Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima, OH and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,594 in Lima, OH, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Lima, OH
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Lima, OH Living Index
62

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

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Lima, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,594

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,594 in Lima, OH versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Lima, OH $2,594
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,690 in Lima, OH versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Lima, OH $3,690
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,785 in Lima, OH versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Lima, OH $4,785
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Lima, OH is roughly 104% 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: Lima, OH is 91% above, Rio de Janeiro is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.30 $22.30

$9.38 R$47.54

137.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.3 $77.3

$40.00 R$203

93.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 $12.17

$8.34 R$42.28

45.92%

Cappuccino

$5.53 $5.53

$2.29 R$11.62

141.48%

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

$2.55 $2.55

$1.59 R$8.05

60.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.01 R$5.10

100.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.98 $5.98

$2.14 R$10.85

179.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 $6.96

$3.66 R$18.55

90.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.55 $0.55

$1.13 R$5.72

-51.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 $3.18

$2.09 R$10.60

52.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$1.25 R$6.36

328.80%

Eggs

$3.02 $3.02

$2.25 R$11.39

34.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.76 $8.76

$10.92 R$55.3

-19.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.63 $14.63

$4.36 R$22.10

235.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.92 $15.92

$9.60 R$48.66

65.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.85 R$14.46

51.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.81 R$9.16

-37.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$1.58 R$8.02

186.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$1.83 R$9.28

139.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.20 R$6.10

88.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.06 R$5.35

109.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.75 R$3.81

160.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.68 R$3.45

198.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.99 $9.99

$2.94 R$14.90

239.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.61 $16.61

$7.98 R$40.43

108.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.18 R$5.98

83.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.42 R$12.26

-15.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.94 R$4.78

109.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.37 $42.37

$50.3 R$255

-15.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.20 R$6.10

146.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 $1.24

$0.83 R$4.20

49.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.59 $26.59

$8.97 R$45.48

196.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.29 R$6.53

-34.11%

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

$30.7K $30.7K

$22.8K R$115.5K

34.90%

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

$23.7K $23.7K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-30.19%

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

$225 $225

$134 R$681

67.71%

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

$67.9 $67.9

$10.73 R$54.4

533.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.9 $66.9

$22.84 R$116

192.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.23 $42.23

$30.16 R$153

40.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.94 $47.94

$31.49 R$160

52.24%

Cinema Ticket

$13.05 $13.05

$7.73 R$39.17

68.82%

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

$1,615 $1,615

$584 R$2,960

176.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.3K $34.3K

$12.8K R$64.9K

167.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 $50.6

$41.12 R$208

23.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.69 $40.69

$49.26 R$250

-17.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 $82.6

$73.7 R$373

12.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$65.9 R$334

67.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 $1,278

$900 R$4,561

42.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 $1,257

$527 R$2,673

138.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,211 $2,211

$1,332 R$6,754

65.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,826 $1,826

$748 R$3,790

144.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,393 $1,393

$3,990 R$20.2K

-65.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,402 $1,402

$1,560 R$7,908

-10.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,089 $5,089

$640 R$3,246

694.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

11.93

-44.34%

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

Last update for Lima, OH: October 17, 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

Lima, OH

$1.3K 48.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 58% $730

Groceries & Markets

Lima, OH

$378 14.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 43.5% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima, OH

$360 13.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 53.4% $192

Eating Out

Lima, OH

$343 13.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 54.6% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Lima, OH

$128 4.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 19.1% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Lima, OH

$68 2.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 33.3% $23

Getting Around

Lima, OH

$59 2.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 0.1% $0

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,278 in Lima, OH and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima, OH pays 695% 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: $77.0 in Lima, OH vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $378 vs $214 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lima, OH

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

11:24 11:24 AM

12:24 12:24 PM

1 h ahead of Lima, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,868

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 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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Between locations

Lima, OH Rio de Janeiro 8,240 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima, OH
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

Lima, OH vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima, OH and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 104% in total monthly costs ($2,594 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 695% higher in Lima, OH, 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: $1,278 in Lima, OH 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 77% higher in Lima, OH. 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 $77.0 in Lima, OH. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,594 in Lima, OH, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Lima, OH. 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, Lima, OH 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 104% less than in Lima, OH. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.