Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lafayette, IN and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,374 in Lafayette, IN, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Lafayette, IN
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Lafayette, IN Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Lafayette, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,374

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,374 in Lafayette, IN versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Lafayette, IN $2,374
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,412 in Lafayette, IN versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Lafayette, IN $3,412
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,449 in Lafayette, IN versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Lafayette, IN $4,449
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Lafayette, IN is roughly 86% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lafayette, IN is 75% above, Rio de Janeiro is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.29 $16.29

$9.38 R$47.54

73.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.3 $75.3

$40.00 R$203

88.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.41 $11.41

$8.34 R$42.28

36.81%

Cappuccino

$4.85 $4.85

$2.29 R$11.62

111.79%

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

$2.43 $2.43

$1.59 R$8.05

52.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.01 R$5.10

118.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.96 $4.96

$2.14 R$10.85

131.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.93 $7.93

$3.66 R$18.55

116.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.13 R$5.72

-2.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.09 R$10.60

48.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.34 $5.34

$1.25 R$6.36

327.20%

Eggs

$3.04 $3.04

$2.25 R$11.39

35.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.76 $8.76

$10.92 R$55.3

-19.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.98 $10.98

$4.36 R$22.10

151.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.27 $13.27

$9.60 R$48.66

38.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.85 R$14.46

55.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.81 R$9.16

5.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$1.58 R$8.02

156.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$1.83 R$9.28

162.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.20 R$6.10

132.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.06 R$5.35

156.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.75 R$3.81

162.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.68 R$3.45

185.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.12 $8.12

$2.94 R$14.90

176.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.78 $12.78

$7.98 R$40.43

60.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.18 R$5.98

49.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.42 R$12.26

39.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.89 $4.89

$0.94 R$4.78

420.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.79 $40.79

$50.3 R$255

-18.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.20 R$6.10

172.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 $1.44

$0.83 R$4.20

73.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.24 $20.24

$8.97 R$45.48

125.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.29 R$6.53

-32.56%

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

$34.3K $34.3K

$22.8K R$115.5K

50.80%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-23.62%

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

$192 $192

$134 R$681

42.83%

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

$68.6 $68.6

$10.73 R$54.4

539.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.7 $61.7

$22.84 R$116

170.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.71 $32.71

$30.16 R$153

8.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.24 $25.24

$31.49 R$160

-19.85%

Cinema Ticket

$12.16 $12.16

$7.73 R$39.17

57.31%

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

$1,467 $1,467

$584 R$2,960

151.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.9K $30.9K

$12.8K R$64.9K

141.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 $49.37

$41.12 R$208

20.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.89 $39.89

$49.26 R$250

-19.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.1 $93.1

$73.7 R$373

26.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.5 $50.5

$65.9 R$334

-23.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 $1,277

$900 R$4,561

41.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,181 $1,181

$527 R$2,673

124.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,108 $2,108

$1,332 R$6,754

58.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,780 $1,780

$748 R$3,790

138.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,871 $1,871

$3,990 R$20.2K

-53.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,829 $1,829

$1,560 R$7,908

17.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,294 $3,294

$640 R$3,246

414.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

11.93

-44.09%

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

Last update for Lafayette, IN: October 18, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lafayette, IN

$1.2K 49.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 55.4% $654

Groceries & Markets

Lafayette, IN

$356 15%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 40% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lafayette, IN

$322 13.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 47.9% $154

Eating Out

Lafayette, IN

$282 11.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 44.7% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Lafayette, IN

$105 4.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 1.3% $1.3

Getting Around

Lafayette, IN

$71 3%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 16.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Lafayette, IN

$57 2.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 20% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,277 in Lafayette, IN and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lafayette, IN pays 414% 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: $75.0 in Lafayette, IN vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $356 vs $214 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lafayette, IN

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

19:32 7:32 PM

20:32 8:32 PM

1 h ahead of Lafayette, IN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

121,324

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Lafayette, IN Rio de Janeiro 8,370 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lafayette, IN
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

Lafayette, IN vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lafayette, IN and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 86% in total monthly costs ($2,374 vs $1,273 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 414% higher in Lafayette, IN, 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: $1,277 in Lafayette, IN versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 67% higher in Lafayette, IN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $75.0 in Lafayette, IN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,374 in Lafayette, IN, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Lafayette, IN. 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 86% less than in Lafayette, IN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.