Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Houston, MO and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $2,699 in Houston, MO, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Houston, MO
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Houston, MO Living Index
63

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

Jump to prices

Houston, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,699

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,699 in Houston, MO versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Houston, MO $2,699
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,960 in Houston, MO versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

Houston, MO $3,960
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,221 in Houston, MO versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

Houston, MO $5,221
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Houston, MO is roughly 109% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Houston, MO is 100% above, Rio de Janeiro is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.08 $18.08

$10.06 R$51.0

79.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.5 $77.5

$40.44 R$205

91.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.09 $12.09

$8.55 R$43.35

41.40%

Cappuccino

$5.18 $5.18

$2.38 R$12.04

117.65%

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

$2.42 $2.42

$1.61 R$8.18

50.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.03 R$5.22

69.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 $5.60

$2.47 R$12.54

126.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 $7.20

$3.70 R$18.77

94.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.19 R$6.05

4.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.80 $3.80

$2.05 R$10.38

85.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.71 $5.71

$1.28 R$6.49

346.09%

Eggs

$3.90 $3.90

$2.29 R$11.60

70.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.29 $13.29

$10.76 R$54.5

23.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.41 $15.41

$4.41 R$22.36

249.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.59 $20.59

$9.84 R$49.86

109.25%

Apples (1kg)

$8.21 $8.21

$2.81 R$14.25

192.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.78 R$9.03

34.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$1.60 R$8.13

246.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$1.80 R$9.11

192.22%

Potato (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$1.22 R$6.17

254.10%

Onion (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$1.04 R$5.26

376.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.83 $2.83

$0.77 R$3.92

267.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$0.67 R$3.38

320.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.24 $8.24

$3.01 R$15.27

173.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$8.08 R$40.94

88.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.19 R$6.03

137.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 $3.22

$2.51 R$12.73

28.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.90 $1.90

$0.99 R$5.00

91.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.22 R$6.20

178.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$0.92 R$4.66

72.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.87 $39.87

$8.97 R$45.45

344.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.30 R$6.57

-22.31%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$23.9K R$121.0K

49.64%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-25.46%

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

$244 $244

$133 R$676

82.60%

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

$68.3 $68.3

$10.82 R$54.8

530.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.7 $74.7

$22.90 R$116

226.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.02 $44.02

$30.79 R$156

42.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$13.93 $13.93

$8.05 R$40.83

73.04%

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

$1,425 $1,425

$598 R$3,029

138.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K $23.6K

$13.4K R$68.0K

75.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 $58.8

$42.04 R$213

39.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.41 $39.41

$49.68 R$252

-20.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.1 $87.1

$74.5 R$378

16.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$68.7 R$348

73.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,347 $1,347

$903 R$4,578

49.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 $1,292

$529 R$2,684

144.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,488 $2,488

$1,326 R$6,724

87.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,150 $2,150

$756 R$3,831

184.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,726 $2,726

$4,010 R$20.3K

-32.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,291 $2,291

$1,560 R$7,910

46.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

11.93

-43.67%

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

Last update for Houston, MO: 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

Houston, MO

$1.3K 47.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 59% $763

Groceries & Markets

Houston, MO

$490 18.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 56.2% $276

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Houston, MO

$387 14.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 56.8% $219

Eating Out

Houston, MO

$302 11.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 45.4% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Houston, MO

$137 5.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 22.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Houston, MO

$72 2.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 34.8% $25

Getting Around

Houston, MO

$19 * 0.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 216% $41

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 $1,347 in Houston, MO and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $78.0 in Houston, MO vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $490 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Houston, MO

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

04:13 4:13 AM

06:13 6:13 AM

2 h ahead of Houston, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,304,580

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Houston, MO Rio de Janeiro 8,420 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Houston, MO
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

Houston, MO vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 109% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,049 in Houston, MO and $1,933 in Rio de Janeiro to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,347 in Houston, MO versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,425 in Houston, MO versus $598 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $78.0 in Houston, MO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,699 in Houston, MO, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Houston, MO. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Rio de Janeiro is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Houston, MO, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 109% less than in Houston, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.