Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Long Island, NY and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $3,867 in Long Island, NY, rent and utilities included – about $30,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

187

Cost of Living Index in Long Island, NY
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Long Island, NY Living Index
63

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

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Long Island, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$3,867

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,867 per month in Long Island, NY vs $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Long Island, NY $3,867
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

A couple spends around $5,541 per month in Long Island, NY vs $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Long Island, NY $5,541
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

A family of three spends $7,215 per month in Long Island, NY vs $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Long Island, NY $7,215
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Long Island, NY costs about 200% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Long Island, NY sits 186% above the global median, while Rio de Janeiro is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.36 $25.36

$10.06 R$51.0

152.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$40.44 R$205

150.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 $10.94

$8.55 R$43.35

27.95%

Cappuccino

$5.07 $5.07

$2.38 R$12.04

113.03%

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

$2.14 $2.14

$1.61 R$8.18

32.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.03 R$5.22

54.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.47 R$12.54

226.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.87 $7.87

$3.70 R$18.77

112.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.19 R$6.05

6.72%

White Bread (500g)

$4.23 $4.23

$2.05 R$10.38

106.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.28 R$6.49

49.22%

Eggs

$5.07 $5.07

$2.29 R$11.60

121.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.14 $7.14

$10.76 R$54.5

-33.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.65 $11.65

$4.41 R$22.36

164.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.63 $16.63

$9.84 R$49.86

69.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.81 R$14.25

46.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.78 R$9.03

-29.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.60 R$8.13

34.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.06 $6.06

$1.80 R$9.11

236.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.22 R$6.17

-11.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.04 R$5.26

116.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 $1.48

$0.77 R$3.92

92.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$0.67 R$3.38

322.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.27 $11.27

$3.01 R$15.27

274.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.38 $17.38

$8.08 R$40.94

115.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.19 R$6.03

42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.51 R$12.73

61.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 $2.76

$0.99 R$5.00

178.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$131 $131

$50.1 R$254

161.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.22 R$6.20

150.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 $2.08

$0.92 R$4.66

126.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.16 $24.16

$8.97 R$45.45

169.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.30 R$6.57

-13.85%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$23.9K R$121.0K

53.62%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-22.53%

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

$190 $190

$133 R$676

42.77%

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

$48.53 $48.53

$10.82 R$54.8

348.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 $54.4

$22.90 R$116

137.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.55 $31.55

$30.79 R$156

2.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$102 $102

$31.85 R$161

220.85%

Cinema Ticket

$14.23 $14.23

$8.05 R$40.83

76.77%

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

$2,219 $2,219

$598 R$3,029

271.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K $24.0K

$13.4K R$68.0K

78.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.01 $40.01

$42.04 R$213

-4.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.5 $56.5

$49.68 R$252

13.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 $75.7

$74.5 R$378

1.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 $158

$68.7 R$348

130.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,715 $2,715

$903 R$4,578

200.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,463 $2,463

$529 R$2,684

365.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,300 $5,300

$1,326 R$6,724

299.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,883 $3,883

$756 R$3,831

413.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,360 $4,360

$4,010 R$20.3K

8.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,364 $4,364

$1,560 R$7,910

179.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,983 $4,983

$640 R$3,242

679.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

11.93

-44.43%

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

Last update for Long Island, NY: 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

Long Island, NY

$2.5K 63.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 78.5% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

Long Island, NY

$378 9.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 43.3% $164

Eating Out

Long Island, NY

$368 9.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 55.1% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Long Island, NY

$293 7.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 43% $126

Getting Around

Long Island, NY

$155 4%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 61.4% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Long Island, NY

$149 3.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 28.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Long Island, NY

$60 1.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 21.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,715 in Long Island, NY versus $903 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 679% higher in Long Island, NY, 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 $101 in Long Island, NY versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $378 vs $215 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Long Island, NY

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

17:32 5:32 PM

18:32 6:32 PM

1 h ahead of Long Island, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,804,968

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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Long Island, NY Rio de Janeiro 7,730 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Long Island, NY
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

Long Island, NY vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,867 in Long Island, NY, $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro – roughly 200% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,800 per month in Long Island, NY and $1,933 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 $2,219 per month in Long Island, NY and $598 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 76% more in Long Island, NY, 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 $1,289, than in Long Island, NY at $3,867. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Long Island, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Long Island, NY has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro to $3,867 in Long Island, NY. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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