Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Bern, NC and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $2,072 in New Bern, NC, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in New Bern, NC
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New Bern, NC Living Index
63

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

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New Bern, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,072

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,072 per month in New Bern, NC vs $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

New Bern, NC $2,072
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

A couple spends around $3,290 per month in New Bern, NC vs $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

New Bern, NC $3,290
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

A family of three spends $4,507 per month in New Bern, NC vs $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

New Bern, NC $4,507
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

New Bern, NC costs about 61% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New Bern, NC sits 55% above the global median, while Rio de Janeiro is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.21 $18.21

$9.98 R$49.69

82.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.0 $84.0

$40.34 R$201

108.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.02 $12.02

$8.48 R$42.23

41.75%

Cappuccino

$5.28 $5.28

$2.36 R$11.77

123.73%

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

$2.93 $2.93

$1.63 R$8.11

79.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.01 R$5.05

139.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.93 $5.93

$2.44 R$12.15

143.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.03 $7.03

$3.69 R$18.38

90.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.15 R$5.70

-22.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.07 R$10.31

60.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.13 $5.13

$1.29 R$6.40

297.67%

Eggs

$3.48 $3.48

$2.27 R$11.29

53.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.99 $12.99

$11.00 R$54.7

18.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.75 $10.75

$4.31 R$21.44

149.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.38 $15.38

$9.74 R$48.49

57.91%

Apples (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$2.83 R$14.07

87.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.84 R$9.14

-32.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.60 R$7.94

73.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$1.80 R$8.97

212.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.26 R$6.26

123.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.07 R$5.32

167.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.91 $1.91

$0.75 R$3.74

154.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$0.66 R$3.28

246.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.47 $7.47

$3.05 R$15.16

144.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.94 $12.94

$8.18 R$40.72

58.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.19 R$5.90

51.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$2.39 R$11.88

-12.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.04

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 $3.43

$1.27 R$6.31

170.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 $2.19

$0.90 R$4.50

143.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.13 $32.13

$9.44 R$46.99

240.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.33 R$6.63

-38.35%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$23.4K R$116.6K

19.28%

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

$23.2K $23.2K

$33.6K R$167.1K

-30.78%

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

$158 $158

$134 R$664

18.63%

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

$73.5 $73.5

$12.23 R$60.9

501.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.8 $69.8

$22.65 R$113

208.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.5 $55.5

$31.56 R$157

75.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$11.43 $11.43

$8.23 R$40.95

38.88%

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

$603 R$3,002

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$65.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 $59.9

$41.62 R$207

44.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.16 $35.16

$49.94 R$249

-29.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 $83.8

$75.0 R$373

11.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.0 $87.0

$68.3 R$340

27.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 $1,180

$905 R$4,506

30.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$887 $887

$527 R$2,625

68.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,178 $2,178

$1,346 R$6,700

61.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,877 $1,877

$774 R$3,854

142.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,058 $2,058

$3,981 R$19.8K

-48.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,043 $2,043

$1,562 R$7,775

30.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,738 $3,738

$643 R$3,200

481.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

11.93

-45.43%

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

Last update for New Bern, NC: 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

New Bern, NC

$887 42.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 40.5% $359

Groceries & Markets

New Bern, NC

$377 18.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 43.1% $162

Eating Out

New Bern, NC

$310 14.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 47.2% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Bern, NC

$302 14.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 44.2% $133

Clothing & Footwear

New Bern, NC

$120 5.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 11.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

New Bern, NC

$78 3.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 38.7% $30

Getting Around

New Bern, NC

$14 * 0.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 318% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,180 in New Bern, NC versus $905 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.

Salaries run about 481% higher in New Bern, NC, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84.0 in New Bern, NC versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $377 vs $215 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New Bern, NC

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

11:38 11:38 AM

12:38 12:38 PM

1 h ahead of New Bern, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,291

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

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Between locations

New Bern, NC Rio de Janeiro 7,370 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

New Bern, NC
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

New Bern, NC vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – New Bern, NC is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,108 per month in New Bern, NC and $1,927 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.

Groceries cost about 76% more in New Bern, NC, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84.0 in New Bern, NC and $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,285, than in New Bern, NC at $2,072. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in New Bern, NC 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, New Bern, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.