Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brookings, SD and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,592 in Brookings, SD, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Brookings, SD
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Brookings, SD Living Index
62

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

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Brookings, SD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,592

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,592 per month in Brookings, SD vs $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Brookings, SD $2,592
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

A couple spends around $3,536 per month in Brookings, SD vs $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Brookings, SD $3,536
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

A family of three spends $4,480 per month in Brookings, SD vs $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Brookings, SD $4,480
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Brookings, SD costs about 104% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Brookings, SD sits 91% above the global median, while Rio de Janeiro is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.52 $17.52

$9.38 R$47.54

86.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.50 $39.50

$40.00 R$203

-1.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.37 $11.37

$8.34 R$42.28

36.33%

Cappuccino

$4.59 $4.59

$2.29 R$11.62

100.44%

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

$2.52 $2.52

$1.59 R$8.05

58.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.01 R$5.10

94.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.08 $6.08

$2.14 R$10.85

184.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.03 $7.03

$3.66 R$18.55

92.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.13 R$5.72

-25.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 $3.49

$2.09 R$10.60

66.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.54 $6.54

$1.25 R$6.36

423.20%

Eggs

$3.56 $3.56

$2.25 R$11.39

58.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 $10.38

$10.92 R$55.3

-4.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.83 $13.83

$4.36 R$22.10

217.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.02 $13.02

$9.60 R$48.66

35.63%

Apples (1kg)

$5.92 $5.92

$2.85 R$14.46

107.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.81 R$9.16

1.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.55 $6.55

$1.58 R$8.02

314.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.21 $5.21

$1.83 R$9.28

184.70%

Potato (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$1.20 R$6.10

265.83%

Onion (1kg)

$4.11 $4.11

$1.06 R$5.35

287.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.75 R$3.81

214.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.68 R$3.45

186.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.03 $13.03

$2.94 R$14.90

343.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.88 $11.88

$7.98 R$40.43

48.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.18 R$5.98

142.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.76 $5.76

$2.42 R$12.26

138.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 $5.03

$1.20 R$6.10

319.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 $1.68

$0.83 R$4.20

102.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.76 $23.76

$8.97 R$45.48

164.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.29 R$6.53

-20.16%

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

$30.2K $30.2K

$22.8K R$115.5K

32.50%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-22.48%

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

$178 $178

$134 R$681

32.64%

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

$54.1 $54.1

$10.73 R$54.4

404.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.7 $70.7

$22.84 R$116

209.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$11.83 $11.83

$7.73 R$39.17

53.04%

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

$1,338 $1,338

$584 R$2,960

129.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.3K $36.3K

$12.8K R$64.9K

183.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.60 $42.60

$41.12 R$208

3.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.98 $34.98

$49.26 R$250

-28.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 $88.0

$73.7 R$373

19.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$65.9 R$334

57.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,663 $1,663

$900 R$4,561

84.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 $1,419

$527 R$2,673

169.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,083 $2,083

$1,332 R$6,754

56.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,037 $2,037

$748 R$3,790

172.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,622 $2,622

$3,990 R$20.2K

-34.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,872 $2,872

$1,560 R$7,908

84.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

11.93

-53.90%

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

Last update for Brookings, SD: October 20, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brookings, SD

$1.4K 54.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 62.8% $892

Groceries & Markets

Brookings, SD

$420 16.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 49.1% $206

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brookings, SD

$303 11.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 44.6% $135

Eating Out

Brookings, SD

$292 11.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 46.5% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Brookings, SD

$121 4.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 14.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Brookings, SD

$24 * 0.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 92.9% $22

Getting Around

Brookings, SD

$13 * 0.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 343% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,663 in Brookings, SD versus $900 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Brookings, SD versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Groceries tell a different story – $420 in Brookings, SD vs $214 in Rio de Janeiro – so Rio de Janeiro wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brookings, SD

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

08:14 8:14 AM

10:14 10:14 AM

2 h ahead of Brookings, SD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,802

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Brookings, SD Rio de Janeiro 9,250 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Brookings, SD
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

Brookings, SD vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brookings, SD costs about 104% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,888 per month in Brookings, SD and $1,910 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 Rio de Janeiro, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Brookings, SD and $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 96% more in Brookings, SD, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,273, than in Brookings, SD at $2,592. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brookings, SD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Rio de Janeiro costs $1,273 versus $2,592 in Brookings, SD. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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