Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Laurel, MD and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $2,596 in Laurel, MD, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Laurel, MD
Learn more

Laurel, MD Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

Jump to prices

Laurel, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,596

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,596 in Laurel, MD versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro.

Laurel, MD $2,596
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,345 in Laurel, MD versus $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro.

Laurel, MD $4,345
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,095 in Laurel, MD versus $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro.

Laurel, MD $6,095
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Living in Laurel, MD is roughly 102% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Laurel, MD is 94% above, Rio de Janeiro is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.81 $17.81

$9.98 R$49.69

78.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.7 $94.7

$40.34 R$201

134.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 $10.92

$8.48 R$42.23

28.77%

Cappuccino

$5.43 $5.43

$2.36 R$11.77

130.08%

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

$2.95 $2.95

$1.63 R$8.11

80.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.01 R$5.05

163.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 $6.88

$2.44 R$12.15

181.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.18 $8.18

$3.69 R$18.38

121.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.15 R$5.70

-4.35%

White Bread (500g)

$4.10 $4.10

$2.07 R$10.31

98.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$1.29 R$6.40

193.80%

Eggs

$4.65 $4.65

$2.27 R$11.29

104.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 $12.67

$11.00 R$54.7

15.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.95 $12.95

$4.31 R$21.44

200.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.42 $18.42

$9.74 R$48.49

89.12%

Apples (1kg)

$6.19 $6.19

$2.83 R$14.07

118.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.84 R$9.14

-14.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.60 R$7.94

161.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$1.80 R$8.97

131.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.26 R$6.26

68.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.07 R$5.32

158.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 $2.39

$0.75 R$3.74

218.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$0.66 R$3.28

280.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.12 $14.12

$3.05 R$15.16

362.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.88 $15.88

$8.18 R$40.72

94.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.19 R$5.90

41.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.39 R$11.88

31.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.04

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.27 R$6.31

45.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 $1.40

$0.90 R$4.50

55.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.76 $23.76

$9.44 R$46.99

151.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.33 R$6.63

-21.80%

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

$22.7K $22.7K

$23.4K R$116.6K

-3.24%

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

$24.0K $24.0K

$33.6K R$167.1K

-28.53%

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

$206 $206

$134 R$664

54.17%

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

$67.7 $67.7

$12.23 R$60.9

453.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.5 $89.5

$22.65 R$113

295.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$157

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 $15.22

$8.23 R$40.95

84.93%

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

$1,972 $1,972

$603 R$3,002

226.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.5K $34.5K

$13.2K R$65.9K

160.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.9 $51.9

$41.62 R$207

24.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.8 $56.8

$49.94 R$249

13.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 $91.2

$75.0 R$373

21.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$68.3 R$340

61.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 $1,337

$905 R$4,506

47.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,296 $1,296

$527 R$2,625

145.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,402 $2,402

$1,346 R$6,700

78.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,043 $3,043

$774 R$3,854

293.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 $2,274

$3,981 R$19.8K

-42.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,508 $2,508

$1,562 R$7,775

60.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,508 $5,508

$643 R$3,200

756.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

11.93

-43.67%

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

Last update for Laurel, MD: October 5, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Laurel, MD

$1.3K 50.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 59.3% $769

Groceries & Markets

Laurel, MD

$420 16.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 48.9% $205

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Laurel, MD

$363 14.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 53.6% $195

Eating Out

Laurel, MD

$314 12.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 47.7% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Laurel, MD

$140 5.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 24.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Laurel, MD

$30 * 1.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 57.8% $18

Getting Around

Laurel, MD

$8.9 * 0.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 578% $51

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 $1,337 in Laurel, MD and $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Laurel, MD pays 757% 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: $95.0 in Laurel, MD vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $420 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Laurel, MD

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

06:42 6:42 AM

1 h ahead of Laurel, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,540

6,211,223

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 BRL = 0.201 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 USD = 4.98 BRL (1 BRL = 0.201 USD). 1 EUR = 5.58 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Laurel, MD Rio de Janeiro 7,730 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Laurel, MD
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

Laurel, MD vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Laurel, MD and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 102% in total monthly costs ($2,596 vs $1,285 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 757% higher in Laurel, MD, 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: $1,337 in Laurel, MD versus $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 96% higher in Laurel, MD. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,596 per month in Laurel, MD versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro – a 102% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,596 in Laurel, MD, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Laurel, MD. 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 102% less than in Laurel, MD. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.