Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cucuta and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living costs are similar in Cucuta and in Rio de Janeiro: $1,335 and $1,289 a month, rent and utilities included.

63

Cost of Living Index in Cucuta
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Cucuta Living Index
63

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

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Cucuta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,335

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,335 in Cucuta versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Cucuta $1,335
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,003 in Cucuta versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

Cucuta $2,003
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,670 in Cucuta versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

Cucuta $2,670
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Cucuta is roughly 4% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cucuta 1% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.44 COP 23.6K

$10.06 R$51.0

-26.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.54 COP 153.9K

$40.44 R$205

20.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.16 COP 29.1K

$8.55 R$43.35

7.13%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,235

$2.38 R$12.04

22.27%

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

$1.43 COP 4,544

$1.61 R$8.18

-11.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 COP 3,420

$1.03 R$5.22

4.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 COP 9,785

$2.47 R$12.54

25.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 COP 11.7K

$3.70 R$18.77

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 COP 5,112

$1.19 R$6.05

35.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 COP 7,844

$2.05 R$10.38

20.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 COP 4,893

$1.28 R$6.49

20.31%

Eggs

$2.99 COP 9,488

$2.29 R$11.60

30.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.00 COP 28.5K

$10.76 R$54.5

-16.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.58 COP 27.2K

$4.41 R$22.36

94.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.41 COP 36.2K

$9.84 R$49.86

15.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 COP 11.2K

$2.81 R$14.25

25.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 COP 5,061

$1.78 R$9.03

-10.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 COP 6,574

$1.60 R$8.13

29.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,139

$1.80 R$9.11

7.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 COP 4,071

$1.22 R$6.17

4.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 COP 4,149

$1.04 R$5.26

25.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 COP 3,497

$0.77 R$3.92

42.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 COP 3,221

$0.67 R$3.38

52.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 COP 13.8K

$3.01 R$15.27

44.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 COP 46.7K

$8.08 R$40.94

82.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 COP 5,217

$1.19 R$6.03

38.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 COP 7,271

$2.51 R$12.73

-8.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 COP 3,783

$0.99 R$5.00

20.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 COP 4,830

$1.22 R$6.20

24.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 COP 6,624

$0.92 R$4.66

127.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.90 COP 31.4K

$8.97 R$45.45

10.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,055

$1.30 R$6.57

-1.54%

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

$28.7K COP 90.9M

$23.9K R$121.0K

20.03%

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

$40.2K COP 127.6M

$32.9K R$166.6K

22.45%

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

$126 COP 397.9K

$133 R$676

-5.92%

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

$13.88 COP 44.0K

$10.82 R$54.8

28.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.14 COP 92.4K

$22.90 R$116

27.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.45 COP 106.1K

$30.79 R$156

8.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$6.95 COP 22.0K

$8.05 R$40.83

-13.66%

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

$647 COP 2.1M

$598 R$3,029

8.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,396 COP 20.3M

$13.4K R$68.0K

-52.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 273.8K

$42.04 R$213

105.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.97 COP 158.4K

$49.68 R$252

0.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$154 COP 489.8K

$74.5 R$378

107.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 COP 323.2K

$68.7 R$348

48.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$643 COP 2.0M

$903 R$4,578

-28.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 COP 1.6M

$529 R$2,684

-6.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,017 COP 3.2M

$1,326 R$6,724

-23.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$792 COP 2.5M

$756 R$3,831

4.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,980 COP 6.3M

$4,010 R$20.3K

-50.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,498 COP 4.7M

$1,560 R$7,910

-4.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$565 COP 1.8M

$640 R$3,242

-11.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

11.93

-2.93%

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

Last update for Cucuta: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cucuta

$497 37.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 6.5% $32

Groceries & Markets

Cucuta

$274 20.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 21.6% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Cucuta

$177 13.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 40.2% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cucuta

$169 12.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 0.8% $1.4

Eating Out

Cucuta

$155 11.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 6.5% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Cucuta

$47 3.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 1% $0.5

Getting Around

Cucuta

$17 * 1.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 258% $43

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 $643 in Cucuta and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 13% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $49.00 in Cucuta vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cucuta

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

21:32 9:32 PM

23:32 11:32 PM

2 h ahead of Cucuta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

777,106

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cucuta Rio de Janeiro 4,680 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cucuta
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

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

Rio de Janeiro is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 13% 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: $643 in Cucuta versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $647 in Cucuta versus $598 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $49.00 in Cucuta. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,335 in Cucuta, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Cucuta. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Rio de Janeiro is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cucuta, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Cucuta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.