Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dourados and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Dourados: $881 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 Dourados
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Dourados Living Index
62

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

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Dourados

🇧🇷 Brazil

$881

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $881 in Dourados versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Dourados $881
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,409 in Dourados versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Dourados $1,409
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,937 in Dourados versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Dourados $1,937
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.05 R$30.20

$9.38 R$46.86

-35.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.61 R$158

$40.00 R$200

-20.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.72 R$38.57

$8.34 R$41.68

-7.43%

Cappuccino

$2.09 R$10.44

$2.29 R$11.45

-8.73%

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

$1.33 R$6.63

$1.59 R$7.93

-16.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 R$3.84

$1.01 R$5.03

-23.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 R$10.10

$2.14 R$10.69

-5.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 R$15.35

$3.66 R$18.28

-16.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 R$5.34

$1.13 R$5.63

-5.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 R$8.64

$2.09 R$10.45

-17.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.42

$1.25 R$6.27

2.40%

Eggs

$2.15 R$10.75

$2.25 R$11.23

-4.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.53 R$47.61

$10.92 R$54.5

-12.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 R$21.71

$4.36 R$21.79

-0.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.40 R$41.97

$9.60 R$47.96

-12.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 R$11.19

$2.85 R$14.26

-21.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 R$6.56

$1.81 R$9.03

-27.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.06

$1.58 R$7.91

-23.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.65

$1.83 R$9.15

-16.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.35

$1.20 R$6.01

5.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.55

$1.06 R$5.28

4.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 R$4.20

$0.75 R$3.76

12.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 R$4.17

$0.68 R$3.40

22.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.47 R$12.36

$2.94 R$14.68

-15.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 R$39.30

$7.98 R$39.85

-1.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R$6.36

$1.18 R$5.89

7.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 R$10.17

$2.42 R$12.09

-16.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 R$4.99

$0.94 R$4.71

6.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.26 R$221

$50.3 R$251

-12.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 R$6.60

$1.20 R$6.01

10.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.61

$0.83 R$4.14

10.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.17 R$40.82

$8.97 R$44.83

-8.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 R$6.53

$1.29 R$6.44

1.55%

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

$23.9K R$119.5K

$22.8K R$113.8K

5.02%

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

$32.6K R$162.8K

$34.0K R$169.7K

-4.05%

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

$75.6 R$378

$134 R$671

-43.70%

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

$12.64 R$63.2

$10.73 R$53.6

17.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.95 R$105

$22.84 R$114

-8.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.92 R$130

$30.16 R$151

-14.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.94 R$140

$31.49 R$157

-11.27%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 R$36.94

$7.73 R$38.60

-4.40%

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

$284 R$1,420

$584 R$2,917

-51.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,338 R$36.7K

$12.8K R$64.0K

-42.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 R$274

$41.12 R$205

33.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.3 R$251

$49.26 R$246

2.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 R$460

$73.7 R$368

24.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.8 R$369

$65.9 R$329

11.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 R$1,798

$900 R$4,495

-59.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$240 R$1,198

$527 R$2,634

-54.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$686 R$3,425

$1,332 R$6,657

-48.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$481 R$2,402

$748 R$3,736

-35.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,719 R$8,588

$3,990 R$19.9K

-56.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,189 R$5,939

$1,560 R$7,794

-23.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,200

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 Dourados: October 18, 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

Dourados

$240 27.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 120% $288

Groceries & Markets

Dourados

$194 22.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 9.9% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Dourados

$122 13.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 15.1% $18

Eating Out

Dourados

$121 13.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 28.6% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dourados

$109 12.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 53.7% $59

Getting Around

Dourados

$54 6.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 9.7% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Dourados

$41 4.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 12% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $360 in Dourados and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Dourados vs $40 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $194 vs $214 per month, with Dourados cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Dourados

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

21:51 9:51 PM

22:51 10:51 PM

1 h ahead of Dourados

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

243,367

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Dourados Rio de Janeiro 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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Dourados
Rio de Janeiro

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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

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

Dourados wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Rio de Janeiro. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Dourados the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,322 in Dourados 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: $360 in Dourados versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Rio de Janeiro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Dourados – a meal for two runs $32 versus $40 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Dourados is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Dourados gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.