Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Itu and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Itu: $719 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Itu
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Itu Living Index
57

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

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Itu

🇧🇷 Brazil

$719

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $719 per month in Itu vs $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Itu $719
Rio de Janeiro $1,182

A couple spends around $1,300 per month in Itu vs $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Itu $1,300
Rio de Janeiro $1,750

A family of three spends $1,882 per month in Itu vs $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Itu $1,882
Rio de Janeiro $2,318

Itu is about 39% cheaper than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Itu and Rio de Janeiro are more affordable than the global median – Itu 47% lower, Rio de Janeiro 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.36 R$28.67

$9.08 R$48.54

-40.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.63 R$207

$37.25 R$199

3.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.99 R$32.04

$8.02 R$42.87

-25.31%

Cappuccino

$1.63 R$8.70

$2.19 R$11.71

-25.57%

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

$0.72 R$3.85

$1.46 R$7.82

-50.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 R$2.62

$0.99 R$5.27

-50.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 R$6.09

$2.03 R$10.84

-43.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R$10.03

$3.45 R$18.43

-45.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 R$4.55

$1.06 R$5.66

-19.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 R$7.69

$1.98 R$10.61

-27.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.29

$1.17 R$6.27

0.85%

Eggs

$2.16 R$11.55

$2.21 R$11.80

-2.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.33 R$49.88

$10.11 R$54.1

-7.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.64 R$19.46

$4.12 R$22.00

-11.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.62 R$30.04

$9.17 R$49.04

-38.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 R$8.68

$2.72 R$14.54

-40.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.73

$1.71 R$9.15

-26.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.76 R$4.08

$1.53 R$8.18

-50.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 R$10.45

$1.66 R$8.89

17.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 R$5.21

$1.14 R$6.09

-14.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.27

$0.99 R$5.32

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 R$3.90

$0.65 R$3.46

12.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 R$2.40

$0.60 R$3.20

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 R$12.43

$2.79 R$14.94

-16.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.50 R$29.40

$7.48 R$39.99

-26.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.34

$1.09 R$5.83

9.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R$10.07

$2.33 R$12.48

-19.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.38

$0.90 R$4.79

12.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.39 R$227

$53.0 R$283

-20.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.90 R$4.82

$1.17 R$6.24

-23.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.80

$0.78 R$4.17

15.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.24 R$38.69

$8.37 R$44.75

-13.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 R$4.85

$1.21 R$6.48

-24.79%

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

$22.0K R$117.4K

$21.5K R$114.8K

2.30%

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

$26.5K R$141.9K

$31.1K R$166.5K

-14.78%

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

$78.1 R$418

$124 R$665

-37.26%

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

$11.00 R$58.8

$10.03 R$53.7

9.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.94 R$85.2

$20.88 R$112

-23.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.10 R$129

$28.35 R$152

-14.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.43 R$141

$29.33 R$157

-9.89%

Cinema Ticket

$4.52 R$24.18

$7.62 R$40.72

-40.68%

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

$198 R$1,060

$563 R$3,010

-64.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,502 R$40.1K

$12.0K R$64.4K

-37.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.56 R$249

$39.25 R$210

18.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.52 R$195

$46.36 R$248

-21.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.2 R$343

$68.4 R$366

-6.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.18 R$252

$63.4 R$339

-25.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$301 R$1,609

$776 R$4,150

-61.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 R$991

$473 R$2,530

-60.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 R$3,931

$1,391 R$7,437

-47.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 R$3,299

$739 R$3,951

-16.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,600 R$8,554

$3,393 R$18.1K

-52.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,135 R$6,068

$1,570 R$8,396

-27.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$275 R$1,469

$597 R$3,192

-53.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.38

11.93

3.77%

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

Last update for Itu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Itu

$185 25.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40% 155% $288

Groceries & Markets

Itu

$162 22.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17% 24.3% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Itu

$105 14.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1% 47.9% $50

Eating Out

Itu

$95 13.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7% 58.2% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Itu

$88 12.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3% 11.8% $10

Getting Around

Itu

$52 7.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2% 19% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Itu

$33 4.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7% 31.5% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $301 in Itu versus $776 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 in Rio de Janeiro are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Itu versus $37 in Rio de Janeiro. Groceries tell a different story – $162 in Itu vs $201 in Rio de Janeiro – so Itu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Itu

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

10:06 10:06 AM

Same time as Itu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

168,240

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Itu Rio de Janeiro 420 km

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Itu
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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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $719 in Itu, $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro – roughly 64% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,079 per month in Itu and $1,774 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 Itu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $301 there versus $776 in Rio de Janeiro.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Itu and $37 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 $719 in Itu and $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro. That’s a gap of about 64%.

Families tend to lean toward Itu – 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 Itu. 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.