Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubuque, IA and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $1,731 in Dubuque, IA, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Dubuque, IA
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Dubuque, 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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Dubuque, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,731

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,731 per month in Dubuque, IA vs $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Dubuque, IA $1,731
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

A couple spends around $2,538 per month in Dubuque, IA vs $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Dubuque, IA $2,538
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

A family of three spends $3,345 per month in Dubuque, IA vs $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Dubuque, IA $3,345
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Dubuque, IA costs about 36% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Dubuque, IA sits 28% above the global median, while Rio de Janeiro is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 $13.85

$9.38 R$47.54

47.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.71 $49.71

$40.00 R$203

24.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$8.34 R$42.28

41.49%

Cappuccino

$4.99 $4.99

$2.29 R$11.62

117.90%

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

$2.02 $2.02

$1.59 R$8.05

27.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.01 R$5.10

-5.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.14 R$10.85

40.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 $4.53

$3.66 R$18.55

23.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.13 R$5.72

-30.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.09 R$10.60

29.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.25 R$6.36

125.60%

Eggs

$2.85 $2.85

$2.25 R$11.39

26.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.05 $14.05

$10.92 R$55.3

28.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.38 $10.38

$4.36 R$22.10

138.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.63 $10.63

$9.60 R$48.66

10.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.85 R$14.46

16.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.81 R$9.16

-33.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.58 R$8.02

106.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.83 R$9.28

33.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.20 R$6.10

13.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.06 R$5.35

57.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 $2.42

$0.75 R$3.81

222.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$0.68 R$3.45

163.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.70 $8.70

$2.94 R$14.90

195.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.36 $13.36

$7.98 R$40.43

67.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.18 R$5.98

43.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.42 R$12.26

16.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.29 R$6.53

-29.46%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$22.8K R$115.5K

7.70%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-26.29%

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

$176 $176

$134 R$681

31.22%

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

$52.0 $52.0

$10.73 R$54.4

384.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 $50.7

$22.84 R$116

122.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.87 $36.87

$30.16 R$153

22.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$8.17 $8.17

$7.73 R$39.17

5.69%

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

$812 $812

$584 R$2,960

39.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 $55.6

$41.12 R$208

35.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.65 $35.65

$49.26 R$250

-27.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 $86.1

$73.7 R$373

16.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.7 $88.7

$65.9 R$334

34.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 $985

$900 R$4,561

9.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 $725

$527 R$2,673

37.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,476 $1,476

$1,332 R$6,754

10.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 $1,201

$748 R$3,790

60.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,732 $1,732

$3,990 R$20.2K

-56.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,707 $1,707

$1,560 R$7,908

9.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,768 $3,768

$640 R$3,246

488.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

11.93

-55.99%

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

Last update for Dubuque, 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

Dubuque, IA

$725 41.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 27.3% $198

Groceries & Markets

Dubuque, IA

$312 18%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 31.5% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubuque, IA

$279 16.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 39.8% $111

Eating Out

Dubuque, IA

$242 14%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 35.6% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Dubuque, IA

$120 6.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 13.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Dubuque, IA

$53 3.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 14.3% $7.6

Getting Around

Dubuque, IA

- * 0%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Dubuque, IA versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 488% higher in Dubuque, IA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Dubuque, IA versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $312 vs $214 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Dubuque, IA

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

22:53 10:53 PM

00:53 12:53 AM

2 h ahead of Dubuque, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,667

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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Between locations

Dubuque, IA Rio de Janeiro 8,750 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubuque, 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

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

Dubuque, IA costs about 36% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,596 per month in Dubuque, IA and $1,910 in Rio de Janeiro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rio de Janeiro, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,731 in Dubuque, IA and $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a gap of about 36%.

Kindergarten costs $812 per month in Dubuque, IA and $584 in Rio de Janeiro. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,273, than in Dubuque, IA at $1,731. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubuque, IA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Rio de Janeiro costs $1,273 versus $1,731 in Dubuque, IA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Rio de Janeiro. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dubuque, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.