Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Alamos, NM and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Alamos, NM: $1,065 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

52

Cost of Living Index in Los Alamos, NM
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Los Alamos, NM Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Los Alamos, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$1,065

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,065 per month in Los Alamos, NM vs $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Los Alamos, NM $1,065
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

A couple spends around $1,652 per month in Los Alamos, NM vs $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Los Alamos, NM $1,652
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

A family of three spends $2,240 per month in Los Alamos, NM vs $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Los Alamos, NM $2,240
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Los Alamos, NM is about 17% cheaper than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Los Alamos, NM and Rio de Janeiro are more affordable than the global median – Los Alamos, NM 21% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 $17.10

$10.06 R$51.0

69.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.29 $40.29

$40.44 R$205

-0.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.04 $10.04

$8.55 R$43.35

17.43%

Cappuccino

$4.95 $4.95

$2.38 R$12.04

107.98%

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

$2.46 $2.46

$1.61 R$8.18

52.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.03 R$5.22

43.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.94 $5.94

$2.47 R$12.54

140.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 $7.17

$3.70 R$18.77

93.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.19 R$6.05

-24.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.05 R$10.38

10.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$1.28 R$6.49

244.53%

Eggs

$4.03 $4.03

$2.29 R$11.60

75.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.61 $11.61

$10.76 R$54.5

7.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 $9.55

$4.41 R$22.36

116.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.69 $17.69

$9.84 R$49.86

79.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$2.81 R$14.25

70.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.78 R$9.03

-20.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.60 R$8.13

78.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.80 R$9.11

151.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.22 R$6.17

-10.66%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.04 R$5.26

214.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.77 R$3.92

155.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 $0.49

$0.67 R$3.38

-26.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.54 $10.54

$3.01 R$15.27

250.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.91 $13.91

$8.08 R$40.94

72.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.19 R$6.03

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.51 R$12.73

41.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 $3.51

$1.22 R$6.20

187.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.92 R$4.66

114.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.94 $31.94

$8.97 R$45.45

256.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.30 R$6.57

-28.46%

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

$30.7K $30.7K

$23.9K R$121.0K

28.70%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-25.42%

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

$158 $158

$133 R$676

18.15%

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

$40.32 $40.32

$10.82 R$54.8

272.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.6 $72.6

$22.90 R$116

216.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$13.21 $13.21

$8.05 R$40.83

64.10%

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

$1,490 $1,490

$598 R$3,029

149.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K $25.4K

$13.4K R$68.0K

89.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.08 $20.08

$42.04 R$213

-52.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.91 $43.91

$49.68 R$252

-11.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$74.5 R$378

41.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$68.7 R$348

75.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 $1,078

$903 R$4,578

19.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,930 $1,930

$1,326 R$6,724

45.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,277 $3,277

$4,010 R$20.3K

-18.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,380 $3,380

$1,560 R$7,910

116.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,229 $8,229

$640 R$3,242

1186.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.93

-44.93%

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

Last update for Los Alamos, NM: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Los Alamos, NM

$338 31.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 36.5% $123

Eating Out

Los Alamos, NM

$286 26.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 42.3% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Alamos, NM

$271 25.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 38.2% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Los Alamos, NM

$130 12.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 18.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Los Alamos, NM

$26 * 2.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 77.5% $20

Getting Around

Los Alamos, NM

$13 * 1.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 348% $47

Accommodation & Living

Los Alamos, NM

- * 0%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,078 in Los Alamos, NM 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 1187% higher in Los Alamos, NM, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Los Alamos, NM versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Groceries tell a different story – $338 in Los Alamos, NM vs $215 in Rio de Janeiro – so Rio de Janeiro wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Los Alamos, NM

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

12:43 12:43 PM

15:43 3:43 PM

3 h ahead of Los Alamos, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,179

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Los Alamos, NM Rio de Janeiro 9,310 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Los Alamos, NM
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

Los Alamos, NM vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rio de Janeiro is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,597 per month in Los Alamos, NM 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 Los Alamos, NM, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,065 in Los Alamos, NM and $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a gap of about 21%.

Kindergarten costs $1,490 per month in Los Alamos, NM and $598 in Rio de Janeiro. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Los Alamos, NM, where all-in costs run around $1,065, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Los Alamos, NM it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Los Alamos, NM – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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