Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $3,100 in Kingston, NY, rent and utilities included – about $21,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

150

Cost of Living Index in Kingston, NY
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Kingston, 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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Kingston, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$3,100

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,100 in Kingston, NY versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Kingston, NY $3,100
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,485 in Kingston, NY versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

Kingston, NY $4,485
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,870 in Kingston, NY versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

Kingston, NY $5,870
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Kingston, NY is roughly 141% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kingston, NY is 130% above, Rio de Janeiro is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.12 $25.12

$10.06 R$51.0

149.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 $81.4

$40.44 R$205

101.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.77 $14.77

$8.55 R$43.35

72.75%

Cappuccino

$6.46 $6.46

$2.38 R$12.04

171.43%

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

$2.61 $2.61

$1.61 R$8.18

62.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.03 R$5.22

127.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.93 $7.93

$2.47 R$12.54

221.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.79 $8.79

$3.70 R$18.77

137.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.19 R$6.05

-13.45%

White Bread (500g)

$4.58 $4.58

$2.05 R$10.38

123.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$1.28 R$6.49

442.97%

Eggs

$4.64 $4.64

$2.29 R$11.60

102.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.21 $16.21

$10.76 R$54.5

50.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.94 $10.94

$4.41 R$22.36

148.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.24 $17.24

$9.84 R$49.86

75.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$2.81 R$14.25

69.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.78 R$9.03

-29.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$1.60 R$8.13

197.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.91 $6.91

$1.80 R$9.11

283.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$1.22 R$6.17

206.56%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.04 R$5.26

213.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 $2.55

$0.77 R$3.92

231.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$0.67 R$3.38

186.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.04 $17.04

$3.01 R$15.27

466.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.96 $14.96

$8.08 R$40.94

85.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.19 R$6.03

58.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.51 R$12.73

40.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 $1.91

$0.99 R$5.00

92.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.8 $65.8

$50.1 R$254

31.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.22 R$6.20

148.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$0.92 R$4.66

84.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.00 $29.00

$8.97 R$45.45

223.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.30 R$6.57

-31.54%

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

$31.1K $31.1K

$23.9K R$121.0K

30.25%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-23.51%

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

$197 $197

$133 R$676

48.01%

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

$65.7 $65.7

$10.82 R$54.8

507.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.5 $78.5

$22.90 R$116

242.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.34 $42.34

$30.79 R$156

37.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$61.1 $61.1

$31.85 R$161

91.74%

Cinema Ticket

$15.05 $15.05

$8.05 R$40.83

86.96%

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

$2,501 $2,501

$598 R$3,029

318.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$13.4K R$68.0K

76.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 $51.0

$42.04 R$213

21.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.41 $29.41

$49.68 R$252

-40.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.8 $81.8

$74.5 R$378

9.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.8 $76.8

$68.7 R$348

11.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,860 $1,860

$903 R$4,578

105.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,654 $1,654

$529 R$2,684

212.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,318 $3,318

$1,326 R$6,724

150.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,622 $2,622

$756 R$3,831

246.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,107 $3,107

$4,010 R$20.3K

-22.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,097 $3,097

$1,560 R$7,910

98.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,085 $3,085

$640 R$3,242

382.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

11.93

-44.01%

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

Last update for Kingston, NY: October 12, 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

Kingston, NY

$1.7K 53.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 68% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Kingston, NY

$440 14.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 51.2% $225

Eating Out

Kingston, NY

$400 12.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 58.7% $235

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston, NY

$342 11%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 51.1% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston, NY

$108 3.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 1.7% $1.8

Getting Around

Kingston, NY

$85 2.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 29.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston, NY

$72 2.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 35.3% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,860 in Kingston, NY and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kingston, NY pays 382% 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: $81.0 in Kingston, NY vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $440 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Kingston, NY

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

21:09 9:09 PM

22:09 10:09 PM

1 h ahead of Kingston, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,436

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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Kingston, NY Rio de Janeiro 7,870 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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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

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

Rio de Janeiro is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 141% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 382% higher in Kingston, NY, 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: $1,860 in Kingston, NY versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,100 per month in Kingston, NY versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro – a 141% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Rio de Janeiro runs roughly 31% less than in Kingston, NY. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,100 in Kingston, NY, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Kingston, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Rio de Janeiro is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Kingston, NY, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 141% less than in Kingston, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.