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.01 R$5.06

72.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.15 $5.15

$2.44 R$12.19

111.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 $6.63

$3.69 R$18.43

79.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.15 R$5.72

-8.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.07 R$10.34

42.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$1.29 R$6.42

225.58%

Eggs

$4.18 $4.18

$2.27 R$11.32

84.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.44 $6.44

$11.00 R$54.9

-41.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.05 $9.05

$4.31 R$21.51

109.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.57 $8.57

$9.74 R$48.63

-12.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$2.83 R$14.12

51.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.84 R$9.17

-7.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$1.60 R$7.96

172.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.43 $3.43

$1.80 R$9.00

90.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.26 R$6.28

69.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.07 R$5.34

107.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 $2.01

$0.75 R$3.75

168.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$0.66 R$3.29

284.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.28 $12.28

$3.05 R$15.21

302.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.09 $13.09

$8.18 R$40.84

60.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.19 R$5.92

80.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 $3.90

$2.39 R$11.92

63.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.01 R$5.06

95.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.39 $34.39

$50.2 R$250

-31.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 $3.59

$1.27 R$6.33

182.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.76 $3.76

$0.90 R$4.51

317.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.84 $25.84

$9.44 R$47.13

173.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.33 R$6.65

-18.80%

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

$37.3K $37.3K

$23.4K R$117.0K

59.02%

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

$23.9K $23.9K

$33.6K R$167.6K

-28.91%

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

$101 $101

$134 R$666

-24.16%

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

$59.1 $59.1

$12.23 R$61.0

383.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.1 $64.1

$22.65 R$113

182.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.72 $41.72

$31.56 R$158

32.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.22 $24.22

$30.87 R$154

-21.54%

Cinema Ticket

$14.05 $14.05

$8.23 R$41.07

70.72%

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

$1,829 $1,829

$603 R$3,011

203.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K $30.5K

$13.2K R$66.1K

130.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.2 $57.2

$41.62 R$208

37.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.12 $38.12

$49.94 R$249

-23.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 $79.2

$75.0 R$375

5.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$68.3 R$341

48.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 $1,599

$905 R$4,519

76.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 $1,294

$527 R$2,633

145.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,461 $2,461

$1,346 R$6,720

82.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,151 $2,151

$774 R$3,865

177.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,770 $2,770

$3,981 R$19.9K

-30.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,390 $2,390

$1,562 R$7,798

52.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,660 $4,660

$643 R$3,210

624.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

11.93

-44.34%

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

Last update for Barnstable, MA: October 3, 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

Barnstable, MA

$1.3K 54.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 59.3% $767

Groceries & Markets

Barnstable, MA

$324 13.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 33.8% $109

Eating Out

Barnstable, MA

$276 11.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 40.7% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barnstable, MA

$224 9.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 25% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Barnstable, MA

$124 5.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 14.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Barnstable, MA

$70 2.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 31.2% $22

Getting Around

Barnstable, MA

$65 2.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 7.2% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,599 in Barnstable, MA and $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barnstable, MA pays 625% 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: $74.0 in Barnstable, MA vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Barnstable, MA

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

10:12 10:12 AM

11:12 11:12 AM

1 h ahead of Barnstable, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,000

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 = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

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Barnstable, MA Rio de Janeiro 7,710 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Barnstable, MA
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

Barnstable, MA vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barnstable, MA and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 84% in total monthly costs ($2,367 vs $1,285 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 625% higher in Barnstable, MA, 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: $1,599 in Barnstable, MA versus $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Rio de Janeiro runs roughly 46% less than in Barnstable, MA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,829 in Barnstable, MA versus $603 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,367 in Barnstable, MA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Barnstable, MA. 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 84% less than in Barnstable, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.