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.

🇸🇻 El Salvador
$1,466
/mo nomad
Rio de Janeiro
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,285
/mo nomad
😐 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.
Currency
🍽 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.
Accommodation & Living
El Salvador
$655
Rio de Janeiro
$527 19.5% $128
Groceries & Markets
El Salvador
$262
Rio de Janeiro
$215 18.2% $48
Monthly Utilities & Internet
El Salvador
$168
Rio de Janeiro
$168 0.1% $0.2
Clothing & Footwear
El Salvador
$150
Rio de Janeiro
$106 29.7% $45
Eating Out
El Salvador
$143
Rio de Janeiro
$164 14.7% $21
Getting Around
El Salvador
$59
Rio de Janeiro
$60 1.9% $1.1
Sport & Entertainment
El Salvador
$42
Rio de Janeiro
$48 15.3% $6.4
Good to know
🇸🇻 El Salvador
🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro
🕒 Local time
06:06 6:06 AM
09:06 9:06 AM
3 h ahead of El Salvador
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
6,029,976
6,211,223
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

On the map
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

El Salvador vs other spots: cost of living compared

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