Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jacksonville, NC and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $2,454 in Jacksonville, NC, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Jacksonville, NC
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Jacksonville, NC Living Index
63

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

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Jacksonville, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,454

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,454 in Jacksonville, NC versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Jacksonville, NC $2,454
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,505 in Jacksonville, NC versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

Jacksonville, NC $3,505
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,555 in Jacksonville, NC versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

Jacksonville, NC $4,555
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Jacksonville, NC is roughly 90% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Jacksonville, NC is 82% above, Rio de Janeiro is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.47 $15.47

$10.06 R$51.0

53.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.0 $59.0

$40.44 R$205

45.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.87 $9.87

$8.55 R$43.35

15.44%

Cappuccino

$4.70 $4.70

$2.38 R$12.04

97.48%

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

$2.54 $2.54

$1.61 R$8.18

57.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.03 R$5.22

99.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 $5.10

$2.47 R$12.54

106.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.82 $6.82

$3.70 R$18.77

84.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.19 R$6.05

-0.84%

White Bread (500g)

$4.31 $4.31

$2.05 R$10.38

110.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$11.06 $11.06

$1.28 R$6.49

764.06%

Eggs

$5.89 $5.89

$2.29 R$11.60

157.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.43 $19.43

$10.76 R$54.5

80.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.09 $17.09

$4.41 R$22.36

287.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.81 $23.81

$9.84 R$49.86

141.97%

Apples (1kg)

$5.69 $5.69

$2.81 R$14.25

102.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.78 R$9.03

-1.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.30 $8.30

$1.60 R$8.13

418.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$1.80 R$9.11

229.44%

Potato (1kg)

$7.05 $7.05

$1.22 R$6.17

477.87%

Onion (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$1.04 R$5.26

286.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$0.77 R$3.92

261.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.67 R$3.38

195.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.01 R$15.27

167.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.86 $14.86

$8.08 R$40.94

83.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.19 R$6.03

42.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 $3.85

$2.51 R$12.73

53.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.22 R$6.20

106.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.30 R$6.57

-34.62%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$23.9K R$121.0K

47.68%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-23.50%

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

$172 $172

$133 R$676

29.05%

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

$75.7 $75.7

$10.82 R$54.8

599.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.6 $69.6

$22.90 R$116

204.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.21 $37.21

$30.79 R$156

20.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$1.64 $1.64

$31.85 R$161

-94.85%

Cinema Ticket

$13.04 $13.04

$8.05 R$40.83

61.99%

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

$719 $719

$598 R$3,029

20.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 $59.2

$42.04 R$213

40.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.93 $39.93

$49.68 R$252

-19.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$74.5 R$378

36.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 $136

$68.7 R$348

97.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 $1,328

$903 R$4,578

47.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 $1,102

$529 R$2,684

108.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,923 $1,923

$1,326 R$6,724

45.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 $1,590

$756 R$3,831

110.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,910 $1,910

$4,010 R$20.3K

-52.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,745 $6,745

$1,560 R$7,910

332.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,207 $2,207

$640 R$3,242

245.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

11.93

-46.61%

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

Last update for Jacksonville, NC: 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

Jacksonville, NC

$1.1K 44.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 52% $572

Groceries & Markets

Jacksonville, NC

$550 22.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 61% $335

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jacksonville, NC

$317 12.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 47.4% $150

Eating Out

Jacksonville, NC

$267 10.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 38.3% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Jacksonville, NC

$152 6.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 30.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Jacksonville, NC

$63 2.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 25.9% $16

Getting Around

Jacksonville, NC

$2.5 * 0.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 2276% $57

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,328 in Jacksonville, NC and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jacksonville, NC pays 245% 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: $59.0 in Jacksonville, NC vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $550 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Jacksonville, NC

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

12:06 12:06 PM

13:06 1:06 PM

1 h ahead of Jacksonville, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

949,611

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Jacksonville, NC Rio de Janeiro 7,360 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Jacksonville, NC
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

Jacksonville, NC vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jacksonville, NC and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 90% in total monthly costs ($2,454 vs $1,289 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 245% higher in Jacksonville, NC, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,328 in Jacksonville, NC versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $719 in Jacksonville, NC versus $598 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $59.0 in Jacksonville, NC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,454 in Jacksonville, NC, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Jacksonville, NC. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro 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 Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 90% less than in Jacksonville, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.