Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Castanhal and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Castanhal: $879 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Castanhal
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Castanhal Living Index
62

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

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Castanhal

🇧🇷 Brazil

$879

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $879 in Castanhal versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Castanhal $879
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,407 in Castanhal versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Castanhal $1,407
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,936 in Castanhal versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Castanhal $1,936
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Castanhal costs roughly 31% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Castanhal 35% lower, Rio de Janeiro 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.18 R$31.34

$9.38 R$47.54

-34.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.20 R$163

$40.00 R$203

-19.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.74 R$39.25

$8.34 R$42.28

-7.19%

Cappuccino

$2.09 R$10.59

$2.29 R$11.62

-8.73%

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

$1.34 R$6.79

$1.59 R$8.05

-15.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.12

$1.01 R$5.10

-19.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 R$10.21

$2.14 R$10.85

-6.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 R$14.88

$3.66 R$18.55

-19.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 R$5.13

$1.13 R$5.72

-10.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 R$8.67

$2.09 R$10.60

-18.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 R$6.60

$1.25 R$6.36

4.00%

Eggs

$2.16 R$10.95

$2.25 R$11.39

-4.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.34 R$47.34

$10.92 R$55.3

-14.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.18 R$21.20

$4.36 R$22.10

-4.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.34 R$42.29

$9.60 R$48.66

-13.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 R$11.26

$2.85 R$14.46

-22.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$1.81 R$9.16

-29.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.24

$1.58 R$8.02

-22.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 R$8.14

$1.83 R$9.28

-12.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.21

$1.20 R$6.10

2.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 R$5.69

$1.06 R$5.35

5.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 R$4.21

$0.75 R$3.81

10.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.11

$0.68 R$3.45

19.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.47 R$12.53

$2.94 R$14.90

-15.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.14 R$41.24

$7.98 R$40.43

2.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 R$6.48

$1.18 R$5.98

8.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 R$10.54

$2.42 R$12.26

-14.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 R$5.08

$0.94 R$4.78

6.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.66 R$221

$50.3 R$255

-13.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 R$6.48

$1.20 R$6.10

6.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$0.83 R$4.20

10.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 R$40.34

$8.97 R$45.48

-11.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 R$6.41

$1.29 R$6.53

-2.33%

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

$24.0K R$121.8K

$22.8K R$115.5K

5.52%

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

$33.3K R$168.6K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-2.06%

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

$77.1 R$391

$134 R$681

-42.58%

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

$12.19 R$61.8

$10.73 R$54.4

13.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.78 R$105

$22.84 R$116

-9.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.24 R$133

$30.16 R$153

-13.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.03 R$142

$31.49 R$160

-10.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.37 R$37.38

$7.73 R$39.17

-4.66%

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

$285 R$1,445

$584 R$2,960

-51.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,284 R$36.9K

$12.8K R$64.9K

-43.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 R$279

$41.12 R$208

33.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 R$258

$49.26 R$250

3.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 R$463

$73.7 R$373

23.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.0 R$370

$65.9 R$334

10.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 R$1,817

$900 R$4,561

-60.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$238 R$1,206

$527 R$2,673

-54.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$685 R$3,475

$1,332 R$6,754

-48.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$481 R$2,437

$748 R$3,790

-35.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,704 R$8,639

$3,990 R$20.2K

-57.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,188 R$6,021

$1,560 R$7,908

-23.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

-7.80%

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

Last update for Castanhal: October 18, 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

Castanhal

$238 27.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 122% $289

Groceries & Markets

Castanhal

$192 21.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 11% $21

Eating Out

Castanhal

$122 13.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 27.5% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Castanhal

$122 13.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 14.9% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Castanhal

$110 12.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 52.5% $58

Getting Around

Castanhal

$54 6.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 11% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Castanhal

$41 4.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 11.3% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $358 in Castanhal and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Castanhal vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $214 per month, with Castanhal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Castanhal

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

15:36 3:36 PM

Same time as Castanhal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

192,256

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

On the map

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Between locations

Castanhal Rio de Janeiro 2,460 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Castanhal
Rio de Janeiro

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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

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

Castanhal wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Rio de Janeiro. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Castanhal the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,318 in Castanhal and $1,910 in Rio de Janeiro to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $358 in Castanhal versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Castanhal – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $879 per month in Castanhal versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro – a 45% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $879 in Castanhal versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Castanhal but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Castanhal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Castanhal delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $879 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Castanhal hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Castanhal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.