Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais: $815 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais
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Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais Living Index
62

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

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Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais

🇧🇷 Brazil

$815

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais 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 Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais and in Rio de Janeiro actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $815 in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais $815
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,262 in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais $1,262
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,709 in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais $1,709
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais costs roughly 36% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais 40% lower, Rio de Janeiro 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.62 R$23.40

$9.38 R$47.54

-50.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.98 R$81.0

$40.00 R$203

-60.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.03 R$35.64

$8.34 R$42.28

-15.71%

Cappuccino

$1.78 R$9.03

$2.29 R$11.62

-22.27%

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

$1.43 R$7.26

$1.59 R$8.05

-10.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 R$2.99

$1.01 R$5.10

-41.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.16 R$5.90

$2.14 R$10.85

-45.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 R$11.91

$3.66 R$18.55

-35.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 R$4.79

$1.13 R$5.72

-15.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 R$7.90

$2.09 R$10.60

-25.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.03

$1.25 R$6.36

11.20%

Eggs

$2.02 R$10.26

$2.25 R$11.39

-10.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 R$46.03

$10.92 R$55.3

-16.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.52 R$17.83

$4.36 R$22.10

-19.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.71 R$49.21

$9.60 R$48.66

1.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 R$9.55

$2.85 R$14.46

-34.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 R$5.81

$1.81 R$9.16

-36.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.03

$1.58 R$8.02

-37.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.39

$1.83 R$9.28

-31.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 R$3.54

$1.20 R$6.10

-41.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 R$4.21

$1.06 R$5.35

-21.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 R$2.72

$0.75 R$3.81

-28.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.16

$0.68 R$3.45

20.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.62 R$8.20

$2.94 R$14.90

-44.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R$31.18

$7.98 R$40.43

-22.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R$4.97

$1.18 R$5.98

-16.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 R$7.27

$2.42 R$12.26

-40.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.25

$0.94 R$4.78

10.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.65 R$221

$50.3 R$255

-13.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.44 R$7.28

$1.20 R$6.10

20.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 R$3.77

$0.83 R$4.20

-10.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 R$19.77

$8.97 R$45.48

-56.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 R$6.85

$1.29 R$6.53

4.65%

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

$12.2K R$61.8K

$22.8K R$115.5K

-46.49%

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

$30.0K R$152.3K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-11.53%

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

$59.4 R$301

$134 R$681

-55.79%

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

$9.87 R$50.1

$10.73 R$54.4

-8.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.00 R$96.3

$22.84 R$116

-16.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.09 R$132

$30.16 R$153

-13.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.68 R$140

$31.49 R$160

-12.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.85 R$34.74

$7.73 R$39.17

-11.38%

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

$143 R$726

$584 R$2,960

-75.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,980 R$10.0K

$12.8K R$64.9K

-84.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 R$358

$41.12 R$208

71.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$82.6 R$419

$49.26 R$250

67.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.4 R$336

$73.7 R$373

-9.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.64 R$247

$65.9 R$334

-26.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$354 R$1,795

$900 R$4,561

-60.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$240 R$1,217

$527 R$2,673

-54.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$671 R$3,403

$1,332 R$6,754

-49.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$450 R$2,280

$748 R$3,790

-39.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,681 R$8,523

$3,990 R$20.2K

-57.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,193 R$6,045

$1,560 R$7,908

-23.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

11.93

-10.56%

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

Last update for Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais: October 19, 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

Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais

$240 29.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 120% $287

Groceries & Markets

Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais

$175 21.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 22.1% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais

$121 14.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 14.3% $17

Eating Out

Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais

$98 12%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 59.1% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais

$88 10.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 90.2% $80

Getting Around

Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais

$53 6.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 12.3% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais

$40 4.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 14.6% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $354 in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $16.00 in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $175 vs $214 per month, with Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

01:30 1:30 AM

Same time as Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,821

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

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Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais Rio de Janeiro 280 km

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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

Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 56% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,222 in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais 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: $354 in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais runs roughly 15% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $143 in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais versus $584 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $815 in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais 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 Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.