Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fuzhou and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Fuzhou: $762 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Fuzhou
🇨🇳 China
$762
/mo nomad
Rio de Janeiro
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,289
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $762 in Fuzhou versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

  • Fuzhou $762
  • Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,227 in Fuzhou versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

  • Fuzhou $1,227
  • Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,692 in Fuzhou versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

  • Fuzhou $1,692
  • Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Fuzhou costs roughly 41% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Fuzhou 44% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Fuzhou
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.06 ¥20.47
$10.06 R$51.0
-69.58%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.06 ¥154
$40.44 R$205
-42.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.08 ¥33.98
$8.55 R$43.35
-40.58%
Cappuccino
$2.50 ¥16.74
$2.38 R$12.04
5.04%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.47 ¥3.12
$1.61 R$8.18
-70.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 ¥1.78
$1.03 R$5.22
-73.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.86 ¥5.73
$2.47 R$12.54
-65.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 ¥11.66
$3.70 R$18.77
-52.97%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Fuzhou
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.06 ¥13.81
$1.19 R$6.05
73.11%
White Bread (500g)
$1.41 ¥9.43
$2.05 R$10.38
-31.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.93 ¥6.23
$1.28 R$6.49
-27.34%
Eggs
$1.55 ¥10.39
$2.29 R$11.60
-32.31%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.65 ¥51.1
$10.76 R$54.5
-28.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.18 ¥14.58
$4.41 R$22.36
-50.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.97 ¥60.0
$9.84 R$49.86
-8.84%
Apples (1kg)
$1.80 ¥12.07
$2.81 R$14.25
-35.94%
Banana (1kg)
$1.32 ¥8.81
$1.78 R$9.03
-25.84%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.68 ¥11.22
$1.60 R$8.13
5.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.07 ¥7.14
$1.80 R$9.11
-40.56%
Potato (1kg)
$0.84 ¥5.63
$1.22 R$6.17
-31.15%
Onion (1kg)
$1.01 ¥6.75
$1.04 R$5.26
-2.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.44 ¥2.93
$0.77 R$3.92
-42.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ¥3.49
$0.67 R$3.38
-22.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.01 ¥20.13
$3.01 R$15.27
-
Wine (Bottle)
$10.99 ¥73.5
$8.08 R$40.94
36.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 ¥4.81
$1.19 R$6.03
-39.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.22 ¥8.13
$2.51 R$12.73
-51.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Fuzhou
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 ¥1.93
$0.99 R$5.00
-70.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$23.66 ¥158
$50.1 R$254
-52.78%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.52 ¥10.14
$1.22 R$6.20
24.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.29 ¥1.91
$0.92 R$4.66
-68.48%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.28 ¥48.68
$8.97 R$45.45
-18.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.25 ¥8.37
$1.30 R$6.57
-3.85%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.4K ¥129.7K
$23.9K R$121.0K
-18.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$15.6K ¥104.1K
$32.9K R$166.6K
-52.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fuzhou
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$43.17 ¥289
$133 R$676
-67.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.53 ¥57.1
$10.82 R$54.8
-21.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$8.94 ¥59.8
$22.90 R$116
-60.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Fuzhou
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.27 ¥283
$30.79 R$156
37.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.76 ¥98.7
$31.85 R$161
-53.66%
Cinema Ticket
$7.38 ¥49.31
$8.05 R$40.83
-8.32%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Fuzhou
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$209 ¥1,395
$598 R$3,029
-65.08%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K ¥81.0K
$13.4K R$68.0K
-9.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Fuzhou
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$39.90 ¥267
$42.04 R$213
-5.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.42 ¥197
$49.68 R$252
-40.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.5 ¥605
$74.5 R$378
21.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.9 ¥581
$68.7 R$348
26.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Fuzhou
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$458 ¥3,060
$903 R$4,578
-49.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$250 ¥1,672
$529 R$2,684
-52.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,038 ¥6,939
$1,326 R$6,724
-21.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$514 ¥3,438
$756 R$3,831
-31.97%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,514 ¥30.2K
$4,010 R$20.3K
12.57%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,346 ¥15.7K
$1,560 R$7,910
50.34%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Fuzhou
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,006 ¥6,728
$640 R$3,242
57.33%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.46
11.93
-71.00%

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

Last update for Fuzhou: 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.
Accommodation & Living
Fuzhou
$250
Rio de Janeiro
$529 112% $279
Groceries & Markets
Fuzhou
$175
Rio de Janeiro
$215 22.7% $40
Clothing & Footwear
Fuzhou
$111
Rio de Janeiro
$106 4.8% $5.3
Eating Out
Fuzhou
$80
Rio de Janeiro
$165 105% $85
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fuzhou
$61
Rio de Janeiro
$167 176% $106
Sport & Entertainment
Fuzhou
$57
Rio de Janeiro
$47 17.8% $10
Getting Around
Fuzhou
$28
Rio de Janeiro
$60 116% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $458 in Fuzhou and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fuzhou pays 57% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23.00 in Fuzhou vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $175 vs $215 per month, with Fuzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇳 Fuzhou
🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro
🕒 Local time
01:29 1:29 AM
14:29 2:29 PM
11 h behind Fuzhou
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,291,268
6,211,223
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Fuzhou Rio de Janeiro 18,210 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Fuzhou
  • 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
Fuzhou vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Fuzhou or Rio de Janeiro?
Fuzhou wins on cost – living expenses run 69% lower than in Rio de Janeiro. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Fuzhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Fuzhou or in Rio de Janeiro?
Average pay runs 57% higher in Fuzhou, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Fuzhou compared to Rio de Janeiro?
Rent for a central apartment: $458 in Fuzhou versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Fuzhou and in Rio de Janeiro?
Dining out is cheaper in Fuzhou – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Fuzhou compared to Rio de Janeiro?
All in, you'll spend $762 per month in Fuzhou versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro – a 69% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Fuzhou or in Rio de Janeiro?
At $762 in Fuzhou versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fuzhou but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Fuzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Fuzhou or Rio de Janeiro?
Both work as nomad bases, but Fuzhou delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $762 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Fuzhou hard to pass up.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Fuzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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