Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Middlesex, NJ and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $2,521 in Middlesex, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Middlesex, NJ
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Middlesex, NJ Living Index
63

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

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Middlesex, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,521

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,521 per month in Middlesex, NJ vs $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Middlesex, NJ $2,521
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

A couple spends around $3,662 per month in Middlesex, NJ vs $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Middlesex, NJ $3,662
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

A family of three spends $4,803 per month in Middlesex, NJ vs $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Middlesex, NJ $4,803
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Middlesex, NJ costs about 96% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Middlesex, NJ sits 88% above the global median, while Rio de Janeiro is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.89 $19.89

$9.98 R$49.69

99.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.0 $76.0

$40.34 R$201

88.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.02 $13.02

$8.48 R$42.23

53.54%

Cappuccino

$5.09 $5.09

$2.36 R$11.77

115.68%

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

$2.78 $2.78

$1.63 R$8.11

70.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.01 R$5.05

140.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.88 $5.88

$2.44 R$12.15

140.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.93 $8.93

$3.69 R$18.38

142.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.15 R$5.70

-12.17%

White Bread (500g)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.07 R$10.31

118.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.29 R$6.40

239.53%

Eggs

$6.22 $6.22

$2.27 R$11.29

174.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.68 $10.68

$11.00 R$54.7

-2.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.81 $10.81

$4.31 R$21.44

150.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.72 $18.72

$9.74 R$48.49

92.20%

Apples (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$2.83 R$14.07

98.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.84 R$9.14

-15.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$1.60 R$7.94

107.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.80 R$8.97

69.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.26 R$6.26

71.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.07 R$5.32

133.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.67 $2.67

$0.75 R$3.74

256.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$0.66 R$3.28

345.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.09 $13.09

$3.05 R$15.16

329.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.27 $17.27

$8.18 R$40.72

111.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.19 R$5.90

52.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.39 R$11.88

14.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.01 R$5.04

78.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.95 $5.95

$1.27 R$6.31

368.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

$0.90 R$4.50

104.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.78 $27.78

$9.44 R$46.99

194.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.33 R$6.63

-22.56%

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

$37.3K $37.3K

$23.4K R$116.6K

59.24%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$33.6K R$167.1K

-23.60%

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

$181 $181

$134 R$664

35.51%

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

$36.54 $36.54

$12.23 R$60.9

198.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 $59.0

$22.65 R$113

160.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.77 $35.77

$31.56 R$157

13.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$12.71 $12.71

$8.23 R$40.95

54.43%

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

$2,105 $2,105

$603 R$3,002

249.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K $22.3K

$13.2K R$65.9K

68.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.32 $38.32

$41.62 R$207

-7.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.53 $16.53

$49.94 R$249

-66.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$75.0 R$373

35.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 $101

$68.3 R$340

47.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 $2,576

$905 R$4,506

184.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 $1,287

$527 R$2,625

143.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,469 $2,469

$1,346 R$6,700

83.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,167 $2,167

$774 R$3,854

179.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,705 $2,705

$3,981 R$19.8K

-32.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,574 $2,574

$1,562 R$7,775

64.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,200

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

11.93

-45.43%

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

Last update for Middlesex, NJ: 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

Middlesex, NJ

$1.3K 51.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 59% $759

Groceries & Markets

Middlesex, NJ

$412 16.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 48% $198

Eating Out

Middlesex, NJ

$327 13.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 49.9% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Middlesex, NJ

$276 11.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 39.1% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Middlesex, NJ

$116 4.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 8.7% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Middlesex, NJ

$61 2.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 21.5% $13

Getting Around

Middlesex, NJ

$22 * 0.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 168% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,576 in Middlesex, NJ 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Middlesex, NJ versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $412 vs $215 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Middlesex, NJ

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

11:37 11:37 AM

12:37 12:37 PM

1 h ahead of Middlesex, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,746

6,211,223

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 BRL = 0.201 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 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 USD = 4.98 BRL (1 BRL = 0.201 USD). 1 EUR = 5.58 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Middlesex, NJ Rio de Janeiro 7,770 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Middlesex, NJ
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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

Middlesex, NJ vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Middlesex, NJ is pricier by about 96%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,781 per month in Middlesex, NJ 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,521 in Middlesex, NJ and $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a gap of about 96%.

Kindergarten costs $2,105 per month in Middlesex, NJ and $603 in Rio de Janeiro. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,285, than in Middlesex, NJ at $2,521. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Middlesex, NJ it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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, Middlesex, NJ makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.