Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monticello, AR and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,407 in Monticello, AR, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Monticello, AR
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Monticello, AR Living Index
62

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

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Monticello, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,407

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,407 per month in Monticello, AR vs $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Monticello, AR $2,407
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

A couple spends around $3,453 per month in Monticello, AR vs $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Monticello, AR $3,453
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

A family of three spends $4,499 per month in Monticello, AR vs $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Monticello, AR $4,499
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Monticello, AR costs about 89% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Monticello, AR sits 78% above the global median, while Rio de Janeiro is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.26 $18.26

$9.38 R$47.54

94.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.9 $74.9

$40.00 R$203

87.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.03 $12.03

$8.34 R$42.28

44.24%

Cappuccino

$5.50 $5.50

$2.29 R$11.62

140.17%

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

$2.35 $2.35

$1.59 R$8.05

47.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.01 R$5.10

101.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 $7.13

$2.14 R$10.85

233.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.09 $8.09

$3.66 R$18.55

121.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.13 R$5.72

-20.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 $1.20

$2.09 R$10.60

-42.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.25 R$6.36

66.40%

Eggs

$3.71 $3.71

$2.25 R$11.39

64.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.88 $8.88

$10.92 R$55.3

-18.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$4.36 R$22.10

53.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.85 $8.85

$9.60 R$48.66

-7.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$2.85 R$14.46

18.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.81 R$9.16

-28.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.58 R$8.02

70.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.83 R$9.28

18.58%

Potato (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.20 R$6.10

171.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.06 R$5.35

117.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$0.75 R$3.81

145.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.68 R$3.45

227.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.47 $9.47

$2.94 R$14.90

222.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.74 $12.74

$7.98 R$40.43

59.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.18 R$5.98

50.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.42 R$12.26

-33.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 $2.30

$0.94 R$4.78

144.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.20 R$6.10

63.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$0.83 R$4.20

67.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.32 $20.32

$8.97 R$45.48

126.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.29 R$6.53

-25.58%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$22.8K R$115.5K

21.30%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-19.91%

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

$190 $190

$134 R$681

41.36%

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

$40.07 $40.07

$10.73 R$54.4

273.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.59 $45.59

$22.84 R$116

99.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.43 $42.43

$30.16 R$153

40.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$10.98 $10.98

$7.73 R$39.17

42.04%

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

$1,219 $1,219

$584 R$2,960

108.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K $24.8K

$12.8K R$64.9K

93.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.74 $23.74

$41.12 R$208

-42.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.03 $33.03

$49.26 R$250

-32.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.0 $69.0

$73.7 R$373

-6.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 $150

$65.9 R$334

127.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 $1,584

$900 R$4,561

76.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,345 $1,345

$527 R$2,673

155.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,702 $2,702

$1,332 R$6,754

102.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,132 $2,132

$748 R$3,790

185.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,660 $2,660

$3,990 R$20.2K

-33.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,221 $2,221

$1,560 R$7,908

42.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

11.93

-44.68%

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

Last update for Monticello, AR: October 18, 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

Monticello, AR

$1.3K 55.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 60.8% $817

Eating Out

Monticello, AR

$318 13.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 50.9% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monticello, AR

$276 11.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 39.1% $108

Groceries & Markets

Monticello, AR

$263 10.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 18.8% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Monticello, AR

$124 5.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 16.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Monticello, AR

$64 2.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 29.2% $19

Getting Around

Monticello, AR

$18 * 0.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 229% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,584 in Monticello, AR versus $900 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 $75.0 in Monticello, AR versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $214 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Monticello, AR

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

17:47 5:47 PM

19:47 7:47 PM

2 h ahead of Monticello, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,414

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Monticello, AR Rio de Janeiro 8,120 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Monticello, AR
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

Monticello, AR vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Monticello, AR is pricier by about 89%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,611 per month in Monticello, AR and $1,910 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Monticello, AR and $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Monticello, AR, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,273, than in Monticello, AR at $2,407. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monticello, AR 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.

If budget matters most, go with Rio de Janeiro. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Monticello, AR makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.