Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Belo Horizonte: $976 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Belo Horizonte
Learn more

Belo Horizonte Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

Jump to prices

Belo Horizonte

🇧🇷 Brazil

$976

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $976 in Belo Horizonte versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Belo Horizonte $976
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,574 in Belo Horizonte versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

Belo Horizonte $1,574
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,172 in Belo Horizonte versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

Belo Horizonte $2,172
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Belo Horizonte costs roughly 24% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Belo Horizonte 28% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.88 R$29.79

$10.06 R$51.0

-41.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.39 R$195

$40.44 R$205

-5.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.75 R$44.38

$8.55 R$43.35

2.34%

Cappuccino

$2.16 R$10.97

$2.38 R$12.04

-9.24%

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

$1.41 R$7.15

$1.61 R$8.18

-12.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 R$3.89

$1.03 R$5.22

-25.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 R$10.93

$2.47 R$12.54

-12.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R$18.85

$3.70 R$18.77

0.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 R$5.06

$1.19 R$6.05

-15.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 R$8.97

$2.05 R$10.38

-13.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 R$10.03

$1.28 R$6.49

54.69%

Eggs

$2.31 R$11.70

$2.29 R$11.60

0.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.83 R$49.83

$10.76 R$54.5

-8.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 R$22.07

$4.41 R$22.36

-1.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.42 R$37.61

$9.84 R$49.86

-24.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 R$9.91

$2.81 R$14.25

-30.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 R$5.90

$1.78 R$9.03

-34.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.60 R$8.13

-25.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R$8.38

$1.80 R$9.11

-8.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$5.78

$1.22 R$6.17

-6.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 R$4.97

$1.04 R$5.26

-5.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 R$4.07

$0.77 R$3.92

3.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 R$4.37

$0.67 R$3.38

28.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 R$12.47

$3.01 R$15.27

-18.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.26 R$41.87

$8.08 R$40.94

2.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 R$7.10

$1.19 R$6.03

17.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 R$14.00

$2.51 R$12.73

9.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 R$6.33

$0.99 R$5.00

26.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.7 R$353

$50.1 R$254

39.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.98 R$4.95

$1.22 R$6.20

-19.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 R$3.90

$0.92 R$4.66

-16.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.45 R$32.71

$8.97 R$45.45

-28.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.42

$1.30 R$6.57

-2.31%

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

$24.1K R$122.3K

$23.9K R$121.0K

1.06%

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

$32.1K R$162.7K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-2.33%

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

$76.6 R$388

$133 R$676

-42.58%

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

$10.68 R$54.2

$10.82 R$54.8

-1.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.61 R$110

$22.90 R$116

-5.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.17 R$143

$30.79 R$156

-8.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.35 R$230

$31.85 R$161

42.39%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 R$41.27

$8.05 R$40.83

1.12%

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

$465 R$2,359

$598 R$3,029

-22.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K R$71.7K

$13.4K R$68.0K

5.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.6 R$312

$42.04 R$213

46.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.25 R$250

$49.68 R$252

-0.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 R$503

$74.5 R$378

33.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 R$365

$68.7 R$348

4.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$594 R$3,013

$903 R$4,578

-34.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 R$1,489

$529 R$2,684

-44.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$888 R$4,499

$1,326 R$6,724

-33.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$591 R$2,995

$756 R$3,831

-21.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,339 R$11.9K

$4,010 R$20.3K

-41.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,125 R$5,704

$1,560 R$7,910

-27.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$639 R$3,238

$640 R$3,242

-0.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

11.93

-5.70%

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

Last update for Belo Horizonte: October 10, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belo Horizonte

$294 30.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 80.2% $236

Groceries & Markets

Belo Horizonte

$196 20.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 9.4% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Belo Horizonte

$127 13%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 16.7% $21

Eating Out

Belo Horizonte

$126 12.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 30.8% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belo Horizonte

$109 11.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 53.5% $58

Getting Around

Belo Horizonte

$80 8.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 24.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Belo Horizonte

$44 4.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 5.5% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $594 in Belo Horizonte and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 0% 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: $38.00 in Belo Horizonte vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $215 per month, with Belo Horizonte cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Belo Horizonte

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

01:20 1:20 AM

Same time as Belo Horizonte

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,315,560

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belo Horizonte Rio de Janeiro 340 km

From you

Belo Horizonte
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

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

Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($976 vs $1,289 including rent). Belo Horizonte is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 0% 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: $594 in Belo Horizonte versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $465 in Belo Horizonte versus $598 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Rio de Janeiro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $976 in Belo Horizonte versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Belo Horizonte but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Belo Horizonte 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 Belo Horizonte gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.