Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elgin, IL and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Elgin, IL: $1,035 a month against $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

51

Cost of Living Index in Elgin, IL
Learn more

Elgin, IL Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

Jump to prices

Elgin, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,035

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,035 in Elgin, IL versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro.

Elgin, IL $1,035
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,614 in Elgin, IL versus $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro.

Elgin, IL $2,614
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,192 in Elgin, IL versus $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro.

Elgin, IL $4,192
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Living in Elgin, IL costs roughly 19% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Elgin, IL 23% lower, Rio de Janeiro 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.93 $19.93

$9.98 R$49.69

99.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.5 $59.5

$40.34 R$201

47.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 $10.07

$8.48 R$42.23

18.75%

Cappuccino

$3.90 $3.90

$2.36 R$11.77

65.25%

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

$3.03 $3.03

$1.63 R$8.11

85.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.01 R$5.05

102.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.96 $5.96

$2.44 R$12.15

144.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 $4.92

$3.69 R$18.38

33.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.15 R$5.70

-22.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.07 R$10.31

71.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.29 R$6.40

236.43%

Eggs

$3.73 $3.73

$2.27 R$11.29

64.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.35 $11.35

$11.00 R$54.7

3.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.45 $13.45

$4.31 R$21.44

212.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.71 $11.71

$9.74 R$48.49

20.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$2.83 R$14.07

58.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.84 R$9.14

-30.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.60 R$7.94

60.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$1.80 R$8.97

134.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.26 R$6.26

57.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.07 R$5.32

94.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$0.75 R$3.74

145.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$0.66 R$3.28

259.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.79 $10.79

$3.05 R$15.16

253.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.56 $15.56

$8.18 R$40.72

90.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.19 R$5.90

120.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 $3.49

$2.39 R$11.88

46.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.04

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 $4.06

$1.27 R$6.31

219.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.90 R$4.50

124.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.28 $28.28

$9.44 R$46.99

199.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.33 R$6.63

-21.80%

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

$36.5K $36.5K

$23.4K R$116.6K

55.89%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$33.6K R$167.1K

-25.74%

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

$99.4 $99.4

$134 R$664

-25.57%

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

$52.2 $52.2

$12.23 R$60.9

326.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.61 $49.61

$22.65 R$113

119.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$157

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$14.76 $14.76

$8.23 R$40.95

79.34%

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

$1,690 $1,690

$603 R$3,002

180.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K $23.2K

$13.2K R$65.9K

74.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.27 $39.27

$41.62 R$207

-5.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 $50.2

$49.94 R$249

0.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$75.0 R$373

33.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$68.3 R$340

79.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,506

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,625

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,175 $2,175

$1,346 R$6,700

61.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,811 $1,811

$774 R$3,854

133.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,192 $2,192

$3,981 R$19.8K

-44.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,211 $2,211

$1,562 R$7,775

41.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,971 $3,971

$643 R$3,200

517.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

11.93

-43.92%

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

Last update for Elgin, IL: October 4, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Elgin, IL

$371 35.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 42.2% $157

Eating Out

Elgin, IL

$296 28.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 44.7% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elgin, IL

$201 19.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 16.3% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Elgin, IL

$141 13.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 24.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Elgin, IL

$30 * 2.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 62.7% $19

Getting Around

Elgin, IL

$14 * 1.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 323% $46

Accommodation & Living

Elgin, IL

- * 0%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

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

Cost Breakdown

Elgin, IL pays 517% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $59.0 in Elgin, IL vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $371 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Elgin, IL

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

19:51 7:51 PM

21:51 9:51 PM

2 h ahead of Elgin, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

112,603

6,211,223

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 BRL = 0.201 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 USD = 4.98 BRL (1 BRL = 0.201 USD). 1 EUR = 5.58 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Elgin, IL Rio de Janeiro 8,580 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Elgin, IL
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

Elgin, IL vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Elgin, IL is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 517% higher in Elgin, IL, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $1,690 in Elgin, IL versus $603 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Elgin, IL – a meal for two runs $59.0 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,035 in Elgin, IL versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Elgin, IL but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Elgin, IL the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Elgin, IL is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Rio de Janeiro, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Elgin, IL and Rio de Janeiro are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Elgin, IL gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.