Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fajardo and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living costs are similar in Fajardo and in Rio de Janeiro: $1,251 and $1,289 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Fajardo
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Fajardo Living Index
63

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

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Fajardo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,251

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,251 in Fajardo versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Fajardo $1,251
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,962 in Fajardo versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

Fajardo $1,962
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,674 in Fajardo versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

Fajardo $2,674
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Fajardo costs roughly 3% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Fajardo 7% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.97 $9.97

$10.06 R$51.0

-0.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.7 $80.7

$40.44 R$205

99.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.09 $9.09

$8.55 R$43.35

6.32%

Cappuccino

$3.69 $3.69

$2.38 R$12.04

55.04%

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

$1.84 $1.84

$1.61 R$8.18

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.03 R$5.22

40.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.47 R$12.54

22.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 $5.13

$3.70 R$18.77

38.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.19 R$6.05

79.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.05 R$10.38

81.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.28 R$6.49

82.81%

Eggs

$7.62 $7.62

$2.29 R$11.60

232.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 $12.30

$10.76 R$54.5

14.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.37 $9.37

$4.41 R$22.36

112.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.16 $13.16

$9.84 R$49.86

33.74%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.81 R$14.25

76.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.78 R$9.03

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$1.60 R$8.13

210.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$1.80 R$9.11

172.78%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.22 R$6.17

204.92%

Onion (1kg)

$3.87 $3.87

$1.04 R$5.26

272.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.36 $3.36

$0.77 R$3.92

336.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.67 R$3.38

147.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.26 $11.26

$3.01 R$15.27

274.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.57 $15.57

$8.08 R$40.94

92.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.19 R$6.03

153.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.51 R$12.73

61.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.22 R$6.20

99.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.92 R$4.66

58.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.97 $41.97

$8.97 R$45.45

367.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.30 R$6.57

-5.38%

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

$40.3K $40.3K

$23.9K R$121.0K

68.82%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-16.36%

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

$325 $325

$133 R$676

143.34%

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

$70.1 $70.1

$10.82 R$54.8

547.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.4 $69.4

$22.90 R$116

202.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$10.38 $10.38

$8.05 R$40.83

28.94%

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

$809 $809

$598 R$3,029

35.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K $12.4K

$13.4K R$68.0K

-7.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.0 $56.0

$42.04 R$213

33.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 $61.1

$49.68 R$252

22.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$74.5 R$378

45.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$68.7 R$348

66.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$982 $982

$903 R$4,578

8.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

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)

$640 R$3,242

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

11.93

-45.10%

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

Last update for Fajardo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fajardo

$464 37.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 64% $297

Groceries & Markets

Fajardo

$414 33.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 48.1% $199

Eating Out

Fajardo

$190 15.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 13.1% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Fajardo

$153 12.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 30.9% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Fajardo

$21 * 1.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 126% $26

Getting Around

Fajardo

$9.7 * 0.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 517% $50

Accommodation & Living

Fajardo

- * 0%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $982 in Fajardo and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $81.0 in Fajardo vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $414 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Fajardo

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

17:07 5:07 PM

18:07 6:07 PM

1 h ahead of Fajardo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,647

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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Fajardo Rio de Janeiro 5,190 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Fajardo
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

Fajardo vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fajardo wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Rio de Janeiro. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Fajardo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,876 in Fajardo and $1,933 in Rio de Janeiro to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $982 in Fajardo versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Rio de Janeiro pay roughly 93% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,251 per month in Fajardo versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,251 in Fajardo versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fajardo but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Fajardo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Fajardo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,251 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Fajardo hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Fajardo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.