Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $3,063 in Burlington, VT, rent and utilities included – about $21,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

150

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, VT
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Burlington, VT Living Index
63

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

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Burlington, VT

🇺🇸 United States

$3,063

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,063 in Burlington, VT versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Burlington, VT $3,063
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,818 in Burlington, VT versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

Burlington, VT $4,818
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,572 in Burlington, VT versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

Burlington, VT $6,572
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Burlington, VT is roughly 138% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Burlington, VT is 127% above, Rio de Janeiro is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.24 $22.24

$10.06 R$51.0

121.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.3 $79.3

$40.44 R$205

95.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.89 $11.89

$8.55 R$43.35

39.06%

Cappuccino

$5.21 $5.21

$2.38 R$12.04

118.91%

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

$3.00 $3.00

$1.61 R$8.18

86.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.03 R$5.22

126.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.80 $7.80

$2.47 R$12.54

215.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.46 $8.46

$3.70 R$18.77

128.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.19 R$6.05

0.84%

White Bread (500g)

$4.62 $4.62

$2.05 R$10.38

125.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.27 $5.27

$1.28 R$6.49

311.72%

Eggs

$4.50 $4.50

$2.29 R$11.60

96.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.06 $14.06

$10.76 R$54.5

30.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.26 $12.26

$4.41 R$22.36

178.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 $13.07

$9.84 R$49.86

32.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.81 R$14.25

54.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.78 R$9.03

3.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.60 R$8.13

38.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.44 $6.44

$1.80 R$9.11

257.78%

Potato (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$1.22 R$6.17

265.57%

Onion (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$1.04 R$5.26

296.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.03 $3.03

$0.77 R$3.92

293.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.67 R$3.38

46.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.95 $11.95

$3.01 R$15.27

297.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 $12.60

$8.08 R$40.94

55.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.19 R$6.03

43.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.51 R$12.73

-22.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.99 R$5.00

149.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.11 $49.11

$50.1 R$254

-2.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.22 R$6.20

111.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.92 R$4.66

93.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.71 $27.71

$8.97 R$45.45

208.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.30 R$6.57

-14.62%

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

$35.6K $35.6K

$23.9K R$121.0K

49.00%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-19.71%

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

$192 $192

$133 R$676

44.24%

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

$55.7 $55.7

$10.82 R$54.8

414.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 $63.2

$22.90 R$116

175.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.2 $70.2

$30.79 R$156

127.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.88 $27.88

$31.85 R$161

-12.46%

Cinema Ticket

$11.79 $11.79

$8.05 R$40.83

46.46%

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

$1,250 $1,250

$598 R$3,029

109.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K $11.9K

$13.4K R$68.0K

-10.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 $52.7

$42.04 R$213

25.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.60 $29.60

$49.68 R$252

-40.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.4 $54.4

$74.5 R$378

-27.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.9 $89.9

$68.7 R$348

30.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,954 $1,954

$903 R$4,578

116.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,735 $1,735

$529 R$2,684

227.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,414 $4,414

$1,326 R$6,724

232.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,591 $3,591

$756 R$3,831

375.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,931 $3,931

$4,010 R$20.3K

-1.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,321 $3,321

$1,560 R$7,910

112.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,573 $4,573

$640 R$3,242

615.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

11.93

-44.17%

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

Last update for Burlington, VT: October 12, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burlington, VT

$1.7K 56.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 69.5% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Burlington, VT

$397 13%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 45.9% $182

Eating Out

Burlington, VT

$353 11.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 53.3% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington, VT

$311 10.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 46.3% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington, VT

$102 3.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 3.7% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington, VT

$94 3.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 50% $47

Getting Around

Burlington, VT

$70 2.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 15% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,954 in Burlington, VT and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burlington, VT pays 615% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $79.0 in Burlington, VT vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $397 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burlington, VT

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

13:07 1:07 PM

14:07 2:07 PM

1 h ahead of Burlington, VT

🌤 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Burlington, VT Rio de Janeiro 8,090 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Rio de Janeiro is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 138% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 615% higher in Burlington, VT, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,954 in Burlington, VT versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Rio de Janeiro runs roughly 2% less than in Burlington, VT. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,250 in Burlington, VT versus $598 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,063 in Burlington, VT, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Burlington, VT. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Rio de Janeiro is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Burlington, VT, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 138% less than in Burlington, VT. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.