Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nova Iguacu and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Nova Iguacu: $736 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Nova Iguacu
Learn more

Nova Iguacu Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

Jump to prices

Nova Iguacu

🇧🇷 Brazil

$736

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $736 in Nova Iguacu versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Nova Iguacu $736
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,212 in Nova Iguacu versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Nova Iguacu $1,212
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,687 in Nova Iguacu versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Nova Iguacu $1,687
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Nova Iguacu costs roughly 42% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nova Iguacu 46% lower, Rio de Janeiro 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.54 R$17.92

$9.38 R$47.54

-62.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.13 R$153

$40.00 R$203

-24.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.87 R$39.92

$8.34 R$42.28

-5.64%

Cappuccino

$1.89 R$9.59

$2.29 R$11.62

-17.47%

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

$1.20 R$6.11

$1.59 R$8.05

-24.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 R$2.94

$1.01 R$5.10

-42.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 R$8.50

$2.14 R$10.85

-21.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 R$8.15

$3.66 R$18.55

-56.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.25

$1.13 R$5.72

8.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 R$8.19

$2.09 R$10.60

-22.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 R$5.71

$1.25 R$6.36

-9.60%

Eggs

$1.97 R$9.96

$2.25 R$11.39

-12.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.24 R$41.75

$10.92 R$55.3

-24.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.82 R$14.31

$4.36 R$22.10

-35.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.08 R$35.90

$9.60 R$48.66

-26.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.95

$2.85 R$14.46

-51.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.15

$1.81 R$9.16

-22.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.95 R$4.82

$1.58 R$8.02

-39.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 R$8.84

$1.83 R$9.28

-4.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.19

$1.20 R$6.10

-15.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.06 R$5.35

-2.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 R$2.08

$0.75 R$3.81

-45.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 R$2.13

$0.68 R$3.45

-38.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.82 R$9.25

$2.94 R$14.90

-38.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 R$29.41

$7.98 R$40.43

-27.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 R$4.92

$1.18 R$5.98

-17.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 R$6.94

$2.42 R$12.26

-43.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R$7.51

$0.94 R$4.78

57.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$50.3 R$255

-0.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 R$6.77

$1.20 R$6.10

10.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 R$6.98

$0.83 R$4.20

66.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.26 R$46.94

$8.97 R$45.48

3.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 R$5.96

$1.29 R$6.53

-8.53%

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

$23.8K R$120.8K

$22.8K R$115.5K

4.66%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

0.00%

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

$42.49 R$215

$134 R$681

-68.37%

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

$11.82 R$59.9

$10.73 R$54.4

10.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.90 R$90.7

$22.84 R$116

-21.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.75 R$120

$30.16 R$153

-21.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.25 R$199

$31.49 R$160

24.64%

Cinema Ticket

$6.08 R$30.80

$7.73 R$39.17

-21.35%

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

$73.3 R$371

$584 R$2,960

-87.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,935 R$9,808

$12.8K R$64.9K

-84.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R$275

$41.12 R$208

31.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.22 R$189

$49.26 R$250

-24.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.2 R$331

$73.7 R$373

-11.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.4 R$296

$65.9 R$334

-11.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$321 R$1,627

$900 R$4,561

-64.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$214 R$1,086

$527 R$2,673

-59.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 R$3,318

$1,332 R$6,754

-50.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$444 R$2,250

$748 R$3,790

-40.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$972 R$4,926

$3,990 R$20.2K

-75.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$244 R$1,238

$640 R$3,246

-61.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.12

11.93

-6.79%

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

Last update for Nova Iguacu: 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

Nova Iguacu

$214 29.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 146% $313

Groceries & Markets

Nova Iguacu

$160 21.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 33.8% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Nova Iguacu

$97 13.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 7% $6.7

Eating Out

Nova Iguacu

$93 12.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 67.1% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nova Iguacu

$72 9.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 133% $96

Getting Around

Nova Iguacu

$64 8.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 7.4% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Nova Iguacu

$36 4.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 27% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $321 in Nova Iguacu and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 162% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Nova Iguacu vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $160 vs $214 per month, with Nova Iguacu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Nova Iguacu

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

Same time as Nova Iguacu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

785,867

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nova Iguacu Rio de Janeiro 30 km

From you

Nova Iguacu
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

Nova Iguacu vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nova Iguacu and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 73% in total monthly costs ($736 vs $1,273 including rent). Nova Iguacu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 162% lower in Rio de Janeiro. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $321 in Nova Iguacu versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $736 per month in Nova Iguacu versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro – a 73% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Nova Iguacu runs roughly 1% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $736 in Nova Iguacu versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nova Iguacu but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Nova Iguacu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Nova Iguacu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.