Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cerquilho and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerquilho: $762 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Cerquilho
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Cerquilho Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Cerquilho

🇧🇷 Brazil

$762

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $762 per month in Cerquilho vs $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Cerquilho $762
Rio de Janeiro $1,182

A couple spends around $1,244 per month in Cerquilho vs $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Cerquilho $1,244
Rio de Janeiro $1,750

A family of three spends $1,727 per month in Cerquilho vs $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Cerquilho $1,727
Rio de Janeiro $2,318

Cerquilho is about 36% cheaper than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cerquilho and Rio de Janeiro are more affordable than the global median – Cerquilho 44% lower, Rio de Janeiro 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.36 R$33.98

$9.08 R$48.54

-29.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.62 R$158

$37.25 R$199

-20.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.38 R$39.49

$8.02 R$42.87

-7.98%

Cappuccino

$1.87 R$10.01

$2.19 R$11.71

-14.61%

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

$1.46 R$7.78

$1.46 R$7.82

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 R$6.05

$0.99 R$5.27

14.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 R$6.08

$2.03 R$10.84

-43.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 R$15.21

$3.45 R$18.43

-17.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 R$5.94

$1.06 R$5.66

4.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 R$7.84

$1.98 R$10.61

-25.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.73

$1.17 R$6.27

-8.55%

Eggs

$2.59 R$13.82

$2.21 R$11.80

17.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.12 R$43.41

$10.11 R$54.1

-19.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.66

$4.12 R$22.00

-56.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.68 R$30.37

$9.17 R$49.04

-38.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.69

$2.72 R$14.54

-33.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 R$9.47

$1.71 R$9.15

3.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.10 R$5.86

$1.53 R$8.18

-28.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.77 R$9.44

$1.66 R$8.89

6.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 R$7.11

$1.14 R$6.09

16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 R$2.89

$0.99 R$5.32

-45.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 R$4.47

$0.65 R$3.46

29.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 R$3.12

$0.60 R$3.20

-3.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.34 R$7.16

$2.79 R$14.94

-51.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.48 R$45.34

$7.48 R$39.99

13.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R$6.06

$1.09 R$5.83

3.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 R$14.73

$2.33 R$12.48

18.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 R$5.47

$0.90 R$4.79

13.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.37 R$194

$53.0 R$283

-31.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 R$6.60

$1.17 R$6.24

5.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 R$7.16

$0.78 R$4.17

71.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.15 R$48.94

$8.37 R$44.75

9.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 R$6.07

$1.21 R$6.48

-6.61%

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

$22.0K R$117.6K

$21.5K R$114.8K

2.49%

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

$32.1K R$171.8K

$31.1K R$166.5K

3.20%

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

$41.30 R$221

$124 R$665

-66.82%

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

$13.13 R$70.2

$10.03 R$53.7

30.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.66 R$78.4

$20.88 R$112

-29.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.20 R$129

$28.35 R$152

-14.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.16 R$156

$29.33 R$157

-0.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.26 R$38.82

$7.62 R$40.72

-4.72%

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

$405 R$2,165

$563 R$3,010

-28.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,037 R$37.6K

$12.0K R$64.4K

-41.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.36 R$168

$39.25 R$210

-20.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.46 R$98.7

$46.36 R$248

-60.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.5 R$297

$68.4 R$366

-18.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.3 R$418

$63.4 R$339

23.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$297 R$1,588

$776 R$4,150

-61.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$238 R$1,275

$473 R$2,530

-49.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$727 R$3,889

$1,391 R$7,437

-47.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$494 R$2,641

$739 R$3,951

-33.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,677 R$8,967

$3,393 R$18.1K

-50.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,041 R$5,564

$1,570 R$8,396

-33.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,192

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.12

11.93

-6.79%

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

Last update for Cerquilho: October 25, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cerquilho

$239 31.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40% 98.4% $235

Groceries & Markets

Cerquilho

$167 22%

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17% 20.1% $34

Eating Out

Cerquilho

$117 15.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7% 27.8% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Cerquilho

$83 10.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3% 18.4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cerquilho

$69 9.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1% 125% $86

Getting Around

Cerquilho

$48 6.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2% 27.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Cerquilho

$39 5.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7% 12.6% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $297 in Cerquilho versus $776 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 $30 in Cerquilho versus $37 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $167 vs $201 – making Cerquilho the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Cerquilho

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

18:36 6:36 PM

Same time as Cerquilho

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,695

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

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

Rio de Janeiro costs about 55% more than Cerquilho, 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 $1,143 per month in Cerquilho and $1,774 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 Cerquilho, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $297 there versus $776 in Rio de Janeiro.

Kindergarten costs $405 per month in Cerquilho and $563 in Rio de Janeiro. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Rio de Janeiro, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

For expats, Cerquilho is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 36% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.