Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Contenda and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Contenda: $824 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Contenda
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Contenda Living Index
57

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

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Contenda

🇧🇷 Brazil

$824

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $824 per month in Contenda vs $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Contenda $824
Rio de Janeiro $1,182

A couple spends around $1,240 per month in Contenda vs $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Contenda $1,240
Rio de Janeiro $1,750

A family of three spends $1,657 per month in Contenda vs $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Contenda $1,657
Rio de Janeiro $2,318

Contenda is about 30% cheaper than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Contenda and Rio de Janeiro are more affordable than the global median – Contenda 39% lower, Rio de Janeiro 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.64 R$19.49

$9.08 R$48.58

-59.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.07 R$59.2

$37.25 R$199

-70.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.16 R$38.33

$8.02 R$42.91

-10.72%

Cappuccino

$2.23 R$11.93

$2.19 R$11.72

1.83%

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

$1.26 R$6.74

$1.46 R$7.83

-13.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 R$3.11

$0.99 R$5.28

-41.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.83 R$9.79

$2.03 R$10.85

-9.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 R$10.22

$3.45 R$18.45

-44.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 R$5.17

$1.06 R$5.67

-8.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 R$8.06

$1.98 R$10.62

-23.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.64

$1.17 R$6.28

5.98%

Eggs

$2.48 R$13.30

$2.21 R$11.81

12.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.24 R$49.47

$10.11 R$54.1

-8.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 R$20.25

$4.12 R$22.02

-8.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.25 R$38.77

$9.17 R$49.08

-20.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 R$12.14

$2.72 R$14.55

-16.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.09

$1.71 R$9.15

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.10 R$5.91

$1.53 R$8.19

-28.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.86

$1.66 R$8.89

-22.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 R$5.16

$1.14 R$6.09

-14.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 R$4.54

$0.99 R$5.32

-14.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 R$3.89

$0.65 R$3.46

12.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.52

$0.60 R$3.20

10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.75 R$14.70

$2.79 R$14.96

-1.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.70 R$19.78

$7.48 R$40.03

-50.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 R$7.33

$1.09 R$5.84

25.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 R$9.74

$2.33 R$12.49

-21.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 R$5.07

$0.90 R$4.79

5.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.25 R$226

$53.0 R$284

-20.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 R$6.12

$1.17 R$6.24

-2.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R$4.74

$0.78 R$4.18

14.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.54 R$51.1

$8.37 R$44.79

13.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 R$6.14

$1.21 R$6.49

-4.96%

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

$16.7K R$89.1K

$21.5K R$114.9K

-22.40%

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

$20.6K R$110.2K

$31.1K R$166.6K

-33.83%

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

$80.7 R$432

$124 R$666

-35.18%

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

$7.50 R$40.14

$10.03 R$53.7

-25.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.24 R$97.6

$20.88 R$112

-12.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.01 R$128

$28.35 R$152

-15.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.60 R$137

$29.33 R$157

-12.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 R$40.58

$7.62 R$40.75

-0.52%

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

$260 R$1,394

$563 R$3,012

-53.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K R$54.7K

$12.0K R$64.5K

-15.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.6 R$319

$39.25 R$210

51.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.3 R$349

$46.36 R$248

40.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 R$557

$68.4 R$366

52.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.8 R$347

$63.4 R$339

2.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$341 R$1,823

$776 R$4,153

-56.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$226 R$1,210

$473 R$2,532

-52.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 R$2,991

$1,391 R$7,443

-59.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 R$2,141

$739 R$3,954

-45.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,421 R$7,603

$3,393 R$18.2K

-58.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$983 R$5,258

$1,570 R$8,403

-37.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,194

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.61

11.93

-11.06%

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

Last update for Contenda: October 27, 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

Contenda

$226 27.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40% 109% $247

Groceries & Markets

Contenda

$170 20.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17% 18% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Contenda

$132 16.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3% 26% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Contenda

$106 12.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1% 46% $49

Eating Out

Contenda

$98 11.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7% 53.3% $52

Getting Around

Contenda

$52 6.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2% 19.5% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Contenda

$39 4.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7% 11.3% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $341 in Contenda 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 $11 in Contenda versus $37 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $170 vs $201 – making Contenda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Contenda

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

Same time as Contenda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,128

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

On the map

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Between locations

Contenda Rio de Janeiro 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Contenda
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

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

Rio de Janeiro costs about 44% more than Contenda, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,235 per month in Contenda 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 Contenda, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $341 there versus $776 in Rio de Janeiro.

Kindergarten costs $260 per month in Contenda 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 18% more in Rio de Janeiro, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $824 in Contenda and $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

For expats, Contenda is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 44% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.