Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Goldsboro, NC and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $1,942 in Goldsboro, NC, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Goldsboro, NC
🇺🇸 United States
$1,942
/mo nomad
Rio de Janeiro
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,285
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,942 in Goldsboro, NC versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro.

  • Goldsboro, NC $1,942
  • Rio de Janeiro $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,747 in Goldsboro, NC versus $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro.

  • Goldsboro, NC $2,747
  • Rio de Janeiro $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,553 in Goldsboro, NC versus $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro.

  • Goldsboro, NC $3,553
  • Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Living in Goldsboro, NC is roughly 51% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Goldsboro, NC is 45% above, Rio de Janeiro is 4% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Goldsboro, NC
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.18 $15.18
$9.98 R$49.69
52.10%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$52.7 $52.7
$40.34 R$201
30.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.30 $9.30
$8.48 R$42.23
9.67%
Cappuccino
$4.19 $4.19
$2.36 R$11.77
77.54%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 $2.12
$1.63 R$8.11
30.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.55 $1.55
$1.01 R$5.05
53.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.52 $3.52
$2.44 R$12.15
44.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.88 $4.88
$3.69 R$18.38
32.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Goldsboro, NC
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.96 $0.96
$1.15 R$5.70
-16.52%
White Bread (500g)
$3.49 $3.49
$2.07 R$10.31
68.60%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.20 $4.20
$1.29 R$6.40
225.58%
Eggs
$4.84 $4.84
$2.27 R$11.29
113.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.12 $13.12
$11.00 R$54.7
19.27%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.18 $9.18
$4.31 R$21.44
112.99%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.34 $16.34
$9.74 R$48.49
67.76%
Apples (1kg)
$3.78 $3.78
$2.83 R$14.07
33.57%
Banana (1kg)
$2.05 $2.05
$1.84 R$9.14
11.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.38 $3.38
$1.60 R$7.94
111.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.76 $4.76
$1.80 R$8.97
164.44%
Potato (1kg)
$3.43 $3.43
$1.26 R$6.26
172.22%
Onion (1kg)
$3.16 $3.16
$1.07 R$5.32
195.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.16 $2.16
$0.75 R$3.74
188.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.78 $2.78
$0.66 R$3.28
321.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.11 $7.11
$3.05 R$15.16
133.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.11 $14.11
$8.18 R$40.72
72.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.67 $1.67
$1.19 R$5.90
40.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 $4.38
$2.39 R$11.88
83.26%
🚌 Getting Around
Goldsboro, NC
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.01 R$5.04
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$50.2 R$250
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$7.10 $7.10
$1.27 R$6.31
459.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.23 $2.23
$0.90 R$4.50
147.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.73 $14.73
$9.44 R$46.99
56.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.78 $0.78
$1.33 R$6.63
-41.35%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.1K $25.1K
$23.4K R$116.6K
7.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.2K $23.2K
$33.6K R$167.1K
-30.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Goldsboro, NC
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$121 $121
$134 R$664
-9.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$48.46 $48.46
$12.23 R$60.9
296.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.62 $44.62
$22.65 R$113
97.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Goldsboro, NC
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.45 $44.45
$31.56 R$157
40.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$30.87 R$154
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.10 $12.10
$8.23 R$40.95
47.02%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Goldsboro, NC
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,202 $1,202
$603 R$3,002
99.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.0K $12.0K
$13.2K R$65.9K
-9.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Goldsboro, NC
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$38.80 $38.80
$41.62 R$207
-6.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.57 $31.57
$49.94 R$249
-36.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.6 $84.6
$75.0 R$373
12.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$69.7 $69.7
$68.3 R$340
2.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Goldsboro, NC
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,245 $1,245
$905 R$4,506
37.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$857 $857
$527 R$2,625
62.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,716 $1,716
$1,346 R$6,700
27.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,244 $1,244
$774 R$3,854
60.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,777 $1,777
$3,981 R$19.8K
-55.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,734 $1,734
$1,562 R$7,775
11.02%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Goldsboro, NC
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,334 $5,334
$643 R$3,200
729.55%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.68
11.93
-44.01%

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

Last update for Goldsboro, NC: 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.
Accommodation & Living
Goldsboro, NC
$857
Rio de Janeiro
$527 38.4% $329
Groceries & Markets
Goldsboro, NC
$387
Rio de Janeiro
$215 44.6% $173
Eating Out
Goldsboro, NC
$242
Rio de Janeiro
$164 32.2% $78
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Goldsboro, NC
$214
Rio de Janeiro
$168 21.5% $46
Clothing & Footwear
Goldsboro, NC
$101
Rio de Janeiro
$106 4.6% $4.6
Sport & Entertainment
Goldsboro, NC
$69
Rio de Janeiro
$48 30% $21
Getting Around
Goldsboro, NC
$18 *
Rio de Janeiro
$60 229% $42

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 $1,245 in Goldsboro, NC and $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Goldsboro, NC pays 730% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $53.0 in Goldsboro, NC vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $387 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Goldsboro, NC
🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro
🕒 Local time
00:10 12:10 AM
01:10 1:10 AM
1 h ahead of Goldsboro, NC
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
38,203
6,211,223
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Goldsboro, NC Rio de Janeiro 7,450 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Goldsboro, 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
Goldsboro, NC vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rio de Janeiro cheaper than Goldsboro, NC?
Rio de Janeiro is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 51% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Goldsboro, NC or Rio de Janeiro?
Average pay runs 730% higher in Goldsboro, NC, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Goldsboro, NC and Rio de Janeiro?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,245 in Goldsboro, NC versus $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Goldsboro, NC and in Rio de Janeiro?
Supermarket bills run roughly 80% higher in Goldsboro, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Goldsboro, NC and in Rio de Janeiro?
All in, you'll spend $1,942 per month in Goldsboro, NC versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Goldsboro, NC or in Rio de Janeiro?
At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,942 in Goldsboro, NC, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Goldsboro, NC. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Goldsboro, NC or Rio de Janeiro more family-friendly?
For families, Rio de Janeiro is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Goldsboro, NC, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Goldsboro, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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