Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caraguatatuba and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Caraguatatuba: $843 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Caraguatatuba
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Caraguatatuba Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Caraguatatuba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$843

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $843 in Caraguatatuba versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Caraguatatuba $843
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,363 in Caraguatatuba versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

Caraguatatuba $1,363
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,883 in Caraguatatuba versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

Caraguatatuba $1,883
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Caraguatatuba costs roughly 35% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Caraguatatuba 38% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.70 R$39.04

$10.06 R$51.0

-23.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.38 R$149

$40.44 R$205

-27.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 R$46.80

$8.55 R$43.35

7.95%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R$11.99

$2.38 R$12.04

-0.42%

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

$1.23 R$6.25

$1.61 R$8.18

-23.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 R$4.48

$1.03 R$5.22

-14.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 R$11.96

$2.47 R$12.54

-4.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 R$16.60

$3.70 R$18.77

-11.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 R$5.09

$1.19 R$6.05

-15.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 R$8.17

$2.05 R$10.38

-21.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.10

$1.28 R$6.49

9.37%

Eggs

$1.96 R$9.96

$2.29 R$11.60

-14.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.89 R$29.84

$10.76 R$54.5

-45.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.32 R$16.82

$4.41 R$22.36

-24.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.98 R$40.47

$9.84 R$49.86

-18.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 R$10.89

$2.81 R$14.25

-23.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 R$8.46

$1.78 R$9.03

-6.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 R$7.39

$1.60 R$8.13

-8.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 R$7.19

$1.80 R$9.11

-21.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.45

$1.22 R$6.17

4.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 R$4.13

$1.04 R$5.26

-21.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 R$3.60

$0.77 R$3.92

-7.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 R$3.99

$0.67 R$3.38

17.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.16 R$10.96

$3.01 R$15.27

-28.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.00 R$35.46

$8.08 R$40.94

-13.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R$7.58

$1.19 R$6.03

26.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 R$13.11

$2.51 R$12.73

3.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 R$4.96

$0.99 R$5.00

-1.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.55 R$119

$50.1 R$254

-53.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 R$5.89

$1.22 R$6.20

-4.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 R$3.70

$0.92 R$4.66

-20.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 R$17.85

$8.97 R$45.45

-60.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.59

$1.30 R$6.57

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

$15.7K R$79.3K

$23.9K R$121.0K

-34.45%

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

$29.5K R$149.6K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-10.20%

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

$66.3 R$336

$133 R$676

-50.29%

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

$13.05 R$66.2

$10.82 R$54.8

20.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.44 R$114

$22.90 R$116

-2.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.64 R$110

$30.79 R$156

-29.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.29 R$82.6

$31.85 R$161

-48.85%

Cinema Ticket

$8.17 R$41.40

$8.05 R$40.83

1.49%

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

$223 R$1,130

$598 R$3,029

-62.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,271 R$21.7K

$13.4K R$68.0K

-68.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 R$293

$42.04 R$213

37.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.6 R$287

$49.68 R$252

13.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 R$397

$74.5 R$378

5.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.2 R$300

$68.7 R$348

-13.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$416 R$2,110

$903 R$4,578

-53.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 R$1,201

$529 R$2,684

-55.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$879 R$4,453

$1,326 R$6,724

-33.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$522 R$2,648

$756 R$3,831

-30.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,681 R$8,523

$4,010 R$20.3K

-58.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,217 R$6,170

$1,560 R$7,910

-21.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$336 R$1,704

$640 R$3,242

-47.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.15

11.93

-31.68%

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

Last update for Caraguatatuba: October 11, 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

Caraguatatuba

$237 28.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 123% $292

Groceries & Markets

Caraguatatuba

$176 20.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 22% $39

Eating Out

Caraguatatuba

$145 17.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 14.2% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Caraguatatuba

$113 13.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 6.7% $7.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caraguatatuba

$102 12.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 64.1% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Caraguatatuba

$38 4.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 23.5% $8.9

Getting Around

Caraguatatuba

$32 3.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 85.6% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $416 in Caraguatatuba and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 90% 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: $29.00 in Caraguatatuba vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $176 vs $215 per month, with Caraguatatuba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Caraguatatuba

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

02:42 2:42 AM

Same time as Caraguatatuba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

134,873

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Caraguatatuba is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 53% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 90% lower in Rio de Janeiro. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $416 in Caraguatatuba versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Rio de Janeiro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Caraguatatuba – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $843 in Caraguatatuba versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Caraguatatuba but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Caraguatatuba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Caraguatatuba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.