Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brooklyn, NY and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $4,437 in Brooklyn, NY, rent and utilities included – about $37,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

216

Cost of Living Index in Brooklyn, NY
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Brooklyn, NY Living Index
63

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

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Brooklyn, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,437

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,437 per month in Brooklyn, NY vs $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Brooklyn, NY $4,437
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

A couple spends around $6,601 per month in Brooklyn, NY vs $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Brooklyn, NY $6,601
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

A family of three spends $8,766 per month in Brooklyn, NY vs $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Brooklyn, NY $8,766
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Brooklyn, NY costs about 245% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Brooklyn, NY sits 231% above the global median, while Rio de Janeiro is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.72 $19.72

$9.98 R$49.83

97.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 $106

$40.34 R$201

162.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.95 $11.95

$8.48 R$42.35

40.92%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$2.36 R$11.80

139.41%

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

$2.54 $2.54

$1.63 R$8.13

55.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.01 R$5.06

120.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.10 $8.10

$2.44 R$12.19

231.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.81 $8.81

$3.69 R$18.43

138.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.15 R$5.72

46.09%

White Bread (500g)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.07 R$10.34

127.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.28 $7.28

$1.29 R$6.42

464.34%

Eggs

$6.48 $6.48

$2.27 R$11.32

185.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.24 $16.24

$11.00 R$54.9

47.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.15 $17.15

$4.31 R$21.51

297.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.76 $19.76

$9.74 R$48.63

102.87%

Apples (1kg)

$8.10 $8.10

$2.83 R$14.12

186.22%

Banana (1kg)

$3.80 $3.80

$1.84 R$9.17

106.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$1.60 R$7.96

235.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.87 $5.87

$1.80 R$9.00

226.11%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 $4.01

$1.26 R$6.28

218.25%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$1.07 R$5.34

346.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 $2.56

$0.75 R$3.75

241.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.66 R$3.29

274.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.90 $14.90

$3.05 R$15.21

388.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.71 $20.71

$8.18 R$40.84

153.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.19 R$5.92

122.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 $3.38

$2.39 R$11.92

41.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.01 R$5.06

202.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$151 $151

$50.2 R$250

201.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.27 R$6.33

139.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$0.90 R$4.51

144.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.16 $42.16

$9.44 R$47.13

346.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.33 R$6.65

-13.53%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$23.4K R$117.0K

49.40%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$33.6K R$167.6K

-24.01%

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

$244 $244

$134 R$666

82.70%

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

$61.5 $61.5

$12.23 R$61.0

402.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.2 $61.2

$22.65 R$113

170.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$107 $107

$31.56 R$158

237.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.20 $35.20

$30.87 R$154

14.03%

Cinema Ticket

$20.29 $20.29

$8.23 R$41.07

146.54%

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

$2,646 $2,646

$603 R$3,011

338.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.3K $34.3K

$13.2K R$66.1K

159.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 $70.0

$41.62 R$208

68.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$76.4 $76.4

$49.94 R$249

52.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$75.0 R$375

58.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$68.3 R$341

79.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,711 $3,711

$905 R$4,519

309.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,694 $2,694

$527 R$2,633

410.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$7,368 $7,368

$1,346 R$6,720

447.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,813 $4,813

$774 R$3,865

521.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K $13.4K

$3,981 R$19.9K

237.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,757 $7,757

$1,562 R$7,798

396.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,661 $3,661

$643 R$3,210

469.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

11.93

-44.09%

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

Last update for Brooklyn, NY: October 4, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brooklyn, NY

$2.7K 60.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 80.4% $2.2K

Groceries & Markets

Brooklyn, NY

$550 12.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 61% $335

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brooklyn, NY

$367 8.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 54.1% $198

Eating Out

Brooklyn, NY

$339 7.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 51.6% $175

Getting Around

Brooklyn, NY

$177 4%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 66.2% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Brooklyn, NY

$175 3.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 39.4% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Brooklyn, NY

$147 3.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 67.4% $99

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,711 in Brooklyn, NY versus $905 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 469% higher in Brooklyn, NY, 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 $106 in Brooklyn, NY versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $550 vs $215 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brooklyn, NY

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

04:45 4:45 AM

05:45 5:45 AM

1 h ahead of Brooklyn, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,736,074

6,211,223

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brooklyn, NY Rio de Janeiro 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Brooklyn, NY
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

Brooklyn, NY vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,437 in Brooklyn, NY, $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro – roughly 245% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,655 per month in Brooklyn, NY and $1,927 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 $106 in Brooklyn, NY and $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,437 in Brooklyn, NY and $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a gap of about 245%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,285, than in Brooklyn, NY at $4,437. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brooklyn, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Brooklyn, NY has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro to $4,437 in Brooklyn, NY. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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