Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montes Claros and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Montes Claros: $848 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Montes Claros
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Montes Claros Living Index
57

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

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Montes Claros

🇧🇷 Brazil

$848

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $848 in Montes Claros versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro.

Montes Claros $848
Rio de Janeiro $1,182

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,358 in Montes Claros versus $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro.

Montes Claros $1,358
Rio de Janeiro $1,750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,869 in Montes Claros versus $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro.

Montes Claros $1,869
Rio de Janeiro $2,318

Living in Montes Claros costs roughly 28% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Montes Claros 38% lower, Rio de Janeiro 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.53 R$18.86

$9.08 R$48.58

-61.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.55 R$169

$37.25 R$199

-15.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.63 R$40.81

$8.02 R$42.91

-4.86%

Cappuccino

$2.04 R$10.90

$2.19 R$11.72

-6.85%

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

$1.32 R$7.08

$1.46 R$7.83

-9.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R$4.04

$0.99 R$5.28

-23.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 R$7.90

$2.03 R$10.85

-27.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 R$16.16

$3.45 R$18.45

-12.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.67

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 R$8.76

$1.98 R$10.62

-17.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.52

$1.17 R$6.28

4.27%

Eggs

$2.15 R$11.50

$2.21 R$11.81

-2.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.19 R$49.16

$10.11 R$54.1

-9.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.30 R$23.02

$4.12 R$22.02

4.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.76 R$46.87

$9.17 R$49.08

-4.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 R$12.11

$2.72 R$14.55

-16.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 R$7.09

$1.71 R$9.15

-22.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 R$6.03

$1.53 R$8.19

-26.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 R$8.35

$1.66 R$8.89

-6.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.63

$1.14 R$6.09

8.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.94

$0.99 R$5.32

12.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 R$4.26

$0.65 R$3.46

23.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.40

$0.60 R$3.20

36.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.50 R$13.37

$2.79 R$14.96

-10.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 R$41.80

$7.48 R$40.03

4.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R$7.13

$1.09 R$5.84

22.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 R$11.34

$2.33 R$12.49

-9.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 R$4.26

$0.90 R$4.79

-11.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.22 R$237

$53.0 R$284

-16.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 R$6.77

$1.17 R$6.24

7.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 R$4.58

$0.78 R$4.18

10.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.11 R$43.39

$8.37 R$44.79

-3.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 R$5.53

$1.21 R$6.49

-14.88%

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

$23.2K R$124.4K

$21.5K R$114.9K

8.27%

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

$33.2K R$177.4K

$31.1K R$166.6K

6.50%

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

$77.3 R$414

$124 R$666

-37.88%

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

$12.20 R$65.3

$10.03 R$53.7

21.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 R$105

$20.88 R$112

-5.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.42 R$136

$28.35 R$152

-10.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.14 R$145

$29.33 R$157

-7.47%

Cinema Ticket

$7.56 R$40.48

$7.62 R$40.75

-0.79%

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

$275 R$1,474

$563 R$3,012

-51.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,047 R$37.7K

$12.0K R$64.5K

-41.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 R$293

$39.25 R$210

39.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 R$268

$46.36 R$248

8.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 R$484

$68.4 R$366

32.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.5 R$383

$63.4 R$339

12.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 R$1,918

$776 R$4,153

-53.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 R$1,257

$473 R$2,532

-50.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$668 R$3,574

$1,391 R$7,443

-51.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 R$2,552

$739 R$3,954

-35.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,706 R$9,128

$3,393 R$18.2K

-49.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,181 R$6,319

$1,570 R$8,403

-24.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$419 R$2,243

$597 R$3,194

-29.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

-7.80%

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

Last update for Montes Claros: October 26, 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

Montes Claros

$235 27.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40% 102% $238

Groceries & Markets

Montes Claros

$193 22.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17% 4.2% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Montes Claros

$120 14.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3% 18.5% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montes Claros

$109 12.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1% 42.3% $46

Eating Out

Montes Claros

$97 11.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7% 54% $53

Getting Around

Montes Claros

$53 6.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2% 16.5% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Montes Claros

$41 4.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7% 7.5% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $358 in Montes Claros and $776 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 42% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Montes Claros vs $37 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $201 per month, with Montes Claros cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Montes Claros

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

06:14 6:14 AM

Same time as Montes Claros

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

414,240

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Montes Claros Rio de Janeiro 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Montes Claros
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

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

Montes Claros and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($848 vs $1,182 including rent). Montes Claros is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 30% lower in Montes Claros. 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: $358 in Montes Claros versus $776 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Montes Claros runs roughly 17% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $275 in Montes Claros versus $563 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 Montes Claros gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.