Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caguas and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $1,621 in Caguas, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Caguas
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Caguas Living Index
63

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

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Caguas

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,621

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Caguas vs $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Caguas $1,621
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

A couple spends around $2,580 per month in Caguas vs $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Caguas $2,580
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

A family of three spends $3,539 per month in Caguas vs $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Caguas $3,539
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Caguas costs about 26% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Caguas sits 20% above the global median, while Rio de Janeiro is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.74 $14.74

$10.06 R$51.0

46.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.9 $82.9

$40.44 R$205

104.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.99 $8.99

$8.55 R$43.35

5.15%

Cappuccino

$2.28 $2.28

$2.38 R$12.04

-4.20%

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

$1.12 $1.12

$1.61 R$8.18

-30.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.03 R$5.22

20.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.47 R$12.54

-38.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 $4.12

$3.70 R$18.77

11.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.19 R$6.05

81.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.05 R$10.38

36.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.28 R$6.49

80.47%

Eggs

$4.97 $4.97

$2.29 R$11.60

117.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.90 $6.90

$10.76 R$54.5

-35.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.13 $9.13

$4.41 R$22.36

107.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 $11.99

$9.84 R$49.86

21.85%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$2.81 R$14.25

83.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.78 R$9.03

46.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.60 R$8.13

49.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$1.80 R$9.11

151.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.22 R$6.17

110.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.04 R$5.26

160.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$0.77 R$3.92

193.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.67 R$3.38

138.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.64 $10.64

$3.01 R$15.27

253.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.03 $14.03

$8.08 R$40.94

73.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.19 R$6.03

21.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.51 R$12.73

-13.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.99 R$5.00

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.3 $70.3

$50.1 R$254

40.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.22 R$6.20

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.92 R$4.66

67.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.73 $42.73

$8.97 R$45.45

376.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.30 R$6.57

-31.54%

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

$30.5K $30.5K

$23.9K R$121.0K

27.94%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-21.54%

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

$185 $185

$133 R$676

38.82%

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

$59.9 $59.9

$10.82 R$54.8

453.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.2 $56.2

$22.90 R$116

145.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.28 $35.28

$30.79 R$156

14.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.9 $50.9

$31.85 R$161

59.81%

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 $9.83

$8.05 R$40.83

22.11%

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

$300 $300

$598 R$3,029

-49.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K $12.3K

$13.4K R$68.0K

-8.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.14 $26.14

$42.04 R$213

-37.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.43 $35.43

$49.68 R$252

-28.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.1 $81.1

$74.5 R$378

8.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$68.7 R$348

67.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$752 $752

$903 R$4,578

-16.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$528 $528

$529 R$2,684

-0.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,080 $1,080

$1,326 R$6,724

-18.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 $977

$756 R$3,831

29.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,422 $2,422

$4,010 R$20.3K

-39.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$849 $849

$1,560 R$7,910

-45.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,041 $3,041

$640 R$3,242

375.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.85

11.93

-59.35%

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

Last update for Caguas: 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

Caguas

$528 32.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 0.3% $1.8

Groceries & Markets

Caguas

$336 20.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 36.1% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caguas

$301 18.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 44.5% $134

Eating Out

Caguas

$198 12.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 16.5% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Caguas

$116 7.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 8.8% $10

Getting Around

Caguas

$88 5.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 32.2% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Caguas

$55 3.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 14.7% $8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $752 in Caguas versus $903 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 376% higher in Caguas, 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 $83.0 in Caguas versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $215 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Caguas

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

22:04 10:04 PM

23:04 11:04 PM

1 h ahead of Caguas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,318

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 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 →

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Caguas Rio de Janeiro 5,200 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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Caguas
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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

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

Caguas costs about 26% 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 $2,432 per month in Caguas and $1,933 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 $83.0 in Caguas 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 $1,621 in Caguas and $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a gap of about 26%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,289, than in Caguas at $1,621. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Caguas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Rio de Janeiro costs $1,289 versus $1,621 in Caguas. 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, Caguas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.