Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenaventura and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living costs are similar in Buenaventura and in Rio de Janeiro: $1,308 and $1,273 a month, rent and utilities included.

63

Cost of Living Index in Buenaventura
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Buenaventura Living Index
62

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

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Buenaventura

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,308

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,308 per month in Buenaventura vs $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Buenaventura $1,308
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

A couple spends around $2,012 per month in Buenaventura vs $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Buenaventura $2,012
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

A family of three spends $2,716 per month in Buenaventura vs $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Buenaventura $2,716
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Buenaventura costs about 3% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Buenaventura and Rio de Janeiro are more affordable than the global median – Buenaventura 3% lower, Rio de Janeiro 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.61 COP 24.1K

$9.38 R$47.54

-18.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.62 COP 135.1K

$40.00 R$203

6.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.41 COP 29.8K

$8.34 R$42.28

12.83%

Cappuccino

$2.59 COP 8,225

$2.29 R$11.62

13.10%

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

$1.38 COP 4,370

$1.59 R$8.05

-13.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 COP 2,835

$1.01 R$5.10

-11.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.14 COP 9,959

$2.14 R$10.85

46.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 COP 11.8K

$3.66 R$18.55

1.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 COP 4,538

$1.13 R$5.72

26.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 COP 7,642

$2.09 R$10.60

15.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,169

$1.25 R$6.36

30.40%

Eggs

$2.95 COP 9,353

$2.25 R$11.39

31.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.86 COP 24.9K

$10.92 R$55.3

-28.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 COP 30.5K

$4.36 R$22.10

120.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.27 COP 38.9K

$9.60 R$48.66

27.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 COP 11.4K

$2.85 R$14.46

25.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 COP 4,665

$1.81 R$9.16

-18.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,047

$1.58 R$8.02

20.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 COP 5,696

$1.83 R$9.28

-1.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 COP 4,737

$1.20 R$6.10

24.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,694

$1.06 R$5.35

39.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 COP 3,758

$0.75 R$3.81

58.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 COP 3,811

$0.68 R$3.45

76.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.95 COP 12.5K

$2.94 R$14.90

34.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.14 COP 41.7K

$7.98 R$40.43

64.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,474

$1.18 R$5.98

19.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 COP 7,555

$2.42 R$12.26

-1.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 COP 3,450

$0.94 R$4.78

15.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 COP 5,079

$1.20 R$6.10

33.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 COP 6,457

$0.83 R$4.20

145.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.02 COP 28.6K

$8.97 R$45.48

0.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,080

$1.29 R$6.53

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

$24.7K COP 78.5M

$22.8K R$115.5K

8.63%

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

$35.4K COP 112.2M

$34.0K R$172.1K

4.18%

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

$126 COP 399.9K

$134 R$681

-6.10%

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

$13.14 COP 41.7K

$10.73 R$54.4

22.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.17 COP 92.5K

$22.84 R$116

27.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.15 COP 120.9K

$30.16 R$153

26.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 COP 20.6K

$7.73 R$39.17

-15.91%

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

$630 COP 2.0M

$584 R$2,960

7.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,516 COP 23.8M

$12.8K R$64.9K

-41.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 COP 269.2K

$41.12 R$208

106.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 COP 172.5K

$49.26 R$250

10.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.5K

$73.7 R$373

88.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 COP 328.1K

$65.9 R$334

56.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$653 COP 2.1M

$900 R$4,561

-27.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$475 COP 1.5M

$527 R$2,673

-9.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$997 COP 3.2M

$1,332 R$6,754

-25.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 COP 2.8M

$748 R$3,790

17.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,966 COP 6.2M

$3,990 R$20.2K

-50.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,628 COP 5.2M

$1,560 R$7,908

4.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

11.93

-2.93%

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

Last update for Buenaventura: October 18, 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

Buenaventura

$475 36.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 11% $52

Groceries & Markets

Buenaventura

$273 20.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 21.8% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Buenaventura

$172 13.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 39.8% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenaventura

$168 12.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 0.3% $0.6

Eating Out

Buenaventura

$153 11.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 2.3% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Buenaventura

$51 3.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 10.8% $5.5

Getting Around

Buenaventura

$16 * 1.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 268% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $653 in Buenaventura 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 $43.00 in Buenaventura versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $214 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Buenaventura

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

12:59 12:59 PM

14:59 2:59 PM

2 h ahead of Buenaventura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

365,607

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenaventura Rio de Janeiro 4,730 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenaventura
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,308 in Buenaventura, $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro – roughly 3% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,962 per month in Buenaventura 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 $43.00 in Buenaventura 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 28% more in Buenaventura, 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 Buenaventura at $1,308. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Buenaventura it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Rio de Janeiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro to $1,308 in Buenaventura. 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, Buenaventura makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.