Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montross, VA and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $2,772 in Montross, VA, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Montross, VA
Learn more

Montross, VA Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

Jump to prices

Montross, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,772

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,772 in Montross, VA versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro.

Montross, VA $2,772
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,105 in Montross, VA versus $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro.

Montross, VA $4,105
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,438 in Montross, VA versus $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro.

Montross, VA $5,438
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Living in Montross, VA is roughly 116% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montross, VA is 107% above, Rio de Janeiro is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.94 $23.94

$9.98 R$49.69

139.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.4 $98.4

$40.34 R$201

143.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 $11.06

$8.48 R$42.23

30.42%

Cappuccino

$5.71 $5.71

$2.36 R$11.77

141.95%

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

$3.00 $3.00

$1.63 R$8.11

84.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.01 R$5.05

140.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.84 $7.84

$2.44 R$12.15

221.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.89 $8.89

$3.69 R$18.38

140.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.15 R$5.70

5.22%

White Bread (500g)

$4.50 $4.50

$2.07 R$10.31

117.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$1.29 R$6.40

319.38%

Eggs

$5.09 $5.09

$2.27 R$11.29

124.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.35 $21.35

$11.00 R$54.7

94.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.85 $15.85

$4.31 R$21.44

267.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.46 $22.46

$9.74 R$48.49

130.60%

Apples (1kg)

$5.76 $5.76

$2.83 R$14.07

103.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.84 R$9.14

3.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$1.60 R$7.94

191.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.74 $5.74

$1.80 R$8.97

218.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.26 R$6.26

149.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.80 $3.80

$1.07 R$5.32

255.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 $2.30

$0.75 R$3.74

206.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$0.66 R$3.28

287.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.67 $10.67

$3.05 R$15.16

249.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.31 $17.31

$8.18 R$40.72

111.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.19 R$5.90

133.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 $2.84

$2.39 R$11.88

18.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.01 R$5.04

125.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 $3.89

$1.27 R$6.31

206.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$0.90 R$4.50

36.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.32 $25.32

$9.44 R$46.99

168.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.33 R$6.63

-20.30%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$23.4K R$116.6K

47.24%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$33.6K R$167.1K

-25.96%

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

$164 $164

$134 R$664

22.55%

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

$50.7 $50.7

$12.23 R$60.9

314.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.4 $61.4

$22.65 R$113

171.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.97 $39.97

$31.56 R$157

26.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$16.41 $16.41

$8.23 R$40.95

99.39%

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

$1,618 $1,618

$603 R$3,002

168.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.6K $36.6K

$13.2K R$65.9K

176.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 $54.7

$41.62 R$207

31.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.5 $63.5

$49.94 R$249

27.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$75.0 R$373

33.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 $161

$68.3 R$340

135.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,722 $1,722

$905 R$4,506

90.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,265 $1,265

$527 R$2,625

139.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,690 $2,690

$1,346 R$6,700

99.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,203 $2,203

$774 R$3,854

184.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,765 $2,765

$3,981 R$19.8K

-30.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,076 $2,076

$1,562 R$7,775

32.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,200

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.93

-43.08%

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

Last update for Montross, VA: October 5, 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

Montross, VA

$1.3K 47.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 58.3% $738

Groceries & Markets

Montross, VA

$509 19%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 57.8% $294

Eating Out

Montross, VA

$372 13.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 55.9% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montross, VA

$276 10.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 38.9% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Montross, VA

$171 6.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 38% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Montross, VA

$73 2.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 34% $25

Getting Around

Montross, VA

$19 * 0.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 214% $41

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 $1,722 in Montross, VA and $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $98.0 in Montross, VA vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $509 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Montross, VA

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

09:52 9:52 AM

10:52 10:52 AM

1 h ahead of Montross, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

400

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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montross, VA Rio de Janeiro 7,640 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Montross, VA
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

Montross, VA vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 116% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,157 in Montross, VA and $1,927 in Rio de Janeiro to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,722 in Montross, VA versus $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,618 in Montross, VA versus $603 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 $98.0 in Montross, VA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,772 in Montross, VA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Montross, VA. 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 Montross, VA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 116% less than in Montross, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.