Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Imbituba and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Imbituba: $852 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Imbituba
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Imbituba Living Index
62

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

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Imbituba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$852

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $852 in Imbituba versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Imbituba $852
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,353 in Imbituba versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Imbituba $1,353
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,854 in Imbituba versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Imbituba $1,854
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Imbituba costs roughly 33% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Imbituba 37% lower, Rio de Janeiro 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.96 R$25.13

$9.38 R$47.54

-47.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.58 R$155

$40.00 R$203

-23.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.93 R$35.11

$8.34 R$42.28

-16.91%

Cappuccino

$2.01 R$10.18

$2.29 R$11.62

-12.23%

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

$1.13 R$5.71

$1.59 R$8.05

-28.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 R$2.48

$1.01 R$5.10

-51.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.39

$2.14 R$10.85

14.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 R$12.07

$3.66 R$18.55

-34.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 R$4.86

$1.13 R$5.72

-15.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 R$6.26

$2.09 R$10.60

-41.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.86 R$4.37

$1.25 R$6.36

-31.20%

Eggs

$2.23 R$11.33

$2.25 R$11.39

-0.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.47 R$42.95

$10.92 R$55.3

-22.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 R$16.00

$4.36 R$22.10

-27.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.60 R$33.47

$9.60 R$48.66

-31.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 R$8.22

$2.85 R$14.46

-43.16%

Banana (1kg)

$0.79 R$4.00

$1.81 R$9.16

-56.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.25

$1.58 R$8.02

-22.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.78 R$3.96

$1.83 R$9.28

-57.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 R$4.15

$1.20 R$6.10

-31.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.16

$1.06 R$5.35

15.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 R$7.77

$0.75 R$3.81

104.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 R$4.79

$0.68 R$3.45

38.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.12 R$15.82

$2.94 R$14.90

6.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.76 R$49.48

$7.98 R$40.43

22.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.96

$1.18 R$5.98

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 R$16.10

$2.42 R$12.26

31.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.26

$0.94 R$4.78

10.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.00 R$223

$50.3 R$255

-12.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 R$10.26

$1.20 R$6.10

68.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 R$8.23

$0.83 R$4.20

95.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.13 R$51.3

$8.97 R$45.48

12.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.42

$1.29 R$6.53

-1.55%

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

$25.3K R$128.4K

$22.8K R$115.5K

11.19%

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

$34.1K R$173.0K

$34.0K R$172.1K

0.49%

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

$61.5 R$312

$134 R$681

-54.20%

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

$11.31 R$57.4

$10.73 R$54.4

5.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.89 R$106

$22.84 R$116

-8.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.13 R$132

$30.16 R$153

-13.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.12 R$143

$31.49 R$160

-10.70%

Cinema Ticket

$8.68 R$43.98

$7.73 R$39.17

12.29%

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

$318 R$1,614

$584 R$2,960

-45.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,577 R$33.3K

$12.8K R$64.9K

-48.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.74 R$232

$41.12 R$208

11.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.3 R$483

$49.26 R$250

93.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.9 R$456

$73.7 R$373

22.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.1 R$355

$65.9 R$334

6.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$361 R$1,830

$900 R$4,561

-59.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 R$1,225

$527 R$2,673

-54.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 R$3,431

$1,332 R$6,754

-49.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 R$2,363

$748 R$3,790

-37.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,704 R$8,639

$3,990 R$20.2K

-57.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 R$6,089

$1,560 R$7,908

-23.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

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 Imbituba: October 17, 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

Imbituba

$242 28.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 118% $286

Groceries & Markets

Imbituba

$171 20.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 24.9% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Imbituba

$135 15.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 23.6% $32

Eating Out

Imbituba

$108 12.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 44.4% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Imbituba

$94 11%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 79.1% $74

Getting Around

Imbituba

$58 6.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 2% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Imbituba

$43 5.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 4.9% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $361 in Imbituba and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $31.00 in Imbituba vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $214 per month, with Imbituba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Imbituba

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

16:57 4:57 PM

Same time as Imbituba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,579

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Imbituba Rio de Janeiro 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Imbituba
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

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

Imbituba is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 50% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,278 in Imbituba and $1,910 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: $361 in Imbituba 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 25% higher in Rio de Janeiro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Imbituba – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $852 in Imbituba versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Imbituba but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Imbituba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Imbituba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.