Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Little Rock, AR and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $2,137 in Little Rock, AR, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Little Rock, AR
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Little Rock, AR Living Index
63

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

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Little Rock, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,137

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,137 per month in Little Rock, AR vs $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Little Rock, AR $2,137
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

A couple spends around $3,103 per month in Little Rock, AR vs $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Little Rock, AR $3,103
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

A family of three spends $4,069 per month in Little Rock, AR vs $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Little Rock, AR $4,069
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Little Rock, AR costs about 66% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Little Rock, AR sits 59% above the global median, while Rio de Janeiro is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.18 $17.18

$9.98 R$49.83

72.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.9 $73.9

$40.34 R$201

83.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.84 $10.84

$8.48 R$42.35

27.83%

Cappuccino

$5.15 $5.15

$2.36 R$11.80

118.22%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$1.63 R$8.13

80.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.01 R$5.06

140.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.54 $5.54

$2.44 R$12.19

127.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.41 $6.41

$3.69 R$18.43

73.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.15 R$5.72

-4.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.07 R$10.34

29.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.29 R$6.42

118.60%

Eggs

$3.39 $3.39

$2.27 R$11.32

49.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.15 $10.15

$11.00 R$54.9

-7.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 $11.70

$4.31 R$21.51

171.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.86 $22.86

$9.74 R$48.63

134.70%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 $5.03

$2.83 R$14.12

77.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.84 R$9.17

-20.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$1.60 R$7.96

176.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$1.80 R$9.00

109.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.26 R$6.28

115.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.07 R$5.34

140.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.75 R$3.75

158.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$0.66 R$3.29

192.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.74 $9.74

$3.05 R$15.21

219.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 $13.47

$8.18 R$40.84

64.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.19 R$5.92

48.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.39 R$11.92

-28.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.01 R$5.06

34.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.95 $35.95

$50.2 R$250

-28.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.27 R$6.33

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$0.90 R$4.51

64.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.22 $24.22

$9.44 R$47.13

156.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.33 R$6.65

-32.33%

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

$37.4K $37.4K

$23.4K R$117.0K

59.59%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$33.6K R$167.6K

-22.01%

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

$218 $218

$134 R$666

63.03%

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

$59.9 $59.9

$12.23 R$61.0

389.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.3 $68.3

$22.65 R$113

201.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.12 $29.12

$31.56 R$158

-7.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.94 $13.94

$30.87 R$154

-54.84%

Cinema Ticket

$12.76 $12.76

$8.23 R$41.07

55.04%

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

$1,014 $1,014

$603 R$3,011

68.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K $18.9K

$13.2K R$66.1K

42.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.8 $50.8

$41.62 R$208

21.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.52 $39.52

$49.94 R$249

-20.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 $83.8

$75.0 R$375

11.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 $147

$68.3 R$341

115.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 $1,132

$905 R$4,519

25.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 $874

$527 R$2,633

65.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,577 $1,577

$1,346 R$6,720

17.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,282 $1,282

$774 R$3,865

65.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,870 $1,870

$3,981 R$19.9K

-53.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,335 $1,335

$1,562 R$7,798

-14.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,805 $3,805

$643 R$3,210

491.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

11.93

-43.42%

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

Last update for Little Rock, AR: October 4, 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

Little Rock, AR

$874 40.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 39.7% $347

Groceries & Markets

Little Rock, AR

$374 17.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 42.6% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Little Rock, AR

$346 16.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 51.3% $177

Eating Out

Little Rock, AR

$294 13.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 44.2% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Little Rock, AR

$145 6.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 26.9% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Little Rock, AR

$55 2.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 12.1% $6.6

Getting Around

Little Rock, AR

$51 2.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 16.9% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,132 in Little Rock, AR versus $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 492% higher in Little Rock, AR, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Little Rock, AR versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $374 vs $215 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Little Rock, AR

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

08:03 8:03 AM

10:03 10:03 AM

2 h ahead of Little Rock, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

202,591

6,211,223

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Little Rock, AR Rio de Janeiro 8,240 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Little Rock, AR
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

Little Rock, AR vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,137 in Little Rock, AR, $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro – roughly 66% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,205 per month in Little Rock, AR and $1,927 in Rio de Janeiro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rio de Janeiro, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,014 per month in Little Rock, AR and $603 in Rio de Janeiro. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 74% more in Little Rock, AR, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,285, than in Little Rock, AR at $2,137. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Little Rock, AR it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Rio de Janeiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro to $2,137 in Little Rock, AR. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Rio de Janeiro. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Little Rock, AR makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.