Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pasto and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasto: $799 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Pasto
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Pasto Living Index
63

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

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Pasto

🇨🇴 Colombia

$799

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $799 in Pasto versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Pasto $799
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,210 in Pasto versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

Pasto $1,210
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,622 in Pasto versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

Pasto $1,622
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Pasto costs roughly 38% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pasto 41% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.98 COP 12.6K

$10.06 R$51.0

-60.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.79 COP 75.4K

$40.44 R$205

-41.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 COP 23.7K

$8.55 R$43.35

-12.75%

Cappuccino

$1.56 COP 4,934

$2.38 R$12.04

-34.45%

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

$0.86 COP 2,724

$1.61 R$8.18

-46.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 COP 1,943

$1.03 R$5.22

-40.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.16 COP 3,666

$2.47 R$12.54

-53.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 COP 6,968

$3.70 R$18.77

-40.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 COP 3,464

$1.19 R$6.05

-8.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 COP 4,088

$2.05 R$10.38

-37.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 COP 3,744

$1.28 R$6.49

-7.81%

Eggs

$2.14 COP 6,771

$2.29 R$11.60

-6.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.61 COP 14.6K

$10.76 R$54.5

-57.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.26 COP 16.7K

$4.41 R$22.36

19.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.29 COP 23.1K

$9.84 R$49.86

-25.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 COP 7,748

$2.81 R$14.25

-13.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 COP 3,302

$1.78 R$9.03

-41.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 COP 4,108

$1.60 R$8.13

-18.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 COP 3,379

$1.80 R$9.11

-40.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 COP 3,648

$1.22 R$6.17

-5.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 COP 3,586

$1.04 R$5.26

8.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 COP 2,537

$0.77 R$3.92

3.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 COP 2,041

$0.67 R$3.38

-4.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 COP 7,509

$3.01 R$15.27

-21.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 COP 31.1K

$8.08 R$40.94

21.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 COP 3,443

$1.19 R$6.03

-8.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 COP 5,599

$2.51 R$12.73

-29.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 COP 2,271

$0.99 R$5.00

-27.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.39 COP 96.4K

$50.1 R$254

-39.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.43 COP 4,532

$1.22 R$6.20

17.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 COP 5,688

$0.92 R$4.66

94.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.98 COP 18.9K

$8.97 R$45.45

-33.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 COP 2,958

$1.30 R$6.57

-28.46%

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

$18.1K COP 57.2M

$23.9K R$121.0K

-24.38%

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

$25.7K COP 81.6M

$32.9K R$166.6K

-21.65%

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

$83.4 COP 264.4K

$133 R$676

-37.49%

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

$8.89 COP 28.2K

$10.82 R$54.8

-17.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.38 COP 71.0K

$22.90 R$116

-2.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.02 COP 73.0K

$30.79 R$156

-25.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 COP 12.3K

$8.05 R$40.83

-51.68%

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

$235 COP 744.6K

$598 R$3,029

-60.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,071 COP 19.2M

$13.4K R$68.0K

-54.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 COP 185.6K

$42.04 R$213

39.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.60 COP 103.4K

$49.68 R$252

-34.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.4 COP 261.4K

$74.5 R$378

10.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.8 COP 227.6K

$68.7 R$348

4.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$269 COP 851.9K

$903 R$4,578

-70.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 COP 751.4K

$529 R$2,684

-55.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$530 COP 1.7M

$1,326 R$6,724

-60.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$415 COP 1.3M

$756 R$3,831

-45.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,429 COP 4.5M

$4,010 R$20.3K

-64.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,069 COP 3.4M

$1,560 R$7,910

-31.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.06

11.93

9.47%

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

Last update for Pasto: 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

Pasto

$237 29.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 123% $292

Groceries & Markets

Pasto

$173 21.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 23.9% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pasto

$115 14.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 45.7% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Pasto

$110 13.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 4.2% $4.7

Eating Out

Pasto

$89 11.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 85.5% $76

Getting Around

Pasto

$44 5.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 37.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Pasto

$31 3.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 52.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $269 in Pasto and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Pasto vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $173 vs $215 per month, with Pasto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Pasto

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

22:19 10:19 PM

00:19 12:19 AM

2 h ahead of Pasto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

392,930

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Pasto Rio de Janeiro 4,560 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Pasto
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

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

Pasto and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 61% in total monthly costs ($799 vs $1,289 including rent). Pasto is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,198 in Pasto and $1,933 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: $269 in Pasto versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Rio de Janeiro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Pasto – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $799 in Pasto versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pasto but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Pasto 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.

Safety-wise, Pasto 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 Pasto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.