Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lexington, MA and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,672 in Lexington, MA, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Lexington, MA
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Lexington, MA Living Index
62

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

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Lexington, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,672

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,672 in Lexington, MA versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Lexington, MA $2,672
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,542 in Lexington, MA versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Lexington, MA $4,542
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,412 in Lexington, MA versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Lexington, MA $6,412
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Lexington, MA is roughly 110% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lexington, MA is 97% above, Rio de Janeiro is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.23 $20.23

$9.38 R$47.54

115.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 $74.1

$40.00 R$203

85.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.84 $15.84

$8.34 R$42.28

89.93%

Cappuccino

$4.89 $4.89

$2.29 R$11.62

113.54%

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

$2.86 $2.86

$1.59 R$8.05

79.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.01 R$5.10

102.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.81 $6.81

$2.14 R$10.85

218.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.98 $7.98

$3.66 R$18.55

118.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.13 R$5.72

3.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.09 R$10.60

88.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$1.25 R$6.36

277.60%

Eggs

$4.18 $4.18

$2.25 R$11.39

85.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.65 $12.65

$10.92 R$55.3

15.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.65 $12.65

$4.36 R$22.10

190.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.08 $17.08

$9.60 R$48.66

77.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.85 R$14.46

51.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.81 R$9.16

1.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$1.58 R$8.02

186.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$1.83 R$9.28

182.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.20 R$6.10

99.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.06 R$5.35

176.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.75 R$3.81

165.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.68 R$3.45

225.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.55 $8.55

$2.94 R$14.90

190.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.74 $16.74

$7.98 R$40.43

109.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.18 R$5.98

54.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 $3.42

$2.42 R$12.26

41.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 $2.20

$0.94 R$4.78

134.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.20 R$6.10

127.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 $1.74

$0.83 R$4.20

109.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.81 $28.81

$8.97 R$45.48

221.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.29 R$6.53

-19.38%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$22.8K R$115.5K

21.80%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-17.26%

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

$189 $189

$134 R$681

40.84%

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

$59.2 $59.2

$10.73 R$54.4

451.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$22.84 R$116

208.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.12 $42.12

$30.16 R$153

39.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$13.93 $13.93

$7.73 R$39.17

80.21%

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

$1,400 $1,400

$584 R$2,960

139.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K $23.6K

$12.8K R$64.9K

84.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 $58.6

$41.12 R$208

42.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.47 $36.47

$49.26 R$250

-25.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.4 $88.4

$73.7 R$373

19.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$65.9 R$334

68.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 $1,530

$900 R$4,561

70.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,380 $1,380

$527 R$2,673

161.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,878 $2,878

$1,332 R$6,754

116.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,564 $3,564

$748 R$3,790

376.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,775 $2,775

$3,990 R$20.2K

-30.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,356 $2,356

$1,560 R$7,908

51.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.93

-43.08%

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

Last update for Lexington, MA: 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

Lexington, MA

$1.4K 51.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 61.8% $852

Groceries & Markets

Lexington, MA

$413 15.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 48.2% $199

Eating Out

Lexington, MA

$338 12.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 53.8% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lexington, MA

$319 11.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 47.4% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Lexington, MA

$133 5%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 22% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Lexington, MA

$70 2.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 34.8% $24

Getting Around

Lexington, MA

$20 * 0.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 194% $39

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 $1,530 in Lexington, MA and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $74.0 in Lexington, MA vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $413 vs $214 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lexington, MA

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

15:37 3:37 PM

16:37 4:37 PM

1 h ahead of Lexington, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,570

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

Lexington, MA Rio de Janeiro 7,820 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lexington, MA
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

Lexington, MA vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lexington, MA and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 110% in total monthly costs ($2,672 vs $1,273 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,007 in Lexington, MA and $1,910 in Rio de Janeiro to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,530 in Lexington, MA 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 93% higher in Lexington, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,672 per month in Lexington, MA versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro – a 110% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,672 in Lexington, MA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Lexington, MA. 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.

Safety-wise, Lexington, MA and Rio de Janeiro are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 110% less than in Lexington, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.