Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $2,305 in Lafayette, LA, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Lafayette, LA
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Lafayette, LA Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Lafayette, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,305

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,305 in Lafayette, LA versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Lafayette, LA $2,305
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,541 in Lafayette, LA versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

Lafayette, LA $3,541
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,777 in Lafayette, LA versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

Lafayette, LA $4,777
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Lafayette, LA is roughly 79% 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: Lafayette, LA is 71% above, Rio de Janeiro is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.01 $25.01

$10.06 R$51.0

148.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.7 $98.7

$40.44 R$205

143.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 $10.02

$8.55 R$43.35

17.19%

Cappuccino

$5.50 $5.50

$2.38 R$12.04

131.09%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$1.61 R$8.18

84.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.03 R$5.22

82.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.46 $5.46

$2.47 R$12.54

121.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 $6.16

$3.70 R$18.77

66.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.19 R$6.05

-5.88%

White Bread (500g)

$4.21 $4.21

$2.05 R$10.38

105.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$1.28 R$6.49

182.81%

Eggs

$5.34 $5.34

$2.29 R$11.60

133.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 $10.20

$10.76 R$54.5

-5.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.99 $9.99

$4.41 R$22.36

126.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.93 $15.93

$9.84 R$49.86

61.89%

Apples (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$2.81 R$14.25

88.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.78 R$9.03

-17.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.23 $5.23

$1.60 R$8.13

226.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$1.80 R$9.11

212.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.22 R$6.17

125.41%

Onion (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$1.04 R$5.26

211.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 $2.17

$0.77 R$3.92

181.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.67 R$3.38

238.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.94 $7.94

$3.01 R$15.27

163.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.96 $16.96

$8.08 R$40.94

109.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.19 R$6.03

54.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 $3.74

$2.51 R$12.73

49.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 $1.47

$0.99 R$5.00

48.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.22 R$6.20

113.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 $0.97

$0.92 R$4.66

5.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.61 $35.61

$8.97 R$45.45

296.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.30 R$6.57

-23.85%

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

$35.1K $35.1K

$23.9K R$121.0K

46.93%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-21.52%

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

$220 $220

$133 R$676

64.79%

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

$53.5 $53.5

$10.82 R$54.8

394.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.1 $60.1

$22.90 R$116

162.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.1 $63.1

$30.79 R$156

105.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.41 $21.41

$31.85 R$161

-32.78%

Cinema Ticket

$11.81 $11.81

$8.05 R$40.83

46.71%

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

$1,593 $1,593

$598 R$3,029

166.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K $10.1K

$13.4K R$68.0K

-24.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 $57.6

$42.04 R$213

36.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.80 $42.80

$49.68 R$252

-13.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$74.5 R$378

14.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$68.7 R$348

73.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 $1,108

$903 R$4,578

22.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 $977

$529 R$2,684

84.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,592 $1,592

$1,326 R$6,724

19.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 $1,713

$756 R$3,831

126.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,201 $2,201

$4,010 R$20.3K

-45.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,054 $2,054

$1,560 R$7,910

31.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,383 $3,383

$640 R$3,242

429.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.3

11.93

-47.19%

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

Last update for Lafayette, LA: 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

Lafayette, LA

$977 42.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 45.8% $447

Groceries & Markets

Lafayette, LA

$403 17.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 46.7% $188

Eating Out

Lafayette, LA

$355 15.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 53.6% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lafayette, LA

$333 14.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 49.9% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Lafayette, LA

$137 6%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 22.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Lafayette, LA

$87 3.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 45.9% $40

Getting Around

Lafayette, LA

$13 * 0.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 348% $47

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 $1,108 in Lafayette, LA and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lafayette, LA pays 429% 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: $99.0 in Lafayette, LA vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lafayette, LA

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

10:33 10:33 AM

12:33 12:33 PM

2 h ahead of Lafayette, LA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

61,244

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 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, LA Rio de Janeiro 7,880 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Rio de Janeiro wins on cost – living expenses run 79% lower than in Lafayette, LA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rio de Janeiro the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 429% higher in Lafayette, LA, 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: $1,108 in Lafayette, LA versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,593 in Lafayette, LA 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 $99.0 in Lafayette, LA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,305 in Lafayette, LA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Lafayette, LA. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Rio de Janeiro delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,289 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Rio de Janeiro hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Lafayette, LA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.