Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Isla de Margarita and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Isla de Margarita: $656 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

Jump to prices

Isla de Margarita

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$656

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $656 per month in Isla de Margarita vs $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Isla de Margarita $656
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

A couple spends around $1,223 per month in Isla de Margarita vs $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Isla de Margarita $1,223
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

A family of three spends $1,790 per month in Isla de Margarita vs $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Isla de Margarita $1,790
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Isla de Margarita is about 49% cheaper than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Isla de Margarita and Rio de Janeiro are more affordable than the global median – Isla de Margarita 51% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.12 VES 8,883

$10.06 R$51.0

0.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.7 VES 70.8K

$40.44 R$205

99.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

Cappuccino

$2.54 VES 2,229

$2.38 R$12.04

6.72%

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

$1.01 VES 890

$1.61 R$8.18

-37.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 VES 1,308

$1.03 R$5.22

44.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 VES 896

$2.47 R$12.54

-58.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 VES 2,614

$3.70 R$18.77

-19.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 VES 1,786

$1.19 R$6.05

70.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.92 VES 2,564

$2.05 R$10.38

42.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 VES 1,738

$1.28 R$6.49

54.69%

Eggs

$2.33 VES 2,045

$2.29 R$11.60

1.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.93 VES 6,958

$10.76 R$54.5

-26.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.93 VES 6,964

$4.41 R$22.36

79.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.13 VES 7,135

$9.84 R$49.86

-17.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 VES 3,608

$2.81 R$14.25

46.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 VES 1,303

$1.78 R$9.03

-16.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 VES 1,793

$1.60 R$8.13

27.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 VES 2,249

$1.80 R$9.11

42.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 VES 1,337

$1.22 R$6.17

24.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 VES 1,627

$1.04 R$5.26

77.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 VES 852

$0.77 R$3.92

25.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

Wine (Bottle)

$5.03 VES 4,413

$8.08 R$40.94

-37.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 VES 904

$1.19 R$6.03

-13.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 VES 1,342

$2.51 R$12.73

-39.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 VES 2,702

$1.22 R$6.20

152.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.96 VES 2,597

$0.92 R$4.66

221.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

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

$30.45 VES 26.7K

$133 R$676

-77.17%

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

$15.02 VES 13.2K

$10.82 R$54.8

38.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.21 VES 34.4K

$22.90 R$116

71.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 VES 43.5K

$30.79 R$156

60.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.94 VES 13.1K

$31.85 R$161

-53.09%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 VES 4,402

$8.05 R$40.83

-37.76%

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

$598 R$3,029

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.8 VES 70.1K

$42.04 R$213

89.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 VES 86.3K

$74.5 R$378

31.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 VES 89.2K

$68.7 R$348

47.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 VES 258.2K

$903 R$4,578

-67.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 VES 444.1K

$1,326 R$6,724

-61.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$602 VES 528.6K

$4,010 R$20.3K

-84.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

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

Last update for Isla de Margarita: 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

Isla de Margarita

–

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Groceries & Markets

Isla de Margarita

–

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Isla de Margarita

–

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Eating Out

Isla de Margarita

–

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Clothing & Footwear

Isla de Margarita

–

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Getting Around

Isla de Margarita

–

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Sport & Entertainment

Isla de Margarita

–

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $294 in Isla de Margarita versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81.0 in Isla de Margarita versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $215 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Isla de Margarita

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

08:44 8:44 AM

09:44 9:44 AM

1 h ahead of Isla de Margarita

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

90,387

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to VES – Venezuelan Bolívar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇪 Venezuelan Bolívar (Bs.S)

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 878 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 987 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 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).

USD to VES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Isla de Margarita Rio de Janeiro 4,390 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Isla de Margarita
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

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

Yes – Rio de Janeiro is pricier by about 96%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $984 per month in Isla de Margarita and $1,933 in Rio de Janeiro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Isla de Margarita, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81.0 in Isla de Margarita and $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Isla de Margarita, where all-in costs run around $656, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Isla de Margarita it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Isla de Margarita – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Isla de Margarita. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rio de Janeiro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.