Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macaé and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Macaé: $885 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Macaé
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Macaé Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Macaé

🇧🇷 Brazil

$885

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $885 in Macaé versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Macaé $885
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,498 in Macaé versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

Macaé $1,498
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,111 in Macaé versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

Macaé $2,111
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Macaé costs roughly 31% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Macaé 34% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.49 R$27.83

$10.06 R$51.0

-45.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.40 R$154

$40.44 R$205

-24.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.09 R$35.95

$8.55 R$43.35

-17.08%

Cappuccino

$1.70 R$8.63

$2.38 R$12.04

-28.57%

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

$1.41 R$7.15

$1.61 R$8.18

-12.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 R$2.99

$1.03 R$5.22

-42.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 R$6.26

$2.47 R$12.54

-49.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 R$13.93

$3.70 R$18.77

-25.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 R$4.91

$1.19 R$6.05

-18.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 R$7.73

$2.05 R$10.38

-25.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.95

$1.28 R$6.49

7.03%

Eggs

$1.96 R$9.92

$2.29 R$11.60

-14.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.22 R$46.73

$10.76 R$54.5

-14.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.36 R$17.04

$4.41 R$22.36

-23.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.58 R$48.57

$9.84 R$49.86

-2.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 R$9.91

$2.81 R$14.25

-30.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.12

$1.78 R$9.03

-32.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.93 R$4.69

$1.60 R$8.13

-41.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.26

$1.80 R$9.11

-31.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 R$3.53

$1.22 R$6.17

-42.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 R$4.33

$1.04 R$5.26

-17.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 R$2.88

$0.77 R$3.92

-25.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 R$2.45

$0.67 R$3.38

-28.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.58 R$8.00

$3.01 R$15.27

-47.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.99 R$30.36

$8.08 R$40.94

-25.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.21

$1.19 R$6.03

-13.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 R$6.24

$2.51 R$12.73

-51.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R$7.83

$0.99 R$5.00

56.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.2 R$427

$50.1 R$254

68.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 R$6.89

$1.22 R$6.20

11.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$3.96

$0.92 R$4.66

-15.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.32 R$42.19

$8.97 R$45.45

-7.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 R$6.41

$1.30 R$6.57

-3.08%

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

$21.7K R$110.0K

$23.9K R$121.0K

-9.15%

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

$31.4K R$159.2K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-4.43%

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

$99.6 R$505

$133 R$676

-25.31%

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

$9.95 R$50.4

$10.82 R$54.8

-8.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.03 R$96.5

$22.90 R$116

-16.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.47 R$205

$30.79 R$156

31.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.67 R$150

$31.85 R$161

-6.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 R$34.31

$8.05 R$40.83

-15.90%

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

$659 R$3,339

$598 R$3,029

10.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,291 R$37.0K

$13.4K R$68.0K

-45.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 R$323

$42.04 R$213

51.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.54 R$160

$49.68 R$252

-36.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.8 R$343

$74.5 R$378

-9.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.84 R$248

$68.7 R$348

-28.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$375 R$1,899

$903 R$4,578

-58.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 R$1,199

$529 R$2,684

-55.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$911 R$4,620

$1,326 R$6,724

-31.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 R$3,410

$756 R$3,831

-10.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,275 R$6,465

$4,010 R$20.3K

-68.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$787 R$3,989

$1,560 R$7,910

-49.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$809 R$4,104

$640 R$3,242

26.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

11.93

-10.56%

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

Last update for Macaé: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Macaé

$237 26.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 124% $293

Groceries & Markets

Macaé

$170 19.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 26.4% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macaé

$129 14.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 30% $39

Eating Out

Macaé

$105 11.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 56.7% $60

Getting Around

Macaé

$96 10.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 37.4% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Macaé

$95 10.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 10.9% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Macaé

$54 6.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 13.2% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $375 in Macaé and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Macaé pays 27% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30.00 in Macaé vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $215 per month, with Macaé cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Macaé

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

04:23 4:23 AM

Same time as Macaé

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

246,391

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Macaé Rio de Janeiro 150 km

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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

Macaé vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Macaé and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($885 vs $1,289 including rent). Macaé is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 27% higher in Macaé, 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: $375 in Macaé versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Macaé – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $885 per month in Macaé versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro – a 46% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $885 in Macaé versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Macaé but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Macaé 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.

Expats usually find Macaé gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.