Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Rio Grande, Brazil

Name: Rio Grande
Address: Rio Grande, BR

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio Grande: $804 a month against $916 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Rio Grande
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Rio Grande Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Rio Grande

🇧🇷 Brazil

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia and in Rio Grande

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Brasilia and in Rio Grande actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $916 in Brasilia versus $804 in Rio Grande.

Brasilia $916
Rio Grande $804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,514 in Brasilia versus $1,249 in Rio Grande.

Brasilia $1,514
Rio Grande $1,249

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,112 in Brasilia versus $1,693 in Rio Grande.

Brasilia $2,112
Rio Grande $1,693

Living in Brasilia is roughly 14% more expensive than in Rio Grande, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 33% lower, Rio Grande 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.44 R$45.87

$7.65 R$41.61

10.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.71 R$200

$23.76 R$129

54.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 R$43.40

$6.43 R$34.98

24.11%

Cappuccino

$2.53 R$13.73

$1.33 R$7.26

90.23%

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

$1.42 R$7.72

$1.15 R$6.23

23.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.45

$0.73 R$3.95

36.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 R$11.96

$2.27 R$12.32

-3.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 R$20.42

$2.72 R$14.79

38.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.54

$0.96 R$5.23

6.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 R$10.62

$1.60 R$8.70

21.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.74

$1.04 R$5.67

19.23%

Eggs

$2.27 R$12.36

$1.88 R$10.23

20.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 R$60.7

$3.61 R$19.62

209.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 R$21.01

$4.59 R$24.93

-15.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.58 R$46.64

$9.30 R$50.5

-7.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 R$12.53

$2.21 R$12.02

4.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.50

$1.34 R$7.26

2.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.83

$1.31 R$7.12

-3.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 R$8.27

$0.58 R$3.14

162.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 R$6.04

$1.15 R$6.27

-3.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 R$5.30

$0.66 R$3.59

48.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$4.11

$0.38 R$2.08

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 R$5.08

$0.58 R$3.14

60.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 R$12.85

$2.38 R$12.92

-0.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 R$41.69

$7.55 R$41.05

1.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.74

$1.08 R$5.88

14.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 R$12.80

$2.07 R$11.24

14.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 R$3.96

$0.98 R$5.35

-25.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.76 R$162

$38.16 R$207

-22.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 R$5.52

$1.18 R$6.42

-14.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 R$4.66

$0.80 R$4.35

7.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 R$31.38

$7.91 R$43.03

-27.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.78

$1.15 R$6.25

8.70%

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

$22.0K R$119.3K

$22.0K R$119.8K

-0.35%

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

$31.9K R$173.2K

$32.1K R$174.3K

-0.65%

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

$92.1 R$501

$70.6 R$384

30.41%

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

$11.85 R$64.4

$8.47 R$46.06

39.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.93 R$114

$20.85 R$113

0.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.47 R$166

$23.94 R$130

27.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.29 R$143

$26.04 R$142

0.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 R$40.58

$2.78 R$15.09

168.35%

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

$764 R$4,156

$259 R$1,410

194.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K R$85.5K

$6,826 R$37.1K

130.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R$286

$30.30 R$165

73.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.10 R$229

$37.37 R$203

12.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 R$432

$74.5 R$405

6.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.6 R$454

$72.7 R$395

14.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$517 R$2,811

$300 R$1,632

72.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 R$1,313

$246 R$1,336

-1.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 R$6,287

$585 R$3,181

97.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 R$3,151

$448 R$2,435

29.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,398 R$13.0K

$1,410 R$7,667

70.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 R$9,123

$1,091 R$5,930

53.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$784 R$4,264

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

11.5

5.39%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 24, 2026

Last update for Rio Grande: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$242 26.4%

Rio Grande

$246 30.6% 1.7% $4.2

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$201 21.9%

Rio Grande

$164 20.4% 18.2% $37

Eating Out

Brasilia

$150 16.4%

Rio Grande

$121 15% 19.4% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$125 13.6%

Rio Grande

$100 12.4% 20% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$116 12.7%

Rio Grande

$97 12% 16.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$45 5%

Rio Grande

$29 3.7% 35% $16

Getting Around

Brasilia

$38 4.1%

Rio Grande

$47 5.9% 24.5% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $517 in Brasilia and $300 in Rio Grande. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37 in Brasilia vs $24 in Rio Grande for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $164 per month, with Rio Grande cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇧🇷 Rio Grande

🕒 Local time

07:13 7:13 AM

Same time as Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

198,935

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Brasilia Rio Grande 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
Rio Grande

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

Brasilia vs Rio Grande: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $916 in Brasilia and $804 in Rio Grande, so Rio Grande is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,374 in Brasilia and $1,206 in Rio Grande to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $517 in Brasilia versus $300 in Rio Grande. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio Grande – a meal for two runs $24 versus $37 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $916 per month in Brasilia versus $804 in Rio Grande – Rio Grande is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Rio Grande gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.