Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elizabeth City, NC and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,456 in Elizabeth City, NC, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Elizabeth City, NC
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Elizabeth City, NC Living Index
62

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

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Elizabeth City, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,456

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,456 per month in Elizabeth City, NC vs $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Elizabeth City, NC $2,456
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

A couple spends around $3,522 per month in Elizabeth City, NC vs $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Elizabeth City, NC $3,522
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

A family of three spends $4,588 per month in Elizabeth City, NC vs $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Elizabeth City, NC $4,588
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Elizabeth City, NC costs about 93% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Elizabeth City, NC sits 81% above the global median, while Rio de Janeiro is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.95 $11.95

$9.38 R$47.54

27.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.93 $34.93

$40.00 R$203

-12.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.60 $11.60

$8.34 R$42.28

39.09%

Cappuccino

$5.84 $5.84

$2.29 R$11.62

155.02%

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

$2.52 $2.52

$1.59 R$8.05

58.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.01 R$5.10

101.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.14 $6.14

$2.14 R$10.85

186.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 $7.09

$3.66 R$18.55

93.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.13 R$5.72

-15.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.09 R$10.60

74.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.25 R$6.36

140.00%

Eggs

$4.78 $4.78

$2.25 R$11.39

112.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.81 $10.81

$10.92 R$55.3

-1.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.01 $10.01

$4.36 R$22.10

129.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.49 $17.49

$9.60 R$48.66

82.19%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.85 R$14.46

53.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.81 R$9.16

-29.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$1.58 R$8.02

177.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$1.83 R$9.28

147.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.20 R$6.10

80.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.06 R$5.35

108.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 $2.01

$0.75 R$3.81

168.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.68 R$3.45

227.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.86 $8.86

$2.94 R$14.90

201.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 $14.74

$7.98 R$40.43

84.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.18 R$5.98

79.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.42 R$12.26

9.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 $1.81

$0.94 R$4.78

92.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.20 R$6.10

143.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 $1.93

$0.83 R$4.20

132.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.19 $18.19

$8.97 R$45.48

102.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.29 R$6.53

-22.48%

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

$30.6K $30.6K

$22.8K R$115.5K

34.32%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-24.54%

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

$183 $183

$134 R$681

36.29%

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

$56.8 $56.8

$10.73 R$54.4

429.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.6 $59.6

$22.84 R$116

160.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.64 $45.64

$30.16 R$153

51.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 $15.06

$7.73 R$39.17

94.83%

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

$1,491 $1,491

$584 R$2,960

155.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.9K $24.9K

$12.8K R$64.9K

94.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 $54.7

$41.12 R$208

32.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.11 $40.11

$49.26 R$250

-18.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 $87.8

$73.7 R$373

19.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 $143

$65.9 R$334

116.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 $1,584

$900 R$4,561

76.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,279 $1,279

$527 R$2,673

142.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 $2,494

$1,332 R$6,754

87.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,164 $2,164

$748 R$3,790

189.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 $2,870

$3,990 R$20.2K

-28.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,355 $2,355

$1,560 R$7,908

50.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.61

11.93

-44.59%

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

Last update for Elizabeth City, NC: October 18, 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

Elizabeth City, NC

$1.3K 52.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 58.8% $751

Groceries & Markets

Elizabeth City, NC

$373 15.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 42.7% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elizabeth City, NC

$299 12.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 43.9% $132

Eating Out

Elizabeth City, NC

$264 10.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 40.8% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Elizabeth City, NC

$146 6%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 29.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Elizabeth City, NC

$76 3.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 39.8% $30

Getting Around

Elizabeth City, NC

$20 * 0.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 200% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,584 in Elizabeth City, NC 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Elizabeth City, NC versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Groceries tell a different story – $373 in Elizabeth City, NC vs $214 in Rio de Janeiro – so Rio de Janeiro wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Elizabeth City, NC

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

23:55 11:55 PM

00:55 12:55 AM

1 h ahead of Elizabeth City, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,683

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

Elizabeth City, NC Rio de Janeiro 7,440 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Elizabeth City, NC
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

Elizabeth City, NC vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,456 in Elizabeth City, NC, $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro – roughly 93% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,685 per month in Elizabeth City, NC 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Elizabeth City, NC and $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 75% more in Elizabeth City, NC, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,273, than in Elizabeth City, NC at $2,456. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Elizabeth City, NC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Rio de Janeiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro to $2,456 in Elizabeth City, NC. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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