Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Crato and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Crato: $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 Crato
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Crato Living Index
62

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

Jump to prices

Crato

🇧🇷 Brazil

$879

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Crato $879
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,403 in Crato versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Crato $1,403
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,926 in Crato versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Crato $1,926
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Crato 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: Crato 35% lower, Rio de Janeiro 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.99 R$30.38

$9.38 R$47.54

-36.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.52 R$160

$40.00 R$203

-21.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.84 R$39.77

$8.34 R$42.28

-6.00%

Cappuccino

$2.01 R$10.21

$2.29 R$11.62

-12.23%

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

$1.32 R$6.71

$1.59 R$8.05

-16.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 R$3.93

$1.01 R$5.10

-23.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.29

$2.14 R$10.85

-5.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 R$15.13

$3.66 R$18.55

-18.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.15

$1.13 R$5.72

-9.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 R$8.55

$2.09 R$10.60

-19.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.52

$1.25 R$6.36

3.20%

Eggs

$2.26 R$11.45

$2.25 R$11.39

0.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.37 R$47.49

$10.92 R$55.3

-14.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.84

$4.36 R$22.10

-1.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.66 R$43.90

$9.60 R$48.66

-9.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 R$11.37

$2.85 R$14.46

-21.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 R$6.65

$1.81 R$9.16

-27.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.97

$1.58 R$8.02

-25.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 R$8.05

$1.83 R$9.28

-13.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.21

$1.20 R$6.10

1.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.49

$1.06 R$5.35

1.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 R$4.22

$0.75 R$3.81

10.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.13

$0.68 R$3.45

20.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.57 R$13.04

$2.94 R$14.90

-12.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.10 R$41.06

$7.98 R$40.43

1.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R$6.72

$1.18 R$5.98

12.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 R$10.72

$2.42 R$12.26

-12.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.27

$0.94 R$4.78

10.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.73 R$222

$50.3 R$255

-13.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 R$6.48

$1.20 R$6.10

6.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.67

$0.83 R$4.20

10.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.22 R$41.69

$8.97 R$45.48

-8.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 R$6.62

$1.29 R$6.53

1.55%

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

$23.4K R$118.7K

$22.8K R$115.5K

2.81%

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

$32.7K R$165.6K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-3.78%

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

$76.8 R$389

$134 R$681

-42.82%

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

$12.21 R$61.9

$10.73 R$54.4

13.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.74 R$105

$22.84 R$116

-9.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.10 R$132

$30.16 R$153

-13.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.93 R$142

$31.49 R$160

-11.31%

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 R$37.76

$7.73 R$39.17

-3.62%

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

$280 R$1,420

$584 R$2,960

-52.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,310 R$37.1K

$12.8K R$64.9K

-42.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 R$287

$41.12 R$208

37.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 R$258

$49.26 R$250

3.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.6 R$449

$73.7 R$373

20.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.6 R$368

$65.9 R$334

10.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$354 R$1,794

$900 R$4,561

-60.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$239 R$1,210

$527 R$2,673

-54.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 R$3,430

$1,332 R$6,754

-49.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$476 R$2,411

$748 R$3,790

-36.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,689 R$8,565

$3,990 R$20.2K

-57.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,182 R$5,991

$1,560 R$7,908

-24.24%

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 Crato: 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

Crato

$239 27.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 121% $289

Groceries & Markets

Crato

$195 22.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 9.8% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Crato

$121 13.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 14.4% $17

Eating Out

Crato

$120 13.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 29.8% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Crato

$110 12.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 53% $58

Getting Around

Crato

$54 6.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 10.5% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Crato

$41 4.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 11.2% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $354 in Crato and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Crato vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $195 vs $214 per month, with Crato cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Crato

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

12:45 12:45 PM

Same time as Crato

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

131,050

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

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Between locations

Crato Rio de Janeiro 1,790 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Crato
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

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

Crato 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 Crato the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,318 in Crato 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: $354 in Crato versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Crato runs roughly 15% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $280 in Crato versus $584 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

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

Expats usually find Crato 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.