Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington, NC and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,604 in Burlington, NC, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, NC
Learn more

Burlington, NC Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

Jump to prices

Burlington, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,604

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,604 per month in Burlington, NC vs $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Burlington, NC $2,604
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

A couple spends around $3,784 per month in Burlington, NC vs $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Burlington, NC $3,784
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

A family of three spends $4,963 per month in Burlington, NC vs $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Burlington, NC $4,963
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Burlington, NC costs about 105% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Burlington, NC sits 92% above the global median, while Rio de Janeiro is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.93 $18.93

$9.38 R$47.54

101.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.7 $74.7

$40.00 R$203

86.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.89 $10.89

$8.34 R$42.28

30.58%

Cappuccino

$5.23 $5.23

$2.29 R$11.62

128.38%

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

$2.51 $2.51

$1.59 R$8.05

57.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.01 R$5.10

103.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.14 $6.14

$2.14 R$10.85

186.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.80 $6.80

$3.66 R$18.55

85.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.13 R$5.72

-7.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.09 R$10.60

70.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.35 $4.35

$1.25 R$6.36

248.00%

Eggs

$4.22 $4.22

$2.25 R$11.39

87.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.47 $12.47

$10.92 R$55.3

14.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.29 $11.29

$4.36 R$22.10

158.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.63 $15.63

$9.60 R$48.66

62.81%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$2.85 R$14.46

76.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.81 R$9.16

-13.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$1.58 R$8.02

165.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$1.83 R$9.28

162.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.20 R$6.10

142.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.06 R$5.35

160.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$0.75 R$3.81

181.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$0.68 R$3.45

205.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.37 $9.37

$2.94 R$14.90

218.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.08 $14.08

$7.98 R$40.43

76.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.18 R$5.98

56.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.42 R$12.26

37.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.94 R$4.78

114.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.20 R$6.10

183.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$0.83 R$4.20

98.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.99 $28.99

$8.97 R$45.48

223.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.29 R$6.53

-31.01%

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

$29.9K $29.9K

$22.8K R$115.5K

31.15%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-25.05%

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

$191 $191

$134 R$681

41.91%

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

$52.9 $52.9

$10.73 R$54.4

392.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.0 $67.0

$22.84 R$116

193.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.35 $42.35

$30.16 R$153

40.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$13.34 $13.34

$7.73 R$39.17

72.57%

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

$1,282 $1,282

$584 R$2,960

119.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$12.8K R$64.9K

85.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 $51.0

$41.12 R$208

23.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.90 $39.90

$49.26 R$250

-19.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.3 $85.3

$73.7 R$373

15.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$65.9 R$334

70.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 $1,632

$900 R$4,561

81.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,378 $1,378

$527 R$2,673

161.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,653 $2,653

$1,332 R$6,754

99.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 $2,241

$748 R$3,790

199.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,740 $2,740

$3,990 R$20.2K

-31.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,417 $2,417

$1,560 R$7,908

54.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

11.93

-45.43%

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

Last update for Burlington, NC: October 17, 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

Burlington, NC

$1.4K 52.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 61.7% $851

Groceries & Markets

Burlington, NC

$388 14.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 44.9% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington, NC

$310 11.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 45.9% $143

Eating Out

Burlington, NC

$309 11.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 49.6% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington, NC

$130 5%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 20.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington, NC

$69 2.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 33.9% $23

Getting Around

Burlington, NC

$20 * 0.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 201% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,632 in Burlington, NC 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 $75.0 in Burlington, NC versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $388 vs $214 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burlington, NC

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

19:48 7:48 PM

1 h ahead of Burlington, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,743

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Burlington, NC Rio de Janeiro 7,590 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Burlington, NC
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

Burlington, NC vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,604 in Burlington, NC, $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro – roughly 105% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,907 per month in Burlington, NC 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,604 in Burlington, NC and $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a gap of about 105%.

Kindergarten costs $1,282 per month in Burlington, NC and $584 in Rio de Janeiro. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,273, than in Burlington, NC at $2,604. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burlington, NC 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 $2,604 in Burlington, NC. 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, Burlington, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.