Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bergen County, NJ and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $4,307 in Bergen County, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $36,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

209

Cost of Living Index in Bergen County, NJ
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Bergen County, NJ Living Index
63

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

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Bergen County, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$4,307

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,307 in Bergen County, NJ versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Bergen County, NJ $4,307
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,455 in Bergen County, NJ versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

Bergen County, NJ $5,455
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,603 in Bergen County, NJ versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

Bergen County, NJ $6,603
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Bergen County, NJ is roughly 234% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bergen County, NJ is 219% above, Rio de Janeiro is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.28 $22.28

$10.06 R$51.0

121.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.1 $85.1

$40.44 R$205

110.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.69 $12.69

$8.55 R$43.35

48.42%

Cappuccino

$5.13 $5.13

$2.38 R$12.04

115.55%

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

$3.04 $3.04

$1.61 R$8.18

88.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.03 R$5.22

114.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.11 $8.11

$2.47 R$12.54

228.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.19 $8.19

$3.70 R$18.77

121.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.19 R$6.05

23.53%

White Bread (500g)

$4.42 $4.42

$2.05 R$10.38

115.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.41 $7.41

$1.28 R$6.49

478.91%

Eggs

$5.11 $5.11

$2.29 R$11.60

123.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.34 $12.34

$10.76 R$54.5

14.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.02 $12.02

$4.41 R$22.36

172.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.75 $17.75

$9.84 R$49.86

80.39%

Apples (1kg)

$5.38 $5.38

$2.81 R$14.25

91.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.78 R$9.03

-11.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.27 $5.27

$1.60 R$8.13

229.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.03 $5.03

$1.80 R$9.11

179.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.22 R$6.17

126.23%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$1.04 R$5.26

203.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 $2.48

$0.77 R$3.92

222.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$0.67 R$3.38

267.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.80 $12.80

$3.01 R$15.27

325.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.52 $24.52

$8.08 R$40.94

203.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.19 R$6.03

44.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 $4.41

$2.51 R$12.73

75.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.15 $4.15

$0.99 R$5.00

319.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$172 $172

$50.1 R$254

243.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.22 R$6.20

125.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.92 R$4.66

67.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.75 $23.75

$8.97 R$45.45

164.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.30 R$6.57

-16.92%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$23.9K R$121.0K

50.94%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-21.72%

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

$215 $215

$133 R$676

61.07%

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

$75.9 $75.9

$10.82 R$54.8

601.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.0 $64.0

$22.90 R$116

179.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$99.3 $99.3

$30.79 R$156

222.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$49.64 $49.64

$31.85 R$161

55.86%

Cinema Ticket

$15.78 $15.78

$8.05 R$40.83

96.02%

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

$2,246 $2,246

$598 R$3,029

275.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$13.4K R$68.0K

77.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.82 $48.82

$42.04 R$213

16.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.50 $47.50

$49.68 R$252

-4.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.6 $79.6

$74.5 R$378

6.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 $152

$68.7 R$348

120.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,780 $2,780

$903 R$4,578

207.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,657 $2,657

$529 R$2,684

401.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,553 $4,553

$1,326 R$6,724

243.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,943 $2,943

$756 R$3,831

289.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,027 $4,027

$4,010 R$20.3K

0.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,820 $3,820

$1,560 R$7,910

144.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,336 $5,336

$640 R$3,242

734.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

11.93

-44.51%

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

Last update for Bergen County, NJ: 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

Bergen County, NJ

$2.7K 61.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 80.1% $2.1K

Groceries & Markets

Bergen County, NJ

$462 10.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 53.6% $248

Eating Out

Bergen County, NJ

$356 8.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 53.6% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bergen County, NJ

$355 8.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 52.9% $188

Getting Around

Bergen County, NJ

$199 4.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 69.9% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Bergen County, NJ

$147 3.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 28.2% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Bergen County, NJ

$131 3%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 64.2% $84

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,780 in Bergen County, NJ and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen County, NJ pays 734% 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: $85.0 in Bergen County, NJ vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $462 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bergen County, NJ

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

19:23 7:23 PM

20:23 8:23 PM

1 h ahead of Bergen County, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,668

6,211,223

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bergen County, NJ Rio de Janeiro 7,780 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bergen County, NJ
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

Bergen County, NJ vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bergen County, NJ and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 234% in total monthly costs ($4,307 vs $1,289 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 734% higher in Bergen County, NJ, 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: $2,780 in Bergen County, NJ versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $85.0 in Bergen County, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $4,307 per month in Bergen County, NJ versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro – a 234% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $4,307 in Bergen County, NJ, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Bergen County, NJ. 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 234% less than in Bergen County, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.