Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palmas and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Palmas: $834 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Palmas
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Palmas Living Index
62

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

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Palmas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$834

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $834 per month in Palmas vs $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Palmas $834
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

A couple spends around $1,292 per month in Palmas vs $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Palmas $1,292
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

A family of three spends $1,751 per month in Palmas vs $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Palmas $1,751
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Palmas is about 35% cheaper than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Palmas and Rio de Janeiro are more affordable than the global median – Palmas 38% lower, Rio de Janeiro 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.96 R$20.06

$9.38 R$47.54

-57.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.09 R$102

$40.00 R$203

-49.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.07 R$40.93

$8.34 R$42.28

-3.24%

Cappuccino

$1.43 R$7.27

$2.29 R$11.62

-37.55%

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

$1.82 R$9.21

$1.59 R$8.05

14.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 R$5.69

$1.01 R$5.10

10.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.42 R$7.22

$2.14 R$10.85

-33.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 R$15.70

$3.66 R$18.55

-15.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 R$5.47

$1.13 R$5.72

-4.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 R$7.45

$2.09 R$10.60

-29.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.28

$1.25 R$6.36

-0.80%

Eggs

$2.67 R$13.52

$2.25 R$11.39

18.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.12 R$36.11

$10.92 R$55.3

-34.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 R$15.80

$4.36 R$22.10

-28.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.31 R$31.98

$9.60 R$48.66

-34.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 R$10.98

$2.85 R$14.46

-23.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 R$8.85

$1.81 R$9.16

-3.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.25

$1.58 R$8.02

-22.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.21

$1.83 R$9.28

-33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.42

$1.20 R$6.10

5.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.43

$1.06 R$5.35

0.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.91

$0.75 R$3.81

2.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 R$3.91

$0.68 R$3.45

13.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 R$12.48

$2.94 R$14.90

-16.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.16 R$36.30

$7.98 R$40.43

-10.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 R$6.71

$1.18 R$5.98

11.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 R$10.66

$2.42 R$12.26

-13.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 R$3.72

$0.94 R$4.78

-22.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.43 R$220

$50.3 R$255

-13.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 R$6.71

$1.20 R$6.10

10.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 R$4.28

$0.83 R$4.20

1.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.84 R$39.74

$8.97 R$45.48

-12.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.08

$1.29 R$6.53

-6.98%

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

$23.9K R$121.4K

$22.8K R$115.5K

5.12%

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

$33.0K R$167.3K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-2.81%

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

$115 R$581

$134 R$681

-14.61%

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

$11.64 R$59.0

$10.73 R$54.4

8.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.99 R$101

$22.84 R$116

-12.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.48 R$119

$30.16 R$153

-22.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.34 R$139

$31.49 R$160

-13.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.58 R$33.36

$7.73 R$39.17

-14.88%

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

$155 R$785

$584 R$2,960

-73.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,304 R$37.0K

$12.8K R$64.9K

-42.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.91 R$187

$41.12 R$208

-10.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 R$256

$49.26 R$250

2.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 R$583

$73.7 R$373

55.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.5 R$368

$65.9 R$334

10.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$299 R$1,514

$900 R$4,561

-66.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$204 R$1,035

$527 R$2,673

-61.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 R$3,162

$1,332 R$6,754

-53.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$427 R$2,165

$748 R$3,790

-42.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,718 R$8,707

$3,990 R$20.2K

-56.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,207 R$6,116

$1,560 R$7,908

-22.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

-7.80%

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

Last update for Palmas: 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

Palmas

$204 24.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 158% $323

Groceries & Markets

Palmas

$173 20.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 23.7% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palmas

$146 17.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 14.7% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Palmas

$124 14.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 16.3% $20

Eating Out

Palmas

$98 11.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 58.9% $58

Getting Around

Palmas

$52 6.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 14.5% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Palmas

$37 4.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 24.5% $9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $299 in Palmas 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 $20.00 in Palmas versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $173 vs $214 – making Palmas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Palmas

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

16:33 4:33 PM

Same time as Palmas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

302,692

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

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Between locations

Palmas Rio de Janeiro 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Palmas
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $834 in Palmas, $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro – roughly 53% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,250 per month in Palmas 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 Palmas, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Palmas and $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $834 in Palmas and $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a gap of about 53%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Palmas, where all-in costs run around $834, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,273. In Palmas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Rio de Janeiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $834 in Palmas to $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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