Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johnson City, TN and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $2,099 in Johnson City, TN, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Johnson City, TN
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Johnson City, TN Living Index
63

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

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Johnson City, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,099

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,099 per month in Johnson City, TN vs $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Johnson City, TN $2,099
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

A couple spends around $3,126 per month in Johnson City, TN vs $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Johnson City, TN $3,126
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

A family of three spends $4,153 per month in Johnson City, TN vs $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Johnson City, TN $4,153
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Johnson City, TN costs about 63% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Johnson City, TN sits 55% above the global median, while Rio de Janeiro is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.27 $14.27

$10.06 R$51.0

41.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.1 $54.1

$40.44 R$205

33.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.89 $9.89

$8.55 R$43.35

15.67%

Cappuccino

$5.32 $5.32

$2.38 R$12.04

123.53%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$1.61 R$8.18

82.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.03 R$5.22

89.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 $4.90

$2.47 R$12.54

98.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.86 $5.86

$3.70 R$18.77

58.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.19 R$6.05

-15.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.92 $3.92

$2.05 R$10.38

91.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.87 $3.87

$1.28 R$6.49

202.34%

Eggs

$3.20 $3.20

$2.29 R$11.60

39.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.31 $7.31

$10.76 R$54.5

-32.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.57 $13.57

$4.41 R$22.36

207.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 $12.99

$9.84 R$49.86

32.01%

Apples (1kg)

$7.75 $7.75

$2.81 R$14.25

175.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.78 R$9.03

0.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$1.60 R$8.13

146.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$1.80 R$9.11

100.56%

Potato (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$1.22 R$6.17

186.89%

Onion (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$1.04 R$5.26

303.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 $2.24

$0.77 R$3.92

190.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$0.67 R$3.38

244.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.01 R$15.27

167.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.10 $13.10

$8.08 R$40.94

62.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.19 R$6.03

42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 $4.42

$2.51 R$12.73

76.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 $2.46

$0.99 R$5.00

148.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.08 $37.08

$50.1 R$254

-26.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.37 $5.37

$1.22 R$6.20

340.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$0.92 R$4.66

60.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.07 $15.07

$8.97 R$45.45

68.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.30 R$6.57

-32.31%

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

$32.1K $32.1K

$23.9K R$121.0K

34.39%

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

$21.7K $21.7K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-34.06%

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

$176 $176

$133 R$676

32.03%

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

$52.0 $52.0

$10.82 R$54.8

380.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.3 $63.3

$22.90 R$116

176.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.50 $47.50

$30.79 R$156

54.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.61 $19.61

$31.85 R$161

-38.43%

Cinema Ticket

$11.77 $11.77

$8.05 R$40.83

46.21%

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

$1,224 $1,224

$598 R$3,029

104.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K $14.6K

$13.4K R$68.0K

8.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.93 $36.93

$42.04 R$213

-12.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.74 $30.74

$49.68 R$252

-38.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.9 $86.9

$74.5 R$378

16.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.3 $95.3

$68.7 R$348

38.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,085 $1,085

$903 R$4,578

20.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$912 $912

$529 R$2,684

72.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,031 $2,031

$1,326 R$6,724

53.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,583 $1,583

$756 R$3,831

109.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,201 $2,201

$4,010 R$20.3K

-45.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,159 $2,159

$1,560 R$7,910

38.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,505 $3,505

$640 R$3,242

448.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

11.93

-45.60%

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

Last update for Johnson City, TN: 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

Johnson City, TN

$912 43.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 42% $383

Groceries & Markets

Johnson City, TN

$389 18.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 44.8% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johnson City, TN

$291 13.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 42.7% $124

Eating Out

Johnson City, TN

$263 12.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 37.4% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Johnson City, TN

$112 5.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 6% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Johnson City, TN

$71 3.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 34% $24

Getting Around

Johnson City, TN

$60 2.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 0.3% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,085 in Johnson City, TN 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 448% higher in Johnson City, TN, 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 $54.0 in Johnson City, TN versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $389 vs $215 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Johnson City, TN

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

04:56 4:56 AM

05:56 5:56 AM

1 h ahead of Johnson City, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,027

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

Johnson City, TN Rio de Janeiro 7,760 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Johnson City, TN
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

Johnson City, TN vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Johnson City, TN is pricier by about 63%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,148 per month in Johnson City, TN 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 $54.0 in Johnson City, TN 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 $2,099 in Johnson City, TN and $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a gap of about 63%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,289, than in Johnson City, TN at $2,099. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johnson City, TN it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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, Johnson City, TN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.