Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bauru and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Bauru: $827 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Bauru
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Bauru Living Index
62

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

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Bauru

🇧🇷 Brazil

$827

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $827 in Bauru versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Bauru $827
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,268 in Bauru versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Bauru $1,268
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,709 in Bauru versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Bauru $1,709
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Bauru costs roughly 35% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bauru 39% lower, Rio de Janeiro 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.99 R$25.28

$9.38 R$47.54

-46.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.21 R$138

$40.00 R$203

-31.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.66 R$38.85

$8.34 R$42.28

-8.15%

Cappuccino

$1.60 R$8.13

$2.29 R$11.62

-30.13%

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

$0.95 R$4.79

$1.59 R$8.05

-40.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 R$2.90

$1.01 R$5.10

-43.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.57 R$7.97

$2.14 R$10.85

-26.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 R$13.33

$3.66 R$18.55

-28.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 R$5.00

$1.13 R$5.72

-12.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 R$7.73

$2.09 R$10.60

-26.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.08

$1.25 R$6.36

-4.00%

Eggs

$2.46 R$12.45

$2.25 R$11.39

9.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.60 R$38.52

$10.92 R$55.3

-30.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.28 R$21.68

$4.36 R$22.10

-1.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.42 R$32.55

$9.60 R$48.66

-33.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.14 R$10.84

$2.85 R$14.46

-24.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.94

$1.81 R$9.16

-24.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.14

$1.58 R$8.02

-23.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 R$8.82

$1.83 R$9.28

-4.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.91

$1.20 R$6.10

13.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.14

$1.06 R$5.35

14.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 R$7.23

$0.75 R$3.81

90.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.21

$0.68 R$3.45

51.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.42 R$12.28

$2.94 R$14.90

-17.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.08 R$35.91

$7.98 R$40.43

-11.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R$5.87

$1.18 R$5.98

-1.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 R$12.01

$2.42 R$12.26

-2.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 R$5.07

$0.94 R$4.78

6.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.52 R$150

$50.3 R$255

-41.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 R$9.72

$1.20 R$6.10

60.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 R$6.62

$0.83 R$4.20

57.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.03 R$20.42

$8.97 R$45.48

-55.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 R$5.76

$1.29 R$6.53

-11.63%

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

$24.0K R$121.4K

$22.8K R$115.5K

5.18%

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

$34.5K R$175.0K

$34.0K R$172.1K

1.68%

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

$136 R$687

$134 R$681

0.92%

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

$10.54 R$53.5

$10.73 R$54.4

-1.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.62 R$99.5

$22.84 R$116

-14.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.21 R$97.4

$30.16 R$153

-36.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.87 R$116

$31.49 R$160

-27.37%

Cinema Ticket

$5.31 R$26.91

$7.73 R$39.17

-31.31%

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

$256 R$1,298

$584 R$2,960

-56.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,910 R$30.0K

$12.8K R$64.9K

-53.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.7 R$353

$41.12 R$208

69.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.67 R$252

$49.26 R$250

0.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 R$556

$73.7 R$373

48.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.8 R$395

$65.9 R$334

18.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$241 R$1,224

$900 R$4,561

-73.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$165 R$837

$527 R$2,673

-68.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$462 R$2,343

$1,332 R$6,754

-65.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$300 R$1,520

$748 R$3,790

-59.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,610 R$8,161

$3,990 R$20.2K

-59.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$704 R$3,570

$1,560 R$7,908

-54.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$384 R$1,945

$640 R$3,246

-40.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.59

11.93

-19.61%

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

Last update for Bauru: October 18, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bauru

$185 22.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 15.6% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bauru

$166 20%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 1.3% $2.2

Accommodation & Living

Bauru

$165 20%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 219% $362

Clothing & Footwear

Bauru

$138 16.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 25% $35

Eating Out

Bauru

$101 12.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 53.9% $55

Getting Around

Bauru

$42 5.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 41.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Bauru

$30 3.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 53% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $241 in Bauru and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 67% 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: $27.00 in Bauru vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $185 vs $214 per month, with Bauru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Bauru

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

07:51 7:51 AM

Same time as Bauru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

379,146

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bauru Rio de Janeiro 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bauru
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

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

Bauru wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Rio de Janeiro. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bauru the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 67% lower in Rio de Janeiro. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $241 in Bauru versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bauru – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $827 per month in Bauru versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro – a 54% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $827 in Bauru versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bauru but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Bauru the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bauru delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $827 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bauru hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Bauru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.