Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guarapuava and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Guarapuava: $738 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Guarapuava
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Guarapuava Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Guarapuava

🇧🇷 Brazil

$738

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $738 in Guarapuava versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro.

Guarapuava $738
Rio de Janeiro $1,182

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,193 in Guarapuava versus $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro.

Guarapuava $1,193
Rio de Janeiro $1,750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,647 in Guarapuava versus $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro.

Guarapuava $1,647
Rio de Janeiro $2,318

Living in Guarapuava costs roughly 38% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Guarapuava 46% lower, Rio de Janeiro 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.67 R$25.41

$9.08 R$49.36

-48.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.93 R$119

$37.25 R$203

-41.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.34 R$34.48

$8.02 R$43.60

-20.95%

Cappuccino

$1.89 R$10.29

$2.19 R$11.90

-13.70%

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

$1.13 R$6.12

$1.46 R$7.95

-22.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 R$4.10

$0.99 R$5.36

-24.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 R$8.18

$2.03 R$11.02

-25.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 R$12.84

$3.45 R$18.75

-31.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$6.27

$1.06 R$5.76

8.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 R$6.69

$1.98 R$10.79

-37.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.55

$1.17 R$6.38

2.56%

Eggs

$1.66 R$9.01

$2.21 R$12.00

-24.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.08 R$38.51

$10.11 R$55.0

-29.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.51 R$19.06

$4.12 R$22.38

-14.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.13 R$44.20

$9.17 R$49.87

-11.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.89

$2.72 R$14.78

-40.07%

Banana (1kg)

$0.48 R$2.60

$1.71 R$9.30

-71.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.82 R$4.47

$1.53 R$8.32

-46.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.98

$1.66 R$9.04

-22.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.55

$1.14 R$6.19

-10.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 R$5.50

$0.99 R$5.41

2.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 R$3.91

$0.65 R$3.52

10.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 R$3.90

$0.60 R$3.25

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.47 R$13.43

$2.79 R$15.20

-11.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.37 R$50.9

$7.48 R$40.67

25.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 R$10.91

$1.09 R$5.93

84.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 R$12.35

$2.33 R$12.69

-2.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 R$5.26

$0.90 R$4.87

7.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.98 R$228

$53.0 R$288

-20.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 R$5.75

$1.17 R$6.34

-9.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 R$5.62

$0.78 R$4.24

32.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 R$14.38

$8.37 R$45.51

-68.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 R$5.37

$1.21 R$6.59

-18.18%

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

$30.1K R$163.8K

$21.5K R$116.7K

40.32%

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

$30.8K R$167.5K

$31.1K R$169.3K

-1.06%

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

$80.5 R$438

$124 R$677

-35.30%

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

$8.42 R$45.78

$10.03 R$54.6

-16.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.43 R$117

$20.88 R$114

2.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.36 R$154

$28.35 R$154

0.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.20 R$77.2

$29.33 R$159

-51.59%

Cinema Ticket

$5.43 R$29.55

$7.62 R$41.41

-28.74%

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

$199 R$1,080

$563 R$3,061

-64.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,479 R$18.9K

$12.0K R$65.5K

-71.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.78 R$173

$39.25 R$213

-19.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.60 R$161

$46.36 R$252

-36.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 R$591

$68.4 R$372

58.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.7 R$509

$63.4 R$345

47.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 R$1,215

$776 R$4,220

-71.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 R$814

$473 R$2,573

-68.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$525 R$2,857

$1,391 R$7,562

-62.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 R$2,092

$739 R$4,018

-47.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,590 R$8,643

$3,393 R$18.4K

-53.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$549 R$2,982

$1,570 R$8,537

-65.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$453 R$2,462

$597 R$3,245

-24.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.5

11.93

-11.99%

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

Last update for Guarapuava: October 24, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Guarapuava

$169 22.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17% 18.8% $32

Accommodation & Living

Guarapuava

$150 20.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40% 216% $323

Clothing & Footwear

Guarapuava

$119 16.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3% 17.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guarapuava

$110 15%

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1% 40.8% $45

Eating Out

Guarapuava

$99 13.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7% 51.5% $51

Getting Around

Guarapuava

$52 7.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2% 18.4% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Guarapuava

$39 5.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7% 11.1% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $223 in Guarapuava and $776 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 32% 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: $22 in Guarapuava vs $37 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $169 vs $201 per month, with Guarapuava cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Guarapuava

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

23:39 11:39 PM

Same time as Guarapuava

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

182,093

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Guarapuava Rio de Janeiro 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Guarapuava
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

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

Guarapuava wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Rio de Janeiro. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Guarapuava the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Guarapuava. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $223 in Guarapuava versus $776 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $199 in Guarapuava versus $563 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Rio de Janeiro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Guarapuava gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.