Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Imperatriz and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Imperatriz: $854 a month against $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Imperatriz
Learn more

Imperatriz Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

Jump to prices

Imperatriz

🇧🇷 Brazil

$854

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $854 in Imperatriz versus $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro.

Imperatriz $854
Rio de Janeiro $1,185

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,356 in Imperatriz versus $1,737 in Rio de Janeiro.

Imperatriz $1,356
Rio de Janeiro $1,737

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,859 in Imperatriz versus $2,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Imperatriz $1,859
Rio de Janeiro $2,289

Living in Imperatriz costs roughly 28% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Imperatriz 37% lower, Rio de Janeiro 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.59 R$30.51

$8.16 R$44.53

-31.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.30 R$176

$37.20 R$203

-13.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.75 R$42.33

$7.52 R$41.07

3.06%

Cappuccino

$1.85 R$10.08

$2.10 R$11.48

-11.90%

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

$1.35 R$7.38

$1.36 R$7.43

-0.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 R$2.45

$0.96 R$5.25

-53.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 R$11.00

$1.98 R$10.79

1.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 R$16.54

$3.26 R$17.80

-7.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 R$6.24

$1.09 R$5.93

4.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 R$7.88

$1.87 R$10.19

-22.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.92

$1.12 R$6.14

13.39%

Eggs

$2.32 R$12.64

$2.20 R$12.02

5.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.41 R$40.43

$9.91 R$54.1

-25.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.52 R$19.23

$4.11 R$22.44

-14.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.81 R$48.09

$9.25 R$50.5

-4.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 R$12.54

$2.59 R$14.15

-11.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.63

$1.69 R$9.21

-28.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.93 R$5.06

$1.47 R$8.01

-36.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 R$7.75

$1.72 R$9.37

-17.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 R$6.09

$1.16 R$6.31

-4.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.25

$1.00 R$5.45

14.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$4.16

$0.66 R$3.59

15.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 R$3.95

$0.61 R$3.33

18.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.96 R$10.72

$2.69 R$14.70

-27.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.48 R$35.38

$7.20 R$39.32

-10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 R$5.87

$1.07 R$5.86

0.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 R$10.39

$2.24 R$12.22

-15.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 R$4.52

$0.88 R$4.78

-5.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.87 R$240

$52.3 R$286

-16.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 R$6.71

$1.18 R$6.44

4.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 R$4.05

$0.68 R$3.69

8.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.59 R$41.45

$8.71 R$47.55

-12.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 R$6.22

$1.20 R$6.54

-5.00%

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

$22.8K R$124.6K

$21.9K R$119.4K

4.35%

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

$30.2K R$164.9K

$31.0K R$169.3K

-2.61%

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

$65.1 R$355

$126 R$686

-48.21%

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

$12.79 R$69.8

$10.14 R$55.4

26.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.61 R$107

$20.95 R$114

-6.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.65 R$129

$28.51 R$156

-17.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.82 R$136

$28.87 R$158

-14.03%

Cinema Ticket

$6.04 R$33.00

$7.40 R$40.42

-18.38%

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

$266 R$1,452

$537 R$2,931

-50.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,987 R$32.7K

$15.9K R$86.7K

-62.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.69 R$249

$38.68 R$211

18.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.81 R$256

$45.06 R$246

3.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.5 R$483

$68.6 R$374

29.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.6 R$374

$64.1 R$350

6.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$288 R$1,575

$768 R$4,191

-62.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$268 R$1,460

$491 R$2,679

-45.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 R$3,340

$1,458 R$7,962

-58.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 R$2,756

$743 R$4,056

-32.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,613 R$8,809

$3,325 R$18.2K

-51.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,168 R$6,379

$1,552 R$8,473

-24.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 R$3,678

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

-7.80%

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

Last update for Imperatriz: October 31, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Imperatriz

$268 31.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$491 41.4% 83.4% $223

Groceries & Markets

Imperatriz

$176 20.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$198 16.7% 12.8% $23

Eating Out

Imperatriz

$113 13.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$139 11.7% 22.3% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Imperatriz

$112 13.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$97 8.2% 13.3% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Imperatriz

$97 11.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$157 13.2% 60.8% $59

Getting Around

Imperatriz

$52 6.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 5.1% 15.8% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Imperatriz

$36 4.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$43 3.7% 21.2% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $288 in Imperatriz and $768 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Imperatriz vs $37 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $176 vs $198 per month, with Imperatriz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Imperatriz

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

06:42 6:42 AM

Same time as Imperatriz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

273,110

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Imperatriz Rio de Janeiro 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Imperatriz
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

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

Imperatriz is about 28% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,281 in Imperatriz and $1,778 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: $288 in Imperatriz versus $768 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Rio de Janeiro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Imperatriz – a meal for two runs $32 versus $37 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $854 in Imperatriz versus $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Imperatriz but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Imperatriz 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 Imperatriz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.