Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Des Moines, IA and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,171 in Des Moines, IA, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Des Moines, IA
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Des Moines, IA Living Index
62

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

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Des Moines, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,171

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,171 in Des Moines, IA versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Des Moines, IA $2,171
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,236 in Des Moines, IA versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Des Moines, IA $3,236
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,301 in Des Moines, IA versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Des Moines, IA $4,301
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Des Moines, IA is roughly 70% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Des Moines, IA is 60% above, Rio de Janeiro is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.69 $19.69

$9.38 R$47.54

109.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.8 $80.8

$40.00 R$203

102.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.22 $12.22

$8.34 R$42.28

46.52%

Cappuccino

$6.16 $6.16

$2.29 R$11.62

169.00%

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

$2.93 $2.93

$1.59 R$8.05

84.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.01 R$5.10

153.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.99 $4.99

$2.14 R$10.85

133.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 $5.89

$3.66 R$18.55

60.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.13 R$5.72

-19.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 $3.03

$2.09 R$10.60

44.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$1.25 R$6.36

170.40%

Eggs

$4.00 $4.00

$2.25 R$11.39

77.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 $9.69

$10.92 R$55.3

-11.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.91 $9.91

$4.36 R$22.10

127.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.68 $13.68

$9.60 R$48.66

42.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.85 R$14.46

51.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.81 R$9.16

-16.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.58 R$8.02

187.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$1.83 R$9.28

101.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.20 R$6.10

155.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.06 R$5.35

101.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.75 R$3.81

217.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$0.68 R$3.45

222.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 $7.85

$2.94 R$14.90

167.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$7.98 R$40.43

85.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.18 R$5.98

44.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.42 R$12.26

27.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 $1.73

$0.94 R$4.78

84.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.1 $58.1

$50.3 R$255

15.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.20 R$6.10

64.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$0.83 R$4.20

48.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.70 $19.70

$8.97 R$45.48

119.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.29 R$6.53

-27.91%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$22.8K R$115.5K

19.32%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-25.94%

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

$185 $185

$134 R$681

37.43%

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

$53.6 $53.6

$10.73 R$54.4

399.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$22.84 R$116

207.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.8 $63.8

$30.16 R$153

111.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.14 $20.14

$31.49 R$160

-36.04%

Cinema Ticket

$9.99 $9.99

$7.73 R$39.17

29.24%

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

$1,187 $1,187

$584 R$2,960

103.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K $12.0K

$12.8K R$64.9K

-6.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 $59.5

$41.12 R$208

44.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.98 $42.98

$49.26 R$250

-12.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$73.7 R$373

37.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$65.9 R$334

120.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,177 $1,177

$900 R$4,561

30.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$872 $872

$527 R$2,673

65.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,738 $1,738

$1,332 R$6,754

30.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,394 $1,394

$748 R$3,790

86.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,320 $2,320

$3,990 R$20.2K

-41.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,325 $2,325

$1,560 R$7,908

49.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,647 $3,647

$640 R$3,246

469.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

11.93

-45.01%

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

Last update for Des Moines, IA: October 19, 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

Des Moines, IA

$872 40.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 39.6% $345

Groceries & Markets

Des Moines, IA

$349 16.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 38.8% $136

Eating Out

Des Moines, IA

$327 15.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 52.3% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Des Moines, IA

$308 14.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 45.6% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Des Moines, IA

$157 7.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 34% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Des Moines, IA

$84 3.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 45.5% $38

Getting Around

Des Moines, IA

$73 3.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 18.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,177 in Des Moines, IA and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Des Moines, IA pays 469% 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: $81.0 in Des Moines, IA vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $214 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Des Moines, IA

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

07:35 7:35 AM

09:35 9:35 AM

2 h ahead of Des Moines, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

214,133

6,211,223

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Des Moines, IA Rio de Janeiro 8,870 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Des Moines, IA
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

Des Moines, IA vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro wins on cost – living expenses run 70% lower than in Des Moines, IA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rio de Janeiro the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 469% higher in Des Moines, IA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,177 in Des Moines, IA versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $81.0 in Des Moines, IA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,171 per month in Des Moines, IA versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro – a 70% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,171 in Des Moines, IA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Des Moines, IA. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Rio de Janeiro delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,273 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Rio de Janeiro hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Des Moines, IA and Rio de Janeiro are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Des Moines, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.