Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between El Salvador and Rio de Janeiro
For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $1,466 in El Salvador, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.
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El Salvador Living Index72Cost of Living Index in El SalvadorLearn more -
Rio de Janeiro Living Index63Cost of Living Index in Rio de JaneiroLearn more
😐 Solo nomad: El Salvador is 17.6% more expensive than Rio de Janeiro without rent, and 14.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: El Salvador is 10.9% more expensive than Rio de Janeiro without rent, and 8.1% more expensive with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
El Salvador
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.68 $6.68
$9.98 R$49.83
-33.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.84 $44.84
$40.34 R$201
11.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.08 $7.08
$8.48 R$42.35
-16.51%
Cappuccino
$3.57 $3.57
$2.36 R$11.80
51.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.14 $1.14
$1.63 R$8.13
-30.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.92 $0.92
$1.01 R$5.06
-8.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.03 $2.03
$2.44 R$12.19
-16.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.49 $3.49
$3.69 R$18.43
-5.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
El Salvador
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.84 $1.84
$1.15 R$5.72
60.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.40 $2.40
$2.07 R$10.34
15.94%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.55 $1.55
$1.29 R$6.42
20.16%
Eggs
$2.76 $2.76
$2.27 R$11.32
21.59%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.61 $7.61
$11.00 R$54.9
-30.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.95 $5.95
$4.31 R$21.51
38.05%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.99 $8.99
$9.74 R$48.63
-7.70%
Apples (1kg)
$3.81 $3.81
$2.83 R$14.12
34.63%
Banana (1kg)
$1.74 $1.74
$1.84 R$9.17
-5.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.96 $2.96
$1.60 R$7.96
85.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.93 $2.93
$1.80 R$9.00
62.78%
Potato (1kg)
$2.85 $2.85
$1.26 R$6.28
126.19%
Onion (1kg)
$2.32 $2.32
$1.07 R$5.34
116.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.97 $0.97
$0.75 R$3.75
29.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.95 $0.95
$0.66 R$3.29
43.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.97 $3.97
$3.05 R$15.21
30.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.90 $11.90
$8.18 R$40.84
45.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.90 $1.90
$1.19 R$5.92
59.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 $2.77
$2.39 R$11.92
15.90%
🚌 Getting Around
El Salvador
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.36 $0.36
$1.01 R$5.06
-64.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$35.46 $35.46
$50.2 R$250
-29.29%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.51 $6.51
$1.27 R$6.33
412.60%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.09 $3.09
$0.90 R$4.51
243.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.04 $20.04
$9.44 R$47.13
112.29%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.19 $1.19
$1.33 R$6.65
-10.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.2K $25.2K
$23.4K R$117.0K
7.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.3K $28.3K
$33.6K R$167.6K
-15.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
El Salvador
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$104 $104
$134 R$666
-21.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.38 $22.38
$12.23 R$61.0
82.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.65 $41.65
$22.65 R$113
83.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
El Salvador
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.73 $31.73
$31.56 R$158
0.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.60 $16.60
$30.87 R$154
-46.23%
Cinema Ticket
$4.96 $4.96
$8.23 R$41.07
-39.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
El Salvador
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$167 $167
$603 R$3,011
-72.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,427 $4,427
$13.2K R$66.1K
-66.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
El Salvador
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.2 $63.2
$41.62 R$208
51.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.16 $49.16
$49.94 R$249
-1.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$119 $119
$75.0 R$375
58.86%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$103 $103
$68.3 R$341
50.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
El Salvador
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$733 $733
$905 R$4,519
-19.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$655 $655
$527 R$2,633
24.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,261 $1,261
$1,346 R$6,720
-6.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$881 $881
$774 R$3,865
13.80%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,730 $2,730
$3,981 R$19.9K
-31.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,601 $1,601
$1,562 R$7,798
2.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
El Salvador
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$440 $440
$643 R$3,210
-31.62%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.48
11.93
-28.92%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for El Salvador: October 3, 2026
Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
El Salvador $655 44.3%
Rio de Janeiro $527 41% 19.5% $128
Groceries & Markets
El Salvador $262 17.7%
Rio de Janeiro $215 16.7% 18.2% $48
Monthly Utilities & Internet
El Salvador $168 11.4%
Rio de Janeiro $168 13.1% 0.1% $0.2
Clothing & Footwear
El Salvador $150 10.2%
Rio de Janeiro $106 8.2% 29.7% $45
Eating Out
El Salvador $143 9.7%
Rio de Janeiro $164 12.7% 14.7% $21
Getting Around
El Salvador $59 4%
Rio de Janeiro $60 4.7% 1.9% $1.1
Sport & Entertainment
El Salvador $42 2.8%
Rio de Janeiro $48 3.7% 15.3% $6.4
Accommodation & Living
El Salvador $881 32.2%
Rio de Janeiro $774 31.4% 12.1% $107
Groceries & Markets
El Salvador $603 22.1%
Rio de Janeiro $498 20.2% 17.5% $105
Monthly Utilities & Internet
El Salvador $191 7%
Rio de Janeiro $181 7.3% 5.2% $10
Clothing & Footwear
El Salvador $334 12.2%
Rio de Janeiro $235 9.5% 29.7% $99
Eating Out
El Salvador $508 18.6%
Rio de Janeiro $531 21.5% 4.4% $23
Getting Around
El Salvador $118 4.3%
Rio de Janeiro $122 4.9% 3% $3.6
Sport & Entertainment
El Salvador $100 3.7%
Rio de Janeiro $127 5.1% 27% $27
Good to know
🇸🇻 El Salvador
🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro
Weather
Population
6,029,976
6,211,223
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- El Salvador Rio de Janeiro 6,450 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
- El Salvador
- 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
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