Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Passos and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Passos: $956 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

46

Cost of Living Index in Passos
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Passos Living Index
62

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

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Passos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$956

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $956 in Passos versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Passos $956
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,537 in Passos versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Passos $1,537
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,119 in Passos versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Passos $2,119
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Passos costs roughly 25% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Passos 29% lower, Rio de Janeiro 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$9.38 R$47.54

7.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.57 R$180

$40.00 R$203

-11.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.86 R$44.91

$8.34 R$42.28

6.24%

Cappuccino

$2.28 R$11.54

$2.29 R$11.62

-0.44%

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

$1.34 R$6.80

$1.59 R$8.05

-15.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.80

$1.01 R$5.10

-5.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.39

$2.14 R$10.85

14.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 R$20.51

$3.66 R$18.55

10.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.40

$1.13 R$5.72

-6.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.40

$2.09 R$10.60

-1.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.95

$1.25 R$6.36

9.60%

Eggs

$2.61 R$13.22

$2.25 R$11.39

16.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 R$54.4

$10.92 R$55.3

-1.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 R$25.18

$4.36 R$22.10

13.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.75 R$54.5

$9.60 R$48.66

11.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 R$11.87

$2.85 R$14.46

-17.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 R$8.42

$1.81 R$9.16

-8.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.76

$1.58 R$8.02

-3.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.94

$1.83 R$9.28

-25.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 R$6.60

$1.20 R$6.10

8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.29

$1.06 R$5.35

16.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 R$5.01

$0.75 R$3.81

32.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.31

$0.68 R$3.45

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 R$12.34

$2.94 R$14.90

-17.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.96

$7.98 R$40.43

1.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 R$7.89

$1.18 R$5.98

32.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.74

$2.42 R$12.26

3.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 R$5.05

$0.94 R$4.78

6.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.39 R$220

$50.3 R$255

-13.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$5.93

$1.20 R$6.10

-2.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 R$3.66

$0.83 R$4.20

-13.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 R$42.46

$8.97 R$45.48

-6.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R$6.48

$1.29 R$6.53

-0.78%

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

$24.0K R$121.6K

$22.8K R$115.5K

5.32%

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

$32.0K R$162.0K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-5.87%

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

$67.4 R$342

$134 R$681

-49.80%

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

$15.00 R$76.1

$10.73 R$54.4

39.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.66 R$115

$22.84 R$116

-0.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.76 R$131

$30.16 R$153

-14.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.49 R$139

$31.49 R$160

-12.70%

Cinema Ticket

$8.17 R$41.40

$7.73 R$39.17

5.69%

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

$443 R$2,246

$584 R$2,960

-24.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K R$54.8K

$12.8K R$64.9K

-15.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.4 R$326

$41.12 R$208

56.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.0 R$289

$49.26 R$250

15.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.5 R$449

$73.7 R$373

20.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 R$402

$65.9 R$334

20.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$354 R$1,797

$900 R$4,561

-60.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 R$1,225

$527 R$2,673

-54.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$687 R$3,485

$1,332 R$6,754

-48.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$475 R$2,410

$748 R$3,790

-36.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,693 R$8,582

$3,990 R$20.2K

-57.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,181 R$5,984

$1,560 R$7,908

-24.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$419 R$2,122

$640 R$3,246

-34.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.81

11.93

-9.39%

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

Last update for Passos: 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

Passos

$242 25.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 118% $286

Groceries & Markets

Passos

$221 23.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 3.1% $6.8

Eating Out

Passos

$164 17.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 4.8% $7.9

Clothing & Footwear

Passos

$130 13.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 20.5% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Passos

$105 11%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 59.7% $63

Getting Around

Passos

$52 5.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 14% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Passos

$42 4.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 8.3% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

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

Rio de Janeiro pays 53% 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: $36.00 in Passos vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Groceries flip the comparison at $221 vs $214, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Passos

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

00:07 12:07 AM

Same time as Passos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

111,939

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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Passos Rio de Janeiro 430 km

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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

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

Passos and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($956 vs $1,273 including rent). Passos is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 53% 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: $354 in Passos versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Rio de Janeiro pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Passos – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $956 in Passos versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Passos but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Passos 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 Passos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.