Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Itajubá, MG and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Itajubá, MG: $867 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Itajubá, MG
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Itajubá, MG Living Index
63

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

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Itajubá, MG

🇧🇷 Brazil

$867

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $867 in Itajubá, MG versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Itajubá, MG $867
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,285 in Itajubá, MG versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

Itajubá, MG $1,285
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,703 in Itajubá, MG versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

Itajubá, MG $1,703
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Itajubá, MG 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: Itajubá, MG 36% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 R$23.13

$10.06 R$51.0

-54.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.00 R$122

$40.44 R$205

-40.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.38 R$22.20

$8.55 R$43.35

-48.77%

Cappuccino

$1.29 R$6.53

$2.38 R$12.04

-45.80%

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

$1.11 R$5.64

$1.61 R$8.18

-31.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.35

$1.03 R$5.22

-35.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.82 R$9.25

$2.47 R$12.54

-26.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 R$14.84

$3.70 R$18.77

-20.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 R$4.80

$1.19 R$6.05

-20.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 R$8.38

$2.05 R$10.38

-19.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 R$4.94

$1.28 R$6.49

-24.22%

Eggs

$2.38 R$12.05

$2.29 R$11.60

3.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.72 R$54.3

$10.76 R$54.5

-0.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 R$18.16

$4.41 R$22.36

-18.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.88 R$39.97

$9.84 R$49.86

-19.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 R$14.59

$2.81 R$14.25

2.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.03

$1.78 R$9.03

-11.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.17

$1.60 R$8.13

-36.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 R$9.46

$1.80 R$9.11

3.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.48

$1.22 R$6.17

-11.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 R$5.24

$1.04 R$5.26

-0.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 R$3.38

$0.77 R$3.92

-12.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 R$3.60

$0.67 R$3.38

5.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.47

$3.01 R$15.27

1.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.14 R$41.29

$8.08 R$40.94

0.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 R$5.95

$1.19 R$6.03

-1.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 R$8.05

$2.51 R$12.73

-36.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 R$5.20

$0.99 R$5.00

4.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.43 R$205

$50.1 R$254

-19.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 R$6.13

$1.22 R$6.20

-0.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.57

$0.92 R$4.66

-2.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.26 R$46.95

$8.97 R$45.45

3.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.71

$1.30 R$6.57

-13.08%

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

$23.7K R$120.2K

$23.9K R$121.0K

-0.65%

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

$32.7K R$165.9K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-0.40%

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

$133 R$675

$133 R$676

-0.19%

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

$12.28 R$62.3

$10.82 R$54.8

13.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.57 R$94.1

$22.90 R$116

-18.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.62 R$79.2

$30.79 R$156

-49.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.34 R$128

$31.85 R$161

-20.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.82 R$39.62

$8.05 R$40.83

-2.86%

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

$587 R$2,977

$598 R$3,029

-1.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K R$66.4K

$13.4K R$68.0K

-2.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.71 R$217

$42.04 R$213

1.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 R$254

$49.68 R$252

0.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.9 R$375

$74.5 R$378

-0.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.4 R$342

$68.7 R$348

-1.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$346 R$1,751

$903 R$4,578

-61.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$236 R$1,198

$529 R$2,684

-55.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$522 R$2,645

$1,326 R$6,724

-60.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 R$1,853

$756 R$3,831

-51.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,732 R$8,781

$4,010 R$20.3K

-56.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,177 R$5,969

$1,560 R$7,910

-24.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$297 R$1,503

$640 R$3,242

-53.63%

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 Itajubá, MG: October 13, 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

Itajubá, MG

$236 27.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 124% $293

Groceries & Markets

Itajubá, MG

$192 22.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 11.6% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Itajubá, MG

$164 18.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 1.9% $3.1

Clothing & Footwear

Itajubá, MG

$105 12.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 0.4% $0.4

Eating Out

Itajubá, MG

$87 10.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 89.3% $78

Getting Around

Itajubá, MG

$50 5.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 19.1% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Itajubá, MG

$31 3.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 50% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $346 in Itajubá, MG and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 116% 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: $24.00 in Itajubá, MG vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $215 per month, with Itajubá, MG cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Itajubá, MG

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

01:22 1:22 AM

Same time as Itajubá, MG

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

93,073

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

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Itajubá, MG Rio de Janeiro 240 km

From you

Itajubá, MG
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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

Itajubá, MG vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Itajubá, MG and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 49% in total monthly costs ($867 vs $1,289 including rent). Itajubá, MG is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 116% 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: $346 in Itajubá, MG versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $587 in Itajubá, MG versus $598 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Rio de Janeiro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $867 in Itajubá, MG versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Itajubá, MG but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Itajubá, MG 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.

Safety-wise, Itajubá, MG and Rio de Janeiro are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Itajubá, MG gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.