Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edison, NJ and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $3,191 in Edison, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $22,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in Edison, NJ
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Edison, NJ Living Index
63

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

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Edison, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,191

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,191 in Edison, NJ versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Edison, NJ $3,191
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,474 in Edison, NJ versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

Edison, NJ $4,474
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,758 in Edison, NJ versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

Edison, NJ $5,758
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Edison, NJ is roughly 148% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Edison, NJ is 136% above, Rio de Janeiro is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.28 $18.28

$10.06 R$51.0

81.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.0 $60.0

$40.44 R$205

48.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.11 $9.11

$8.55 R$43.35

6.55%

Cappuccino

$4.10 $4.10

$2.38 R$12.04

72.27%

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

$1.02 $1.02

$1.61 R$8.18

-36.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.03 R$5.22

-4.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.47 R$12.54

43.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 $6.96

$3.70 R$18.77

88.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.19 R$6.05

-16.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 $3.22

$2.05 R$10.38

57.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$1.28 R$6.49

359.37%

Eggs

$2.57 $2.57

$2.29 R$11.60

12.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.43 $13.43

$10.76 R$54.5

24.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.23 $10.23

$4.41 R$22.36

131.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.57 $19.57

$9.84 R$49.86

98.88%

Apples (1kg)

$6.22 $6.22

$2.81 R$14.25

121.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.78 R$9.03

-13.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$1.60 R$8.13

163.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$1.80 R$9.11

201.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.22 R$6.17

144.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.04 R$5.26

193.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.04 $3.04

$0.77 R$3.92

294.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.67 R$3.38

202.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.94 $9.94

$3.01 R$15.27

230.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.85 $14.85

$8.08 R$40.94

83.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.19 R$6.03

51.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.51 R$12.73

39.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.02 $6.02

$0.99 R$5.00

508.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$203 $203

$50.1 R$254

305.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 $3.09

$1.22 R$6.20

153.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.92 R$4.66

3.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.80 $41.80

$8.97 R$45.45

366.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.30 R$6.57

-26.15%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$23.9K R$121.0K

50.93%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-22.72%

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

$172 $172

$133 R$676

29.06%

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

$51.4 $51.4

$10.82 R$54.8

374.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.68 $49.68

$22.90 R$116

116.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.66 $21.66

$30.79 R$156

-29.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$15.11 $15.11

$8.05 R$40.83

87.70%

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

$2,005 $2,005

$598 R$3,029

235.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K $16.0K

$13.4K R$68.0K

19.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 $51.0

$42.04 R$213

21.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.7 $79.7

$49.68 R$252

60.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.5 $59.5

$74.5 R$378

-20.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.2 $89.2

$68.7 R$348

29.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 $2,096

$903 R$4,578

132.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 $1,835

$529 R$2,684

246.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,113 $3,113

$1,326 R$6,724

134.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,796 $2,796

$756 R$3,831

269.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,924 $6,924

$640 R$3,242

982.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.42

11.93

-46.19%

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

Last update for Edison, NJ: 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

Edison, NJ

$1.8K 57.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 71.2% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Edison, NJ

$408 12.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 47.3% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edison, NJ

$273 8.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 38.8% $106

Eating Out

Edison, NJ

$262 8.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 37.1% $97

Getting Around

Edison, NJ

$235 7.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 74.5% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Edison, NJ

$126 3.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 15.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Edison, NJ

$52 1.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 9.6% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,096 in Edison, NJ and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edison, NJ pays 983% 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: $60.0 in Edison, NJ vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $408 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Edison, NJ

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

13:42 1:42 PM

14:42 2:42 PM

1 h ahead of Edison, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

107,588

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

BRL to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Edison, NJ Rio de Janeiro 7,760 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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Edison, NJ
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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

Edison, NJ vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Edison, NJ and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 148% in total monthly costs ($3,191 vs $1,289 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 983% higher in Edison, NJ, 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: $2,096 in Edison, NJ versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Rio de Janeiro runs roughly 305% less than in Edison, NJ. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,005 in Edison, NJ versus $598 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,191 in Edison, NJ, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Edison, NJ. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 148% less than in Edison, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.