Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Brunswick, NJ and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,641 in North Brunswick, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in North Brunswick, NJ
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North Brunswick, NJ Living Index
62

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

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North Brunswick, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,641

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,641 in North Brunswick, NJ versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

North Brunswick, NJ $2,641
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,632 in North Brunswick, NJ versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

North Brunswick, NJ $3,632
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,623 in North Brunswick, NJ versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

North Brunswick, NJ $4,623
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in North Brunswick, NJ is roughly 107% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: North Brunswick, NJ is 95% above, Rio de Janeiro is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.38 $20.38

$9.38 R$47.54

117.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.4 $60.4

$40.00 R$203

50.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.05 $12.05

$8.34 R$42.28

44.48%

Cappuccino

$3.04 $3.04

$2.29 R$11.62

32.75%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$1.59 R$8.05

68.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.01 R$5.10

16.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.64 $6.64

$2.14 R$10.85

210.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 $5.94

$3.66 R$18.55

62.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.13 R$5.72

-1.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.09 R$10.60

-23.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$1.25 R$6.36

349.60%

Eggs

$4.59 $4.59

$2.25 R$11.39

104.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.21 $13.21

$10.92 R$55.3

20.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.20 $17.20

$4.36 R$22.10

294.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$9.60 R$48.66

66.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.85 R$14.46

38.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.81 R$9.16

2.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$1.58 R$8.02

170.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.02 $6.02

$1.83 R$9.28

228.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.23 $3.23

$1.20 R$6.10

169.17%

Onion (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.06 R$5.35

217.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 $2.32

$0.75 R$3.81

209.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.68 R$3.45

200.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.66 $14.66

$2.94 R$14.90

398.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.04 $18.04

$7.98 R$40.43

126.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.18 R$5.98

120.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.42 R$12.26

69.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.94 R$4.78

111.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.20 R$6.10

134.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.67 $3.67

$0.83 R$4.20

342.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.62 $49.62

$8.97 R$45.48

453.18%

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)

$27.4K $27.4K

$22.8K R$115.5K

20.26%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-22.01%

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

$127 $127

$134 R$681

-5.48%

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

$47.32 $47.32

$10.73 R$54.4

341.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.7 $56.7

$22.84 R$116

148.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.51 $47.51

$30.16 R$153

57.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$13.03 $13.03

$7.73 R$39.17

68.56%

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

$1,418 $1,418

$584 R$2,960

142.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K $23.3K

$12.8K R$64.9K

81.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 $54.1

$41.12 R$208

31.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 $50.5

$49.26 R$250

2.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 $122

$73.7 R$373

66.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 $132

$65.9 R$334

99.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 $1,430

$900 R$4,561

58.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,423 $1,423

$527 R$2,673

169.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,221 $2,221

$1,332 R$6,754

66.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,902 $1,902

$748 R$3,790

154.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,715 $2,715

$3,990 R$20.2K

-31.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,046 $2,046

$1,560 R$7,908

31.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.01

11.93

-41.24%

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

Last update for North Brunswick, NJ: 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

North Brunswick, NJ

$1.4K 53.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 63% $896

Groceries & Markets

North Brunswick, NJ

$427 16.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 50% $213

Eating Out

North Brunswick, NJ

$296 11.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 47.3% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

North Brunswick, NJ

$231 8.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 27.3% $63

Clothing & Footwear

North Brunswick, NJ

$161 6.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 35.8% $58

Sport & Entertainment

North Brunswick, NJ

$74 2.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 38% $28

Getting Around

North Brunswick, NJ

$29 * 1.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 104% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,430 in North Brunswick, NJ and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $60.0 in North Brunswick, NJ vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $427 vs $214 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 North Brunswick, NJ

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

00:34 12:34 AM

01:34 1:34 AM

1 h ahead of North Brunswick, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,905

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

North Brunswick, NJ Rio de Janeiro 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

North Brunswick, NJ
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

North Brunswick, NJ vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 107% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,962 in North Brunswick, NJ and $1,910 in Rio de Janeiro to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,430 in North Brunswick, NJ versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,418 in North Brunswick, NJ versus $584 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $60.0 in North Brunswick, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,641 in North Brunswick, NJ, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in North Brunswick, NJ. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Rio de Janeiro is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in North Brunswick, NJ, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, North Brunswick, NJ and Rio de Janeiro are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 107% less than in North Brunswick, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.