Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nicholasville, KY and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,472 in Nicholasville, KY, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Nicholasville, KY
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Nicholasville, KY Living Index
62

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

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Nicholasville, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,472

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,472 per month in Nicholasville, KY vs $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Nicholasville, KY $2,472
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

A couple spends around $3,559 per month in Nicholasville, KY vs $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Nicholasville, KY $3,559
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

A family of three spends $4,646 per month in Nicholasville, KY vs $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Nicholasville, KY $4,646
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Nicholasville, KY costs about 94% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nicholasville, KY sits 82% above the global median, while Rio de Janeiro is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 $14.04

$9.38 R$47.54

49.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.9 $56.9

$40.00 R$203

42.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.96 $8.96

$8.34 R$42.28

7.43%

Cappuccino

$4.90 $4.90

$2.29 R$11.62

113.97%

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

$2.44 $2.44

$1.59 R$8.05

53.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.01 R$5.10

83.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.01 $5.01

$2.14 R$10.85

134.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.92 $5.92

$3.66 R$18.55

61.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.13 R$5.72

-33.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.09 R$10.60

34.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$1.25 R$6.36

201.60%

Eggs

$3.49 $3.49

$2.25 R$11.39

55.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.41 $10.41

$10.92 R$55.3

-4.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.40 $10.40

$4.36 R$22.10

138.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 $14.42

$9.60 R$48.66

50.21%

Apples (1kg)

$5.79 $5.79

$2.85 R$14.46

103.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.81 R$9.16

3.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.14 $7.14

$1.58 R$8.02

351.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$1.83 R$9.28

144.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.20 R$6.10

159.17%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$1.06 R$5.35

198.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$0.75 R$3.81

181.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 $2.81

$0.68 R$3.45

313.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.18 $9.18

$2.94 R$14.90

212.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.72 $15.72

$7.98 R$40.43

96.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.18 R$5.98

44.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.10 $6.10

$2.42 R$12.26

152.07%

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)

$4.96 $4.96

$1.20 R$6.10

313.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$0.83 R$4.20

107.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.71 $26.71

$8.97 R$45.48

197.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.29 R$6.53

-27.91%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$22.8K R$115.5K

21.80%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-23.85%

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

$187 $187

$134 R$681

39.49%

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

$51.0 $51.0

$10.73 R$54.4

375.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.4 $75.4

$22.84 R$116

230.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.49 $41.49

$30.16 R$153

37.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$14.39 $14.39

$7.73 R$39.17

86.16%

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

$531 $531

$584 R$2,960

-9.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,531 $6,531

$12.8K R$64.9K

-49.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.25 $40.25

$41.12 R$208

-2.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.12 $48.12

$49.26 R$250

-2.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.4 $70.4

$73.7 R$373

-4.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$65.9 R$334

86.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 $1,589

$900 R$4,561

76.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,296 $1,296

$527 R$2,673

145.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 $2,513

$1,332 R$6,754

88.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,130 $2,130

$748 R$3,790

184.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,848 $2,848

$3,990 R$20.2K

-28.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,178 $2,178

$1,560 R$7,908

39.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

11.93

-43.50%

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

Last update for Nicholasville, KY: 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

Nicholasville, KY

$1.3K 52.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 59.3% $769

Groceries & Markets

Nicholasville, KY

$392 15.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 45.5% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nicholasville, KY

$314 12.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 46.5% $146

Eating Out

Nicholasville, KY

$252 10.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 38.1% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Nicholasville, KY

$127 5.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 18.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Nicholasville, KY

$70 2.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 35.1% $25

Getting Around

Nicholasville, KY

$21 * 0.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 189% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,589 in Nicholasville, KY 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Nicholasville, KY versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $214 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Nicholasville, KY

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

06:18 6:18 AM

07:18 7:18 AM

1 h ahead of Nicholasville, KY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,791

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Nicholasville, KY Rio de Janeiro 8,020 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nicholasville, KY
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

Nicholasville, KY vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nicholasville, KY costs about 94% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,708 per month in Nicholasville, KY 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 $2,472 in Nicholasville, KY and $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a gap of about 94%.

Kindergarten costs $531 per month in Nicholasville, KY 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 Nicholasville, KY at $2,472. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nicholasville, KY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Rio de Janeiro costs $1,273 versus $2,472 in Nicholasville, KY. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Rio de Janeiro. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nicholasville, KY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.