Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Missoula, MT and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,576 in Missoula, MT, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Missoula, MT
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Missoula, MT Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Missoula, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,576

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,576 in Missoula, MT versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Missoula, MT $2,576
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,184 in Missoula, MT versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Missoula, MT $4,184
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,793 in Missoula, MT versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Missoula, MT $5,793
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Missoula, MT is roughly 102% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Missoula, MT is 90% above, Rio de Janeiro is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.75 $16.75

$9.38 R$47.54

78.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 $74.1

$40.00 R$203

85.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 $9.74

$8.34 R$42.28

16.79%

Cappuccino

$4.33 $4.33

$2.29 R$11.62

89.08%

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

$3.20 $3.20

$1.59 R$8.05

101.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.01 R$5.10

138.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.03 $6.03

$2.14 R$10.85

181.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.08 $6.08

$3.66 R$18.55

66.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.13 R$5.72

-0.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.35 $3.35

$2.09 R$10.60

60.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$1.25 R$6.36

296.00%

Eggs

$4.36 $4.36

$2.25 R$11.39

93.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.90 $24.90

$10.92 R$55.3

128.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.93 $9.93

$4.36 R$22.10

127.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.07 $19.07

$9.60 R$48.66

98.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.85 R$14.46

72.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.81 R$9.16

-19.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.47 $6.47

$1.58 R$8.02

309.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$1.83 R$9.28

112.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.20 R$6.10

104.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.06 R$5.35

176.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 $2.48

$0.75 R$3.81

230.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.95 $3.95

$0.68 R$3.45

480.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.44 $10.44

$2.94 R$14.90

255.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.89 $24.89

$7.98 R$40.43

211.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.18 R$5.98

66.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.42 R$12.26

80.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.89 $4.89

$1.20 R$6.10

307.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.87 $4.87

$0.83 R$4.20

486.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.14 $40.14

$8.97 R$45.48

347.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.29 R$6.53

-17.05%

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

$32.8K $32.8K

$22.8K R$115.5K

44.09%

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

$24.4K $24.4K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-28.11%

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

$136 $136

$134 R$681

1.51%

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

$52.8 $52.8

$10.73 R$54.4

391.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.6 $69.6

$22.84 R$116

204.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.8 $59.8

$30.16 R$153

98.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.06 $22.06

$31.49 R$160

-29.95%

Cinema Ticket

$13.54 $13.54

$7.73 R$39.17

75.16%

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

$2,026 $2,026

$584 R$2,960

247.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.8K $13.8K

$12.8K R$64.9K

7.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.2 $65.2

$41.12 R$208

58.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.23 $43.23

$49.26 R$250

-12.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$73.7 R$373

40.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 $149

$65.9 R$334

126.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,592 $1,592

$900 R$4,561

76.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 $1,277

$527 R$2,673

142.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,091 $3,091

$1,332 R$6,754

131.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,856 $2,856

$748 R$3,790

281.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,924 $3,924

$3,990 R$20.2K

-1.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,564 $3,564

$1,560 R$7,908

128.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,506 $3,506

$640 R$3,246

447.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.84

11.93

-42.67%

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

Last update for Missoula, MT: October 19, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Missoula, MT

$1.3K 49.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 58.7% $750

Groceries & Markets

Missoula, MT

$481 18.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 55.6% $267

Eating Out

Missoula, MT

$280 10.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 44.3% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Missoula, MT

$259 10%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 35.1% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Missoula, MT

$162 6.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 36.3% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Missoula, MT

$87 3.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 47.5% $41

Getting Around

Missoula, MT

$29 * 1.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 103% $30

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 $1,592 in Missoula, MT and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Missoula, MT pays 447% 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: $74.0 in Missoula, MT vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $481 vs $214 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Missoula, MT

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

08:42 8:42 AM

3 h ahead of Missoula, MT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,489

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 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 →

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Between locations

Missoula, MT Rio de Janeiro 10,500 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Missoula, MT
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

Missoula, MT vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 102% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 447% higher in Missoula, MT, 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: $1,592 in Missoula, MT versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,026 in Missoula, MT versus $584 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $74.0 in Missoula, MT. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,576 in Missoula, MT, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Missoula, MT. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Rio de Janeiro is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Missoula, MT, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Missoula, MT and Rio de Janeiro are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 102% less than in Missoula, MT. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.