Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pasaje and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasaje: $825 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Pasaje
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Pasaje Living Index
63

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

Jump to prices

Pasaje

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$825

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $825 per month in Pasaje vs $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Pasaje $825
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

A couple spends around $1,351 per month in Pasaje vs $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Pasaje $1,351
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

A family of three spends $1,877 per month in Pasaje vs $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Pasaje $1,877
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Pasaje is about 36% cheaper than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Pasaje and Rio de Janeiro are more affordable than the global median – Pasaje 39% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.99 $3.99

$10.06 R$51.0

-60.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.3 $52.3

$40.44 R$205

29.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 $8.77

$8.55 R$43.35

2.57%

Cappuccino

$2.82 $2.82

$2.38 R$12.04

18.49%

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

$0.93 $0.93

$1.61 R$8.18

-42.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.03 R$5.22

-27.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.47 R$12.54

22.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 $4.23

$3.70 R$18.77

14.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.19 R$6.05

2.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.05 R$10.38

-3.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.28 R$6.49

9.37%

Eggs

$2.10 $2.10

$2.29 R$11.60

-8.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.87 $6.87

$10.76 R$54.5

-36.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 $5.18

$4.41 R$22.36

17.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 $9.36

$9.84 R$49.86

-4.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.81 R$14.25

-45.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.78 R$9.03

-33.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.60 R$8.13

-36.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.80 R$9.11

-46.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.22 R$6.17

4.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.04 R$5.26

-12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 $0.83

$0.77 R$3.92

7.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 $0.94

$0.67 R$3.38

40.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.12 $6.12

$3.01 R$15.27

103.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.92 $11.92

$8.08 R$40.94

47.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.19 R$6.03

25.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.51 R$12.73

-11.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 $0.38

$0.99 R$5.00

-61.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.15 $16.15

$50.1 R$254

-67.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.22 R$6.20

13.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$0.92 R$4.66

86.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.17 $12.17

$8.97 R$45.45

35.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.30 R$6.57

-30.77%

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

$21.3K $21.3K

$23.9K R$121.0K

-10.86%

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

$31.3K $31.3K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-4.72%

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

$40.37 $40.37

$133 R$676

-69.74%

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

$14.73 $14.73

$10.82 R$54.8

36.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.14 $26.14

$22.90 R$116

14.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.55 $29.55

$30.79 R$156

-4.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.84 $14.84

$31.85 R$161

-53.41%

Cinema Ticket

$7.60 $7.60

$8.05 R$40.83

-5.59%

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

$374 $374

$598 R$3,029

-37.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,765 $5,765

$13.4K R$68.0K

-57.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.1 $66.1

$42.04 R$213

57.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.42 $40.42

$49.68 R$252

-18.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 $124

$74.5 R$378

66.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.9 $91.9

$68.7 R$348

33.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$308 $308

$903 R$4,578

-65.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$204 $204

$529 R$2,684

-61.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$652 $652

$1,326 R$6,724

-50.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 $352

$756 R$3,831

-53.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,184 $1,184

$4,010 R$20.3K

-70.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$736 $736

$1,560 R$7,910

-52.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

11.93

-15.76%

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

Last update for Pasaje: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Pasaje

$204 24.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 159% $325

Groceries & Markets

Pasaje

$200 24.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 7.3% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Pasaje

$145 17.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 27.1% $39

Eating Out

Pasaje

$122 14.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 34.9% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pasaje

$81 9.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 106% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Pasaje

$45 5.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 4.8% $2.1

Getting Around

Pasaje

$28 3.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 117% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $308 in Pasaje versus $903 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 $52.0 in Pasaje versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Groceries tell a different story – $200 in Pasaje vs $215 in Rio de Janeiro – so Pasaje wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Pasaje

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

22:25 10:25 PM

00:25 12:25 AM

2 h ahead of Pasaje

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,860

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 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 →

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Pasaje Rio de Janeiro 4,500 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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Pasaje
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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

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

Rio de Janeiro costs about 56% more than Pasaje, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,238 per month in Pasaje and $1,933 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 Pasaje, 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 $52.0 in Pasaje 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 $825 in Pasaje and $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a gap of about 56%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Pasaje, where all-in costs run around $825, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Pasaje it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Pasaje costs $825 versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Pasaje. 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.