Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maceio - Alagoas and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Maceio - Alagoas: $790 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Maceio - Alagoas
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Maceio - Alagoas Living Index
57

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

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Maceio - Alagoas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$790

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $790 in Maceio - Alagoas versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro.

Maceio - Alagoas $790
Rio de Janeiro $1,182

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,239 in Maceio - Alagoas versus $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro.

Maceio - Alagoas $1,239
Rio de Janeiro $1,750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,689 in Maceio - Alagoas versus $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro.

Maceio - Alagoas $1,689
Rio de Janeiro $2,318

Living in Maceio - Alagoas costs roughly 33% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Maceio - Alagoas 42% lower, Rio de Janeiro 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.70 R$30.99

$9.08 R$49.39

-37.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.39 R$149

$37.25 R$203

-26.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.43 R$29.51

$8.02 R$43.62

-32.29%

Cappuccino

$1.67 R$9.06

$2.19 R$11.91

-23.74%

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

$1.03 R$5.62

$1.46 R$7.96

-29.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 R$2.64

$0.99 R$5.37

-51.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.50 R$8.18

$2.03 R$11.03

-26.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 R$21.17

$3.45 R$18.75

12.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 R$5.51

$1.06 R$5.76

-4.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 R$10.14

$1.98 R$10.79

-6.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.40

$1.17 R$6.38

-15.38%

Eggs

$1.81 R$9.87

$2.21 R$12.01

-18.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.63 R$46.92

$10.11 R$55.0

-14.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.19 R$22.79

$4.12 R$22.39

1.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.96 R$37.87

$9.17 R$49.89

-24.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 R$14.45

$2.72 R$14.79

-2.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.75

$1.71 R$9.31

-38.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.91

$1.53 R$8.32

-16.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.99

$1.66 R$9.04

-22.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 R$7.43

$1.14 R$6.19

20.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.44

$0.99 R$5.41

19.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 R$2.78

$0.65 R$3.52

-21.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 R$3.87

$0.60 R$3.26

18.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.93 R$10.52

$2.79 R$15.20

-30.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.66 R$36.23

$7.48 R$40.69

-10.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 R$7.76

$1.09 R$5.93

31.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 R$7.30

$2.33 R$12.69

-42.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 R$3.96

$0.90 R$4.87

-18.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$288

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 R$2.08

$1.17 R$6.35

-67.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 R$2.10

$0.78 R$4.24

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$45.53

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 R$6.12

$1.21 R$6.60

-6.61%

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

$20.5K R$111.5K

$21.5K R$116.8K

-4.54%

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

$29.5K R$160.3K

$31.1K R$169.4K

-5.33%

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

$75.0 R$408

$124 R$677

-39.76%

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

$15.20 R$82.7

$10.03 R$54.6

51.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.66 R$90.6

$20.88 R$114

-20.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.39 R$122

$28.35 R$154

-21.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$5.74 R$31.21

$7.62 R$41.43

-24.67%

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

$204 R$1,111

$563 R$3,062

-63.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,698 R$36.4K

$12.0K R$65.5K

-44.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 R$276

$39.25 R$213

29.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$72.2 R$393

$46.36 R$252

55.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.0 R$484

$68.4 R$372

30.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.8 R$402

$63.4 R$345

16.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$272 R$1,477

$776 R$4,222

-65.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$233 R$1,267

$473 R$2,574

-50.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$459 R$2,499

$1,391 R$7,566

-66.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 R$2,430

$739 R$4,020

-39.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,407 R$7,655

$3,393 R$18.5K

-58.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$659 R$3,584

$1,570 R$8,541

-58.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$552 R$3,005

$597 R$3,247

-7.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

11.93

-14.75%

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

Last update for Maceio - Alagoas: October 25, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maceio - Alagoas

$233 29.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40% 103% $240

Groceries & Markets

Maceio - Alagoas

$179 22.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17% 12.2% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Maceio - Alagoas

$129 16.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3% 23.9% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maceio - Alagoas

$107 13.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1% 45.5% $49

Eating Out

Maceio - Alagoas

$103 13.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7% 45.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Maceio - Alagoas

$34 4.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7% 28.7% $9.7

Getting Around

Maceio - Alagoas

$5.2 * 0.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2% 1081% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $272 in Maceio - Alagoas and $776 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 8% 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: $27 in Maceio - Alagoas vs $37 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $179 vs $201 per month, with Maceio - Alagoas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Maceio - Alagoas

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

22:06 10:06 PM

Same time as Maceio - Alagoas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,031,597

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Maceio - Alagoas Rio de Janeiro 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Maceio - Alagoas
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

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

Maceio - Alagoas is about 33% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Maceio - Alagoas. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $272 in Maceio - Alagoas versus $776 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Rio de Janeiro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $790 per month in Maceio - Alagoas versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro – Maceio - Alagoas is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $790 in Maceio - Alagoas versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Maceio - Alagoas but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Maceio - Alagoas 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.

It comes down to priorities – Maceio - Alagoas wins on affordability, Rio de Janeiro on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.