Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ithaca, NY and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $2,941 in Ithaca, NY, rent and utilities included – about $19,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in Ithaca, NY
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Ithaca, NY Living Index
63

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

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Ithaca, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,941

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,941 per month in Ithaca, NY vs $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Ithaca, NY $2,941
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

A couple spends around $3,792 per month in Ithaca, NY vs $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Ithaca, NY $3,792
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

A family of three spends $4,642 per month in Ithaca, NY vs $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Ithaca, NY $4,642
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Ithaca, NY costs about 128% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ithaca, NY sits 118% above the global median, while Rio de Janeiro is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.16 $22.16

$10.06 R$51.0

120.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.1 $81.1

$40.44 R$205

100.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.22 $11.22

$8.55 R$43.35

31.23%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$2.38 R$12.04

111.76%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$1.61 R$8.18

66.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.03 R$5.22

97.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.88 $4.88

$2.47 R$12.54

97.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.29 $9.29

$3.70 R$18.77

151.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.19 R$6.05

-15.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.34 $3.34

$2.05 R$10.38

62.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.20 $7.20

$1.28 R$6.49

462.50%

Eggs

$4.10 $4.10

$2.29 R$11.60

79.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.42 $14.42

$10.76 R$54.5

34.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 $6.75

$4.41 R$22.36

53.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.31 $15.31

$9.84 R$49.86

55.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$2.81 R$14.25

68.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.78 R$9.03

-5.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$1.60 R$8.13

240.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$1.80 R$9.11

161.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.22 R$6.17

168.03%

Onion (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$1.04 R$5.26

244.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 $2.32

$0.77 R$3.92

201.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.67 R$3.38

207.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.09 $9.09

$3.01 R$15.27

201.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.03 $14.03

$8.08 R$40.94

73.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.19 R$6.03

53.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 $3.85

$2.51 R$12.73

53.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.99 R$5.00

97.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.65 $45.65

$50.1 R$254

-8.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 $5.01

$1.22 R$6.20

310.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$0.92 R$4.66

54.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.94 $29.94

$8.97 R$45.45

233.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.30 R$6.57

-18.46%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$23.9K R$121.0K

52.31%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-23.84%

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

$164 $164

$133 R$676

23.12%

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

$47.70 $47.70

$10.82 R$54.8

340.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.0 $51.0

$22.90 R$116

122.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.26 $35.26

$30.79 R$156

14.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$10.84 $10.84

$8.05 R$40.83

34.66%

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

$1,466 $1,466

$598 R$3,029

145.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K $16.9K

$13.4K R$68.0K

25.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.46 $46.46

$42.04 R$213

10.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.18 $40.18

$49.68 R$252

-19.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 $78.8

$74.5 R$378

5.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$68.7 R$348

54.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,183 $2,183

$903 R$4,578

141.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,714 $1,714

$529 R$2,684

223.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,728 $2,728

$1,326 R$6,724

105.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,844 $1,844

$756 R$3,831

144.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,196 $2,196

$4,010 R$20.3K

-45.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,149 $2,149

$1,560 R$7,910

37.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,464 $3,464

$640 R$3,242

441.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

11.93

-45.85%

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

Last update for Ithaca, NY: October 11, 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

Ithaca, NY

$1.7K 58.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 69.1% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Ithaca, NY

$387 13.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 44.5% $172

Eating Out

Ithaca, NY

$333 11.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 50.5% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ithaca, NY

$263 8.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 36.4% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Ithaca, NY

$122 4.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 13.5% $17

Getting Around

Ithaca, NY

$66 2.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 8.7% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Ithaca, NY

$57 1.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 17.6% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,183 in Ithaca, NY 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.

Salaries run about 442% higher in Ithaca, NY, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81.0 in Ithaca, NY versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $387 vs $215 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ithaca, NY

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

01:06 1:06 AM

02:06 2:06 AM

1 h ahead of Ithaca, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,283

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

BRL to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Ithaca, NY Rio de Janeiro 8,030 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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Ithaca, NY
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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

Ithaca, NY vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,941 in Ithaca, NY, $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro – roughly 128% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,412 per month in Ithaca, NY 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 Rio de Janeiro, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,941 in Ithaca, NY and $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a gap of about 128%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,289, than in Ithaca, NY at $2,941. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ithaca, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Rio de Janeiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro to $2,941 in Ithaca, NY. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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