Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chapeco and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Chapeco: $980 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Chapeco
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Chapeco Living Index
62

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

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Chapeco

🇧🇷 Brazil

$980

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $980 in Chapeco versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Chapeco $980
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,454 in Chapeco versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Chapeco $1,454
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,927 in Chapeco versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Chapeco $1,927
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Chapeco costs roughly 23% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chapeco 28% lower, Rio de Janeiro 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.53 R$28.05

$9.38 R$47.54

-41.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.46 R$180

$40.00 R$203

-11.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.92 R$45.20

$8.34 R$42.28

6.95%

Cappuccino

$1.92 R$9.76

$2.29 R$11.62

-16.16%

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

$0.75 R$3.80

$1.59 R$8.05

-52.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 R$2.98

$1.01 R$5.10

-41.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 R$7.33

$2.14 R$10.85

-32.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 R$11.73

$3.66 R$18.55

-36.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 R$4.56

$1.13 R$5.72

-20.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 R$5.78

$2.09 R$10.60

-45.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 R$10.85

$1.25 R$6.36

71.20%

Eggs

$1.86 R$9.44

$2.25 R$11.39

-17.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.24 R$41.75

$10.92 R$55.3

-24.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.53 R$38.20

$4.36 R$22.10

72.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.95 R$55.5

$9.60 R$48.66

14.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 R$11.88

$2.85 R$14.46

-17.89%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.02

$1.81 R$9.16

-45.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.53 R$2.68

$1.58 R$8.02

-66.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 R$3.54

$1.83 R$9.28

-61.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.53 R$2.70

$1.20 R$6.10

-55.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.53 R$2.70

$1.06 R$5.35

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 R$4.83

$0.75 R$3.81

26.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 R$3.53

$0.68 R$3.45

2.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 R$11.75

$2.94 R$14.90

-21.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.31 R$47.19

$7.98 R$40.43

16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 R$4.48

$1.18 R$5.98

-25.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 R$7.49

$2.42 R$12.26

-38.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 R$4.94

$0.94 R$4.78

3.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.44 R$185

$50.3 R$255

-27.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 R$6.50

$1.20 R$6.10

6.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 R$5.93

$1.29 R$6.53

-9.30%

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

$22.9K R$116.0K

$22.8K R$115.5K

0.43%

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

$30.5K R$154.6K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-10.17%

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

$172 R$873

$134 R$681

28.16%

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

$10.47 R$53.1

$10.73 R$54.4

-2.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.84 R$95.5

$22.84 R$116

-17.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.24 R$133

$30.16 R$153

-13.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.45 R$170

$31.49 R$160

6.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.68 R$33.86

$7.73 R$39.17

-13.58%

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

$584 R$2,960

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.98 R$137

$41.12 R$208

-34.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.26 R$92.6

$49.26 R$250

-62.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.87 R$187

$73.7 R$373

-49.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.6 R$272

$65.9 R$334

-18.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 R$2,103

$900 R$4,561

-53.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$329 R$1,668

$527 R$2,673

-37.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$851 R$4,313

$1,332 R$6,754

-36.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$536 R$2,718

$748 R$3,790

-28.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,509 R$7,649

$3,990 R$20.2K

-62.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$987 R$5,005

$1,560 R$7,908

-36.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$414 R$2,097

$640 R$3,246

-35.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

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

Last update for Chapeco: October 17, 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

Chapeco

$329 33.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 60.2% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chapeco

$201 20.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 16.7% $34

Groceries & Markets

Chapeco

$196 20%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 9.2% $18

Eating Out

Chapeco

$111 11.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 40.1% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Chapeco

$61 6.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 69.5% $42

Getting Around

Chapeco

$42 * 4.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 42.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Chapeco

$40 4%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 15.2% $6

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $415 in Chapeco and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 55% 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: $35.00 in Chapeco vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $214 per month, with Chapeco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Chapeco

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

21:26 9:26 PM

Same time as Chapeco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

243,477

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

Chapeco Rio de Janeiro 1,060 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chapeco
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

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

Chapeco wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Rio de Janeiro. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chapeco the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 55% 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: $415 in Chapeco versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Rio de Janeiro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $980 per month in Chapeco versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $980 in Chapeco versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chapeco but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Chapeco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chapeco delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $980 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chapeco hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Chapeco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.