🇮🇹 Italy
89
Cost of Living Index in Italy
Learn more Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Rio de Janeiro
For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $1,735 in Costa Rica, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.
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😐 Solo nomad: Costa Rica is 62.1% more expensive than Rio de Janeiro without rent, and 35.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Costa Rica is 52.8% more expensive than Rio de Janeiro without rent, and 47.9% more expensive with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
Costa Rica
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.78 ₡5,312
$9.98 R$49.83
18.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.5 ₡25.0K
$40.34 R$201
37.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.72 ₡4,831
$8.48 R$42.35
26.42%
Cappuccino
$4.49 ₡2,023
$2.36 R$11.80
90.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.33 ₡1,051
$1.63 R$8.13
42.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.81 ₡815
$1.01 R$5.06
79.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.23 ₡1,455
$2.44 R$12.19
32.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 ₡1,992
$3.69 R$18.43
19.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Costa Rica
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.30 ₡1,037
$1.15 R$5.72
100.00%
White Bread (500g)
$3.55 ₡1,600
$2.07 R$10.34
71.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.71 ₡1,221
$1.29 R$6.42
110.08%
Eggs
$4.05 ₡1,825
$2.27 R$11.32
78.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.92 ₡4,473
$11.00 R$54.9
-9.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.49 ₡4,729
$4.31 R$21.51
143.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.56 ₡6,111
$9.74 R$48.63
39.22%
Apples (1kg)
$5.13 ₡2,312
$2.83 R$14.12
81.27%
Banana (1kg)
$1.68 ₡758
$1.84 R$9.17
-8.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.63 ₡1,639
$1.60 R$7.96
126.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.24 ₡1,463
$1.80 R$9.00
80.00%
Potato (1kg)
$3.40 ₡1,534
$1.26 R$6.28
169.84%
Onion (1kg)
$3.09 ₡1,394
$1.07 R$5.34
188.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.11 ₡501
$0.75 R$3.75
48.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.64 ₡1,192
$0.66 R$3.29
300.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.43 ₡2,446
$3.05 R$15.21
78.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.63 ₡7,048
$8.18 R$40.84
91.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.75 ₡1,238
$1.19 R$5.92
131.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.27 ₡1,472
$2.39 R$11.92
36.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Costa Rica
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.07 ₡480
$1.01 R$5.06
5.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.3 ₡29.4K
$50.2 R$250
30.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.18 ₡981
$1.27 R$6.33
71.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.03 ₡916
$0.90 R$4.51
125.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.82 ₡3,977
$9.44 R$47.13
-6.57%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 ₡688
$1.33 R$6.65
15.04%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.8K ₡14.8M
$23.4K R$117.0K
39.88%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.0K ₡16.2M
$33.6K R$167.6K
7.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Costa Rica
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$93.4 ₡42.1K
$134 R$666
-30.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.19 ₡13.6K
$12.23 R$61.0
146.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$57.1 ₡25.7K
$22.65 R$113
151.88%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Costa Rica
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$65.1 ₡29.3K
$31.56 R$158
106.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.13 ₡9,976
$30.87 R$154
-28.31%
Cinema Ticket
$8.09 ₡3,645
$8.23 R$41.07
-1.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Costa Rica
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$740 ₡333.8K
$603 R$3,011
22.76%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.6K ₡5.7M
$13.2K R$66.1K
-5.17%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Costa Rica
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$75.5 ₡34.0K
$41.62 R$208
81.33%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.6 ₡24.6K
$49.94 R$249
9.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$127 ₡57.4K
$75.0 R$375
69.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 ₡48.3K
$68.3 R$341
57.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Costa Rica
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$833 ₡375.3K
$905 R$4,519
-8.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$641 ₡289.1K
$527 R$2,633
21.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,776 ₡800.8K
$1,346 R$6,720
31.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,191 ₡536.9K
$774 R$3,865
53.80%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,437 ₡1.1M
$3,981 R$19.9K
-38.77%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,631 ₡735.2K
$1,562 R$7,798
4.40%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Costa Rica
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,033 ₡465.8K
$643 R$3,210
60.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.56
11.93
-19.87%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Costa Rica: October 5, 2026
Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Costa Rica $641 36.7%
Rio de Janeiro $527 41% 17.8% $114
Groceries & Markets
Costa Rica $379 21.7%
Rio de Janeiro $215 16.7% 43.4% $164
Eating Out
Costa Rica $222 12.7%
Rio de Janeiro $164 12.7% 26.1% $58
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Costa Rica $181 10.3%
Rio de Janeiro $168 13.1% 6.8% $12
Clothing & Footwear
Costa Rica $164 9.4%
Rio de Janeiro $106 8.2% 35.6% $58
Getting Around
Costa Rica $82 4.7%
Rio de Janeiro $60 4.7% 26.7% $22
Sport & Entertainment
Costa Rica $81 4.6%
Rio de Janeiro $48 3.7% 40.9% $33
Accommodation & Living
Costa Rica $1.2K 32.2%
Rio de Janeiro $774 31.4% 35% $417
Groceries & Markets
Costa Rica $864 23.3%
Rio de Janeiro $498 20.2% 42.3% $366
Eating Out
Costa Rica $719 19.4%
Rio de Janeiro $531 21.5% 26.2% $189
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Costa Rica $211 5.7%
Rio de Janeiro $181 7.3% 14.3% $30
Clothing & Footwear
Costa Rica $365 9.9%
Rio de Janeiro $235 9.5% 35.6% $130
Getting Around
Costa Rica $166 4.5%
Rio de Janeiro $122 4.9% 26.5% $44
Sport & Entertainment
Costa Rica $185 5%
Rio de Janeiro $127 5.1% 31.3% $58
Good to know
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro
Weather
Population
5,044,197
6,211,223
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- Costa Rica Rio de Janeiro 5,760 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
- Costa Rica
- 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
Costa Rica vs other spots: cost of living compared
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