Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Madison, IA and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Fort Madison, IA
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Fort Madison, IA Living Index
62

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

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Fort Madison, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,559

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,559 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $2,559
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

A couple spends around $3,754 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $3,754
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

A family of three spends $4,950 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $4,950
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Fort Madison, IA costs about 101% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Fort Madison, IA sits 89% above the global median, while Rio de Janeiro is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 $19.82

$9.38 R$47.54

111.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 $76.2

$40.00 R$203

90.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 $11.40

$8.34 R$42.28

36.69%

Cappuccino

$5.49 $5.49

$2.29 R$11.62

139.74%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$1.59 R$8.05

65.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.01 R$5.10

96.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.13 $6.13

$2.14 R$10.85

186.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 $7.37

$3.66 R$18.55

101.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.13 R$5.72

-7.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.09 R$10.60

65.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$1.25 R$6.36

244.00%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$2.25 R$11.39

84.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 $12.60

$10.92 R$55.3

15.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 $11.33

$4.36 R$22.10

159.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 $17.07

$9.60 R$48.66

77.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.85 R$14.46

71.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.81 R$9.16

-12.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$1.58 R$8.02

167.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$1.83 R$9.28

163.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$1.20 R$6.10

136.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.06 R$5.35

177.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.75 R$3.81

185.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.68 R$3.45

225.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$2.94 R$14.90

243.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.04 $15.04

$7.98 R$40.43

88.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.18 R$5.98

42.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.42 R$12.26

23.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.94 R$4.78

141.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.20 R$6.10

177.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.83 R$4.20

112.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.70 $31.70

$8.97 R$45.48

253.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.29 R$6.53

-28.68%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$22.8K R$115.5K

16.58%

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

$23.8K $23.8K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-29.87%

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

$201 $201

$134 R$681

49.97%

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

$59.0 $59.0

$10.73 R$54.4

449.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 $71.0

$22.84 R$116

210.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.05 $41.05

$30.16 R$153

36.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 $14.14

$7.73 R$39.17

82.92%

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

$1,439 $1,439

$584 R$2,960

146.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$12.8K R$64.9K

85.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 $53.8

$41.12 R$208

30.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.89 $40.89

$49.26 R$250

-16.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 $88.0

$73.7 R$373

19.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$65.9 R$334

74.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,582 $1,582

$900 R$4,561

75.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 $1,287

$527 R$2,673

144.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,533 $2,533

$1,332 R$6,754

90.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,141 $2,141

$748 R$3,790

186.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 $2,414

$3,990 R$20.2K

-39.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,589 $2,589

$1,560 R$7,908

65.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.93

-44.93%

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

Last update for Fort Madison, IA: 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

Fort Madison, IA

$1.3K 50.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 59% $760

Groceries & Markets

Fort Madison, IA

$393 15.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 45.7% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Madison, IA

$331 13%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 49.3% $164

Eating Out

Fort Madison, IA

$322 12.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 51.6% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Madison, IA

$134 5.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 22.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Madison, IA

$69 2.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 34.2% $24

Getting Around

Fort Madison, IA

$21 * 0.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 180% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,582 in Fort Madison, IA 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 $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $393 vs $214 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Madison, IA

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

13:06 1:06 PM

15:06 3:06 PM

2 h ahead of Fort Madison, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,270

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Fort Madison, IA Rio de Janeiro 8,640 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Madison, IA
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

Fort Madison, IA vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA, $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro – roughly 101% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,838 per month in Fort Madison, IA 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 $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA 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 84% more in Fort Madison, IA, 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 Fort Madison, IA at $2,559. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fort Madison, IA 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 $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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