Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Britain, CT and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,541 in New Britain, CT, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in New Britain, CT
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New Britain, CT Living Index
62

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

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New Britain, CT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,541

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,541 per month in New Britain, CT vs $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

New Britain, CT $2,541
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

A couple spends around $3,946 per month in New Britain, CT vs $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

New Britain, CT $3,946
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

A family of three spends $5,351 per month in New Britain, CT vs $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

New Britain, CT $5,351
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

New Britain, CT costs about 100% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New Britain, CT sits 88% above the global median, while Rio de Janeiro is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.99 $17.99

$9.38 R$47.54

91.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.5 $94.5

$40.00 R$203

136.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.67 $13.67

$8.34 R$42.28

63.91%

Cappuccino

$5.58 $5.58

$2.29 R$11.62

143.67%

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

$2.85 $2.85

$1.59 R$8.05

79.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.01 R$5.10

171.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.96 $4.96

$2.14 R$10.85

131.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.98 $7.98

$3.66 R$18.55

118.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.13 R$5.72

-5.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.90 $3.90

$2.09 R$10.60

86.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$1.25 R$6.36

323.20%

Eggs

$4.88 $4.88

$2.25 R$11.39

116.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 $11.40

$10.92 R$55.3

4.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.42 $14.42

$4.36 R$22.10

230.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.45 $17.45

$9.60 R$48.66

81.77%

Apples (1kg)

$6.86 $6.86

$2.85 R$14.46

140.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.81 R$9.16

Oranges (1kg)

$6.65 $6.65

$1.58 R$8.02

320.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$1.83 R$9.28

207.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.20 R$6.10

126.67%

Onion (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$1.06 R$5.35

319.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.05 $3.05

$0.75 R$3.81

306.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$0.68 R$3.45

182.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.75 $13.75

$2.94 R$14.90

367.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.54 $13.54

$7.98 R$40.43

69.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.18 R$5.98

82.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 $4.27

$2.42 R$12.26

76.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.75 $1.75

$0.94 R$4.78

86.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.20 R$6.10

135.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$0.83 R$4.20

126.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.54 $29.54

$8.97 R$45.48

229.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.29 R$6.53

-20.16%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$22.8K R$115.5K

22.53%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-20.19%

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

$318 $318

$134 R$681

136.77%

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

$104 $104

$10.73 R$54.4

867.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.2 $54.2

$22.84 R$116

137.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.15 $41.15

$30.16 R$153

36.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$14.74 $14.74

$7.73 R$39.17

90.69%

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

$1,014 $1,014

$584 R$2,960

73.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K $30.5K

$12.8K R$64.9K

137.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 $57.5

$41.12 R$208

39.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.53 $38.53

$49.26 R$250

-21.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.4 $81.4

$73.7 R$373

10.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.4 $98.4

$65.9 R$334

49.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,119 $1,119

$900 R$4,561

24.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 $1,088

$527 R$2,673

106.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,522 $2,522

$1,332 R$6,754

89.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,172 $2,172

$748 R$3,790

190.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,664 $2,664

$3,990 R$20.2K

-33.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,617 $2,617

$1,560 R$7,908

67.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,980 $3,980

$640 R$3,246

521.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

-58.09%

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

Last update for New Britain, CT: 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

New Britain, CT

$1.1K 42.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 51.5% $561

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Britain, CT

$476 18.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 64.7% $308

Groceries & Markets

New Britain, CT

$448 17.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 52.2% $234

Eating Out

New Britain, CT

$315 12.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 50.5% $159

Clothing & Footwear

New Britain, CT

$124 4.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 16.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

New Britain, CT

$71 2.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 35.4% $25

Getting Around

New Britain, CT

$19 * 0.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 209% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,119 in New Britain, CT 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.

Salaries run about 521% higher in New Britain, CT, 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 $95.0 in New Britain, CT versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $448 vs $214 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New Britain, CT

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

05:03 5:03 AM

06:03 6:03 AM

1 h ahead of New Britain, CT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,206

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 23, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 23, 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 →

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Between locations

New Britain, CT Rio de Janeiro 7,800 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

New Britain, CT
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 Britain, CT vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – New Britain, CT is pricier by about 100%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,811 per month in New Britain, CT 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,541 in New Britain, CT and $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a gap of about 100%.

Kindergarten costs $1,014 per month in New Britain, CT and $584 in Rio de Janeiro. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,273, than in New Britain, CT at $2,541. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in New Britain, CT 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 Britain, CT makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.