Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between High Point, NC and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $2,198 in High Point, NC, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in High Point, NC
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High Point, NC Living Index
63

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

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High Point, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,198

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,198 in High Point, NC versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

High Point, NC $2,198
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,170 in High Point, NC versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

High Point, NC $3,170
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,141 in High Point, NC versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

High Point, NC $4,141
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in High Point, NC is roughly 71% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: High Point, NC is 63% above, Rio de Janeiro is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.79 $17.79

$10.06 R$51.0

76.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 $80.0

$40.44 R$205

97.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.86 $9.86

$8.55 R$43.35

15.32%

Cappuccino

$5.36 $5.36

$2.38 R$12.04

125.21%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$1.61 R$8.18

63.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.03 R$5.22

92.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 $4.87

$2.47 R$12.54

97.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 $5.97

$3.70 R$18.77

61.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.19 R$6.05

-14.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.05 R$10.38

93.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.20 $3.20

$1.28 R$6.49

150.00%

Eggs

$4.29 $4.29

$2.29 R$11.60

87.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.55 $16.55

$10.76 R$54.5

53.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.93 $13.93

$4.41 R$22.36

215.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.84 $17.84

$9.84 R$49.86

81.30%

Apples (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$2.81 R$14.25

88.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.78 R$9.03

-19.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$1.60 R$8.13

196.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.80 R$9.11

150.56%

Potato (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$1.22 R$6.17

210.66%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.04 R$5.26

214.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.77 R$3.92

167.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$0.67 R$3.38

253.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.19 $8.19

$3.01 R$15.27

172.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.26 $15.26

$8.08 R$40.94

88.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.19 R$6.03

41.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 $3.76

$2.51 R$12.73

49.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 $2.56

$0.99 R$5.00

158.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 $79.1

$50.1 R$254

57.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.22 R$6.20

147.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 $1.81

$0.92 R$4.66

96.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.08 $15.08

$8.97 R$45.45

68.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.30 R$6.57

-20.77%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$23.9K R$121.0K

51.12%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-23.11%

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

$176 $176

$133 R$676

31.69%

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

$51.3 $51.3

$10.82 R$54.8

374.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.6 $73.6

$22.90 R$116

221.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$11.92 $11.92

$8.05 R$40.83

48.07%

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

$1,309 $1,309

$598 R$3,029

119.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,982 $9,982

$13.4K R$68.0K

-25.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.44 $38.44

$42.04 R$213

-8.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.39 $34.39

$49.68 R$252

-30.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 $86.1

$74.5 R$378

15.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$68.7 R$348

60.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,171 $1,171

$903 R$4,578

29.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$930 $930

$529 R$2,684

75.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,451 $1,451

$1,326 R$6,724

9.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,283 $1,283

$756 R$3,831

69.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,960 $1,960

$4,010 R$20.3K

-51.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,954 $1,954

$1,560 R$7,910

25.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,420 $4,420

$640 R$3,242

591.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.48

11.93

-45.68%

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

Last update for High Point, NC: 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

High Point, NC

$930 42.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 43% $400

Groceries & Markets

High Point, NC

$430 19.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 50.1% $216

Monthly Utilities & Internet

High Point, NC

$301 13.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 44.4% $133

Eating Out

High Point, NC

$291 13.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 43.3% $126

Clothing & Footwear

High Point, NC

$121 5.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 12.7% $15

Getting Around

High Point, NC

$101 4.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 41% $42

Sport & Entertainment

High Point, NC

$24 * 1.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 96.6% $23

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 $1,171 in High Point, NC and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

High Point, NC pays 591% 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: $80.0 in High Point, NC vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $430 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 High Point, NC

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

12:51 12:51 PM

13:51 1:51 PM

1 h ahead of High Point, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

104,371

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 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

High Point, NC Rio de Janeiro 7,600 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

High Point, 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

High Point, NC vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

High Point, NC and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 71% in total monthly costs ($2,198 vs $1,289 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 591% higher in High Point, NC, 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: $1,171 in High Point, NC versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $80.0 in High Point, NC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,198 per month in High Point, NC versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro – a 71% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,198 in High Point, NC, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in High Point, NC. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in High Point, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.