Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Newark, DE and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,598 in Newark, DE, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Newark, DE
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Newark, DE Living Index
62

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

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Newark, DE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,598

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,598 per month in Newark, DE vs $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Newark, DE $2,598
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

A couple spends around $3,550 per month in Newark, DE vs $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Newark, DE $3,550
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

A family of three spends $4,503 per month in Newark, DE vs $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Newark, DE $4,503
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Newark, DE costs about 104% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Newark, DE sits 92% above the global median, while Rio de Janeiro is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.20 $16.20

$9.38 R$47.54

72.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.3 $59.3

$40.00 R$203

48.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.73 $8.73

$8.34 R$42.28

4.68%

Cappuccino

$5.18 $5.18

$2.29 R$11.62

126.20%

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

$2.40 $2.40

$1.59 R$8.05

50.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.01 R$5.10

74.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.14 R$10.85

92.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.10 $6.10

$3.66 R$18.55

66.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.13 R$5.72

-23.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.09 R$10.60

-6.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.25 R$6.36

118.40%

Eggs

$3.81 $3.81

$2.25 R$11.39

69.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.82 $9.82

$10.92 R$55.3

-10.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.74 $8.74

$4.36 R$22.10

100.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.31 $15.31

$9.60 R$48.66

59.48%

Apples (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$2.85 R$14.46

60.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.81 R$9.16

-26.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$1.58 R$8.02

188.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$1.83 R$9.28

112.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.20 R$6.10

111.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.06 R$5.35

141.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 $1.86

$0.75 R$3.81

148.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 $1.38

$0.68 R$3.45

102.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.71 $13.71

$2.94 R$14.90

366.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.34 $14.34

$7.98 R$40.43

79.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.18 R$5.98

48.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 $3.70

$2.42 R$12.26

52.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.11 $4.11

$0.94 R$4.78

337.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.4 $60.4

$50.3 R$255

19.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 $4.91

$1.20 R$6.10

309.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 $1.11

$0.83 R$4.20

33.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.12 $23.12

$8.97 R$45.48

157.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.29 R$6.53

-23.26%

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

$17.3K $17.3K

$22.8K R$115.5K

-23.96%

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

$20.9K $20.9K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-38.44%

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

$223 $223

$134 R$681

65.65%

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

$49.59 $49.59

$10.73 R$54.4

362.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 $51.1

$22.84 R$116

123.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$13.20 $13.20

$7.73 R$39.17

70.76%

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

$1,950 $1,950

$584 R$2,960

234.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K $27.9K

$12.8K R$64.9K

118.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.75 $45.75

$41.12 R$208

11.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.34 $40.34

$49.26 R$250

-18.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.0 $86.0

$73.7 R$373

16.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 $129

$65.9 R$334

96.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,523 $1,523

$900 R$4,561

69.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,434 $1,434

$527 R$2,673

172.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,652 $2,652

$1,332 R$6,754

99.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,009 $2,009

$748 R$3,790

168.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,516 $2,516

$3,990 R$20.2K

-36.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,164 $2,164

$1,560 R$7,908

38.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,249 $4,249

$640 R$3,246

563.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

11.93

-45.85%

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

Last update for Newark, DE: October 17, 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

Newark, DE

$1.4K 55.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 63.2% $907

Groceries & Markets

Newark, DE

$324 12.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 34% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Newark, DE

$323 12.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 48.1% $155

Eating Out

Newark, DE

$267 10.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 41.7% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Newark, DE

$136 5.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 23.7% $32

Getting Around

Newark, DE

$87 3.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 31.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Newark, DE

$26 * 1%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 72.7% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,523 in Newark, DE 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 563% higher in Newark, DE, 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 $59.0 in Newark, DE versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $214 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Newark, DE

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

17:10 5:10 PM

18:10 6:10 PM

1 h ahead of Newark, DE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

311,549

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

Newark, DE Rio de Janeiro 7,740 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Newark, DE
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

Newark, DE vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Newark, DE is pricier by about 104%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,896 per month in Newark, DE 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.

Public transport costs about 20% less in Rio de Janeiro. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,950 per month in Newark, DE 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 Newark, DE at $2,598. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Newark, DE 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, Newark, DE makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.