Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nashville, TN and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $2,837 in Nashville, TN, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Nashville, TN
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Nashville, TN Living Index
63

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

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Nashville, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,837

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,837 in Nashville, TN versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro.

Nashville, TN $2,837
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,263 in Nashville, TN versus $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro.

Nashville, TN $4,263
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,689 in Nashville, TN versus $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro.

Nashville, TN $5,689
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Living in Nashville, TN is roughly 121% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nashville, TN is 112% above, Rio de Janeiro is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 $17.89

$9.98 R$49.83

79.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 $84.3

$40.34 R$201

108.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.15 $12.15

$8.48 R$42.35

43.28%

Cappuccino

$6.56 $6.56

$2.36 R$11.80

177.97%

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

$2.88 $2.88

$1.63 R$8.13

76.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.01 R$5.06

137.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 $6.87

$2.44 R$12.19

181.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 $8.07

$3.69 R$18.43

118.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.15 R$5.72

-1.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.90 $3.90

$2.07 R$10.34

88.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.01 $4.01

$1.29 R$6.42

210.85%

Eggs

$4.20 $4.20

$2.27 R$11.32

85.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.78 $12.78

$11.00 R$54.9

16.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.44 $14.44

$4.31 R$21.51

235.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.70 $18.70

$9.74 R$48.63

91.99%

Apples (1kg)

$5.70 $5.70

$2.83 R$14.12

101.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.84 R$9.17

-14.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$1.60 R$7.96

163.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$1.80 R$9.00

173.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.26 R$6.28

106.35%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.07 R$5.34

185.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.75 R$3.75

214.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$0.66 R$3.29

254.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.25 $10.25

$3.05 R$15.21

236.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.89 $15.89

$8.18 R$40.84

94.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.19 R$5.92

109.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.68 $4.68

$2.39 R$11.92

95.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.01 R$5.06

102.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.0 $65.0

$50.2 R$250

29.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.92 $4.92

$1.27 R$6.33

287.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$0.90 R$4.51

68.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.09 $21.09

$9.44 R$47.13

123.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.33 R$6.65

-24.06%

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

$37.3K $37.3K

$23.4K R$117.0K

59.15%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$33.6K R$167.6K

-16.78%

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

$230 $230

$134 R$666

72.39%

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

$74.3 $74.3

$12.23 R$61.0

507.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.8 $75.8

$22.65 R$113

234.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 $54.3

$31.56 R$158

72.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.42 $14.42

$30.87 R$154

-53.29%

Cinema Ticket

$14.96 $14.96

$8.23 R$41.07

81.77%

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

$1,469 $1,469

$603 R$3,011

143.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.8K $30.8K

$13.2K R$66.1K

132.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 $54.7

$41.62 R$208

31.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.23 $42.23

$49.94 R$249

-15.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.1 $93.1

$75.0 R$375

24.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 $141

$68.3 R$341

106.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,958 $1,958

$905 R$4,519

116.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,379 $1,379

$527 R$2,633

161.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,364 $4,364

$1,346 R$6,720

224.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,427 $2,427

$774 R$3,865

213.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,907 $7,907

$3,981 R$19.9K

98.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,687 $2,687

$1,562 R$7,798

72.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,733 $4,733

$643 R$3,210

636.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

11.93

-45.10%

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

Last update for Nashville, TN: October 3, 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

Nashville, TN

$1.4K 48.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 61.7% $851

Groceries & Markets

Nashville, TN

$434 15.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 50.6% $220

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nashville, TN

$380 13.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 55.7% $212

Eating Out

Nashville, TN

$330 11.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 50.3% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Nashville, TN

$149 5.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 29.1% $43

Getting Around

Nashville, TN

$86 3%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 30% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Nashville, TN

$84 3%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 43% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,958 in Nashville, TN and $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nashville, TN pays 636% 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: $84.0 in Nashville, TN vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $434 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Nashville, TN

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

07:06 7:06 AM

09:06 9:06 AM

2 h ahead of Nashville, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

689,447

6,211,223

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

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Nashville, TN Rio de Janeiro 8,010 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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Nashville, TN
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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

Nashville, TN vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nashville, TN and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 121% in total monthly costs ($2,837 vs $1,285 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 636% higher in Nashville, TN, 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: $1,958 in Nashville, TN versus $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,469 in Nashville, TN versus $603 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 102% higher in Nashville, TN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,837 in Nashville, TN, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Nashville, TN. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 121% less than in Nashville, TN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.