Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Carteret, NC and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $2,513 in Cape Carteret, NC, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Cape Carteret, NC
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Cape Carteret, NC Living Index
63

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

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Cape Carteret, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,513

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,513 per month in Cape Carteret, NC vs $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Cape Carteret, NC $2,513
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

A couple spends around $3,767 per month in Cape Carteret, NC vs $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Cape Carteret, NC $3,767
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

A family of three spends $5,021 per month in Cape Carteret, NC vs $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Cape Carteret, NC $5,021
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Cape Carteret, NC costs about 96% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Carteret, NC sits 88% above the global median, while Rio de Janeiro is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.79 $17.79

$9.98 R$49.83

78.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.1 $90.1

$40.34 R$201

123.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.88 $11.88

$8.48 R$42.35

40.09%

Cappuccino

$5.79 $5.79

$2.36 R$11.80

145.34%

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

$2.72 $2.72

$1.63 R$8.13

66.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.01 R$5.06

104.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.98 $5.98

$2.44 R$12.19

145.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.07 $7.07

$3.69 R$18.43

91.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.15 R$5.72

-9.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.07 R$10.34

52.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$1.29 R$6.42

306.98%

Eggs

$4.88 $4.88

$2.27 R$11.32

114.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.21 $10.21

$11.00 R$54.9

-7.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 $9.95

$4.31 R$21.51

130.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.47 $18.47

$9.74 R$48.63

89.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.83 R$14.12

-10.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.84 R$9.17

-13.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$1.60 R$7.96

208.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.64 $5.64

$1.80 R$9.00

213.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.26 R$6.28

80.16%

Onion (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$1.07 R$5.34

328.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 $1.87

$0.75 R$3.75

149.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$0.66 R$3.29

239.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.16 $9.16

$3.05 R$15.21

200.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.81 $11.81

$8.18 R$40.84

44.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.19 R$5.92

53.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.39 R$11.92

-10.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.01 R$5.06

111.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.64 $4.64

$1.27 R$6.33

265.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 $1.33

$0.90 R$4.51

47.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.20 $20.20

$9.44 R$47.13

113.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.33 R$6.65

-21.80%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$23.4K R$117.0K

53.81%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$33.6K R$167.6K

-25.64%

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

$210 $210

$134 R$666

56.98%

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

$61.0 $61.0

$12.23 R$61.0

398.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.8 $65.8

$22.65 R$113

190.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.96 $42.96

$31.56 R$158

36.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 $11.78

$8.23 R$41.07

43.13%

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

$1,576 $1,576

$603 R$3,011

161.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K $16.1K

$13.2K R$66.1K

21.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.2 $61.2

$41.62 R$208

47.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.45 $47.45

$49.94 R$249

-4.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$75.0 R$375

54.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$68.3 R$341

61.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,452 $1,452

$905 R$4,519

60.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,280 $1,280

$527 R$2,633

142.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 $2,126

$1,346 R$6,720

57.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,215 $2,215

$774 R$3,865

186.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,774 $2,774

$3,981 R$19.9K

-30.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,362 $2,362

$1,562 R$7,798

51.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.93

-44.93%

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

Last update for Cape Carteret, NC: October 5, 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

Cape Carteret, NC

$1.3K 50.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 58.8% $752

Groceries & Markets

Cape Carteret, NC

$376 14.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 42.9% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Carteret, NC

$336 13.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 49.9% $168

Eating Out

Cape Carteret, NC

$311 12.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 47.3% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Carteret, NC

$151 6%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 30% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Carteret, NC

$67 2.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 27.8% $19

Getting Around

Cape Carteret, NC

$20 * 0.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 202% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,452 in Cape Carteret, NC 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90.0 in Cape Carteret, NC versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $376 vs $215 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cape Carteret, NC

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

15:01 3:01 PM

16:01 4:01 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Carteret, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,000

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 = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Carteret, NC Rio de Janeiro 7,330 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Carteret, 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

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

Yes – Cape Carteret, NC is pricier by about 96%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,769 per month in Cape Carteret, NC 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,513 in Cape Carteret, NC and $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a gap of about 96%.

Kindergarten costs $1,576 per month in Cape Carteret, NC and $603 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 $1,285, than in Cape Carteret, NC at $2,513. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Carteret, NC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rio de Janeiro – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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