Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boa Vista and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Boa Vista: $758 a month against $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Boa Vista
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Boa Vista Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Boa Vista

🇧🇷 Brazil

$758

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $758 per month in Boa Vista vs $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Boa Vista $758
Rio de Janeiro $1,185

A couple spends around $1,132 per month in Boa Vista vs $1,737 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Boa Vista $1,132
Rio de Janeiro $1,737

A family of three spends $1,506 per month in Boa Vista vs $2,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Boa Vista $1,506
Rio de Janeiro $2,289

Boa Vista is about 36% cheaper than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Boa Vista and Rio de Janeiro are more affordable than the global median – Boa Vista 44% lower, Rio de Janeiro 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.13 R$39.15

$8.16 R$44.76

-12.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.99 R$121

$37.20 R$204

-40.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.92 R$43.48

$7.52 R$41.28

5.32%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R$13.69

$2.10 R$11.55

18.57%

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

$0.82 R$4.52

$1.36 R$7.47

-39.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 R$2.46

$0.96 R$5.27

-53.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.35 R$7.43

$1.98 R$10.84

-31.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 R$11.27

$3.26 R$17.89

-37.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 R$12.38

$1.09 R$5.96

107.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 R$9.46

$1.87 R$10.24

-8.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 R$7.22

$1.12 R$6.17

17.86%

Eggs

$2.72 R$14.95

$2.20 R$12.09

23.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.19 R$50.4

$9.91 R$54.4

-7.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.17 R$28.36

$4.11 R$22.56

25.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.13 R$50.1

$9.25 R$50.7

-1.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 R$11.89

$2.59 R$14.22

-16.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.63

$1.69 R$9.26

-28.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 R$9.00

$1.47 R$8.06

11.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 R$9.82

$1.72 R$9.42

4.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 R$5.14

$1.16 R$6.34

-18.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 R$5.24

$1.00 R$5.48

-4.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 R$3.94

$0.66 R$3.60

9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 R$3.97

$0.61 R$3.34

18.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.61 R$14.33

$2.69 R$14.77

-2.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 R$61.1

$7.20 R$39.53

54.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 R$10.45

$1.07 R$5.89

77.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 R$7.25

$2.24 R$12.29

-41.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 R$5.26

$0.88 R$4.81

9.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.3 R$287

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.47

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 R$3.71

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 R$47.80

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.75

$1.20 R$6.58

2.50%

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

$21.9K R$120.0K

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

$26.1K R$143.4K

$31.0K R$170.2K

-15.72%

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

$126 R$689

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

$17.20 R$94.4

$10.14 R$55.6

69.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.22 R$160

$20.95 R$115

39.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 R$169

$28.51 R$156

8.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.87 R$158

Cinema Ticket

$5.96 R$32.73

$7.40 R$40.63

-19.46%

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

$171 R$940

$537 R$2,947

-68.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K R$87.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.45 R$123

$38.68 R$212

-41.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.46 R$123

$45.06 R$247

-50.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.5 R$354

$68.6 R$376

-5.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.95 R$170

$64.1 R$352

-51.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$333 R$1,829

$768 R$4,213

-56.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 R$1,397

$491 R$2,693

-48.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$465 R$2,554

$1,458 R$8,004

-68.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 R$1,850

$743 R$4,077

-54.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$737 R$4,046

$3,325 R$18.3K

-77.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$739 R$4,058

$1,552 R$8,518

-52.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$491 R$2,694

$674 R$3,698

-27.13%

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 Boa Vista: November 2, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boa Vista

$254 33.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$491 41.4% 92.8% $236

Groceries & Markets

Boa Vista

$221 29.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$198 16.7% 10.4% $23

Eating Out

Boa Vista

$127 16.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$139 11.7% 9.5% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Boa Vista

$63 8.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$97 8.2% 54.2% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boa Vista

$46 * 6.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$157 13.2% 238% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Boa Vista

$43 5.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$43 3.7% 1.4% $0.6

Getting Around

Boa Vista

$3.8 * 0.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 5.1% 1477% $57

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $333 in Boa Vista versus $768 in Rio de Janeiro. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 37% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Boa Vista versus $37 in Rio de Janeiro. Groceries tell a different story – $221 in Boa Vista vs $198 in Rio de Janeiro – so Rio de Janeiro wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Boa Vista

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

15:42 3:42 PM

1 h ahead of Boa Vista

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

413,486

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Boa Vista Rio de Janeiro 3,430 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Boa Vista
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

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

Rio de Janeiro costs about 56% more than Boa Vista, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,138 per month in Boa Vista and $1,778 in Rio de Janeiro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Boa Vista, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $333 there versus $768 in Rio de Janeiro.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $758 in Boa Vista and $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro. That makes Boa Vista about 36% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $171 per month in Boa Vista and $537 in Rio de Janeiro. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Boa Vista – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Boa Vista. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rio de Janeiro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.