Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ibarra and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibarra: $681 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Ibarra
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Ibarra Living Index
62

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

Jump to prices

Ibarra

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$681

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $681 in Ibarra versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Ibarra $681
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,128 in Ibarra versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Ibarra $1,128
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,576 in Ibarra versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Ibarra $1,576
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Ibarra costs roughly 47% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ibarra 50% lower, Rio de Janeiro 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.55 $2.55

$9.38 R$47.54

-72.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.47 $25.47

$40.00 R$203

-36.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.77 $5.77

$8.34 R$42.28

-30.82%

Cappuccino

$2.19 $2.19

$2.29 R$11.62

-4.37%

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

$1.08 $1.08

$1.59 R$8.05

-32.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 $0.54

$1.01 R$5.10

-46.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.14 R$10.85

-7.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$3.66 R$18.55

-40.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.13 R$5.72

-11.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.09 R$10.60

-51.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.25 R$6.36

19.20%

Eggs

$2.08 $2.08

$2.25 R$11.39

-7.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$10.92 R$55.3

-64.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.59 $5.59

$4.36 R$22.10

28.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.69 $7.69

$9.60 R$48.66

-19.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.85 R$14.46

-28.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.81 R$9.16

-31.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.58 R$8.02

-19.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.83 R$9.28

-53.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.52 $0.52

$1.20 R$6.10

-56.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.06 R$5.35

-2.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 $0.69

$0.75 R$3.81

-8.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.68 R$3.45

45.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.94 R$14.90

-1.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.84 $9.84

$7.98 R$40.43

23.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.18 R$5.98

33.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 $3.19

$2.42 R$12.26

31.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$0.94 R$4.78

-61.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.86 $17.86

$50.3 R$255

-64.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.20 R$6.10

22.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.83 R$4.20

85.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.90 $9.90

$8.97 R$45.48

10.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.68 $0.68

$1.29 R$6.53

-47.29%

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

$20.7K $20.7K

$22.8K R$115.5K

-9.16%

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

$28.8K $28.8K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-15.30%

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

$28.49 $28.49

$134 R$681

-78.79%

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

$15.03 $15.03

$10.73 R$54.4

40.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.15 $18.15

$22.84 R$116

-20.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.39 $30.39

$30.16 R$153

0.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.34 $16.34

$31.49 R$160

-48.11%

Cinema Ticket

$6.21 $6.21

$7.73 R$39.17

-19.66%

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

$112 $112

$584 R$2,960

-80.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,951 $8,951

$12.8K R$64.9K

-30.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 $59.1

$41.12 R$208

43.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.78 $44.78

$49.26 R$250

-9.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 $91.5

$73.7 R$373

24.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.31 $49.31

$65.9 R$334

-25.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 $223

$900 R$4,561

-75.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$177 $177

$527 R$2,673

-66.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 $733

$1,332 R$6,754

-44.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$409 $409

$748 R$3,790

-45.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,199 $1,199

$3,990 R$20.2K

-69.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$770 $770

$1,560 R$7,908

-50.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$612 $612

$640 R$3,246

-4.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

11.93

-15.17%

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

Last update for Ibarra: October 18, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ibarra

$177 26%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 198% $351

Groceries & Markets

Ibarra

$176 25.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 21.4% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Ibarra

$110 16.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 6% $6.6

Eating Out

Ibarra

$85 12.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 83.9% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ibarra

$62 9.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 172% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Ibarra

$43 6.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 6.5% $2.8

Getting Around

Ibarra

$29 4.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 109% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $223 in Ibarra and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 5% 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: $25.00 in Ibarra vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $176 vs $214 per month, with Ibarra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Ibarra

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

17:31 5:31 PM

19:31 7:31 PM

2 h ahead of Ibarra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,666

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 →

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Ibarra Rio de Janeiro 4,580 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ibarra
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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

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

Ibarra wins on cost – living expenses run 87% lower than in Rio de Janeiro. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ibarra the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Rio de Janeiro. 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 Ibarra versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Rio de Janeiro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Ibarra – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $681 in Ibarra versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ibarra but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Ibarra the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ibarra delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $681 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ibarra hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Ibarra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 87% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.