Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hefei and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Hefei: $768 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Hefei
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Hefei Living Index
62

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

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Hefei

🇨🇳 China

$768

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $768 in Hefei versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Hefei $768
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,225 in Hefei versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Hefei $1,225
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,681 in Hefei versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Hefei $1,681
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Hefei costs roughly 40% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hefei 43% lower, Rio de Janeiro 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.58 ¥17.28

$9.38 R$47.54

-72.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.44 ¥150

$40.00 R$203

-43.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.36 ¥29.18

$8.34 R$42.28

-47.72%

Cappuccino

$2.75 ¥18.39

$2.29 R$11.62

20.09%

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

$0.49 ¥3.26

$1.59 R$8.05

-69.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$1.01 R$5.10

-73.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ¥7.09

$2.14 R$10.85

-50.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 ¥13.35

$3.66 R$18.55

-45.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥10.84

$1.13 R$5.72

43.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 ¥13.75

$2.09 R$10.60

-1.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.42

$1.25 R$6.36

-35.20%

Eggs

$1.92 ¥12.84

$2.25 R$11.39

-14.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.10 ¥94.3

$10.92 R$55.3

29.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 ¥32.76

$4.36 R$22.10

12.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.57 ¥77.3

$9.60 R$48.66

20.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ¥15.45

$2.85 R$14.46

-18.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.52

$1.81 R$9.16

-4.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 ¥10.95

$1.58 R$8.02

3.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.79

$1.83 R$9.28

-12.02%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ¥5.37

$1.20 R$6.10

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.26

$1.06 R$5.35

-11.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 ¥5.26

$0.75 R$3.81

5.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥4.70

$0.68 R$3.45

2.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 ¥20.59

$2.94 R$14.90

4.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 ¥81.3

$7.98 R$40.43

52.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.18 R$5.98

-21.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ¥13.28

$2.42 R$12.26

-17.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.94 R$4.78

-67.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.22 ¥302

$50.3 R$255

-10.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 ¥8.21

$1.20 R$6.10

2.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$0.83 R$4.20

-60.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 ¥23.48

$8.97 R$45.48

-60.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.91

$1.29 R$6.53

3.10%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$22.8K R$115.5K

-16.47%

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

$16.9K ¥112.9K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-50.26%

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

$48.54 ¥325

$134 R$681

-63.86%

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

$9.54 ¥63.8

$10.73 R$54.4

-11.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.08 ¥80.8

$22.84 R$116

-47.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.66 ¥105

$30.16 R$153

-48.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.31 ¥102

$31.49 R$160

-51.38%

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 ¥42.85

$7.73 R$39.17

-17.08%

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

$236 ¥1,581

$584 R$2,960

-59.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,656 ¥57.9K

$12.8K R$64.9K

-32.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 ¥600

$41.12 R$208

118.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.76 ¥219

$49.26 R$250

-33.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.7 ¥419

$73.7 R$373

-14.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.9 ¥648

$65.9 R$334

46.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$241 ¥1,609

$900 R$4,561

-73.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 ¥1,197

$527 R$2,673

-66.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$532 ¥3,558

$1,332 R$6,754

-60.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 ¥2,270

$748 R$3,790

-54.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,573 ¥23.9K

$3,990 R$20.2K

-10.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,975 ¥13.2K

$1,560 R$7,908

26.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,011 ¥6,763

$640 R$3,246

57.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

11.93

-73.60%

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

Last update for Hefei: October 19, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hefei

$235 30.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 8.9% $21

Accommodation & Living

Hefei

$179 23.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 195% $348

Clothing & Footwear

Hefei

$127 16.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 18.5% $23

Eating Out

Hefei

$79 10.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 97.2% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hefei

$70 9.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 139% $98

Getting Around

Hefei

$49 6.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 20.4% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Hefei

$28 3.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 60.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $241 in Hefei and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hefei pays 58% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $22.00 in Hefei vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $214, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hefei

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

18:00 6:00 PM

07:00 7:00 AM

11 h behind Hefei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,369,881

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 24, 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 24, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hefei Rio de Janeiro 17,850 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Hefei
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

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

Hefei wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Rio de Janeiro. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hefei the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 58% higher in Hefei, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $241 in Hefei versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Hefei – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $768 per month in Hefei versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $768 in Hefei versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hefei but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Hefei the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Hefei delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $768 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Hefei hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Hefei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.