Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paulo Afonso and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Paulo Afonso: $873 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Paulo Afonso
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Paulo Afonso Living Index
62

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

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Paulo Afonso

🇧🇷 Brazil

$873

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $873 per month in Paulo Afonso vs $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Paulo Afonso $873
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

A couple spends around $1,396 per month in Paulo Afonso vs $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Paulo Afonso $1,396
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

A family of three spends $1,919 per month in Paulo Afonso vs $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Paulo Afonso $1,919
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Paulo Afonso is about 31% cheaper than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Paulo Afonso and Rio de Janeiro are more affordable than the global median – Paulo Afonso 36% lower, Rio de Janeiro 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.94 R$30.13

$9.38 R$47.54

-36.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.67 R$166

$40.00 R$203

-18.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.90 R$40.03

$8.34 R$42.28

-5.28%

Cappuccino

$2.01 R$10.18

$2.29 R$11.62

-12.23%

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

$1.28 R$6.50

$1.59 R$8.05

-19.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.11

$1.01 R$5.10

-19.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R$10.01

$2.14 R$10.85

-7.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 R$14.98

$3.66 R$18.55

-19.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 R$5.34

$1.13 R$5.72

-7.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 R$8.67

$2.09 R$10.60

-18.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.39

$1.25 R$6.36

0.80%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.40

$2.25 R$11.39

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.21 R$46.71

$10.92 R$55.3

-15.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 R$21.98

$4.36 R$22.10

-0.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.70 R$44.09

$9.60 R$48.66

-9.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 R$11.04

$2.85 R$14.46

-23.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.45

$1.81 R$9.16

-29.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.25

$1.58 R$8.02

-22.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.84

$1.83 R$9.28

-15.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$1.20 R$6.10

5.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.47

$1.06 R$5.35

1.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 R$3.98

$0.75 R$3.81

4.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 R$3.94

$0.68 R$3.45

14.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.55 R$12.93

$2.94 R$14.90

-13.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.96

$7.98 R$40.43

1.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R$6.44

$1.18 R$5.98

7.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R$10.80

$2.42 R$12.26

-11.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 R$5.09

$0.94 R$4.78

6.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.24 R$219

$50.3 R$255

-14.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 R$6.52

$1.20 R$6.10

7.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 R$4.35

$0.83 R$4.20

3.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.85 R$39.79

$8.97 R$45.48

-12.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 R$6.66

$1.29 R$6.53

1.55%

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

$23.7K R$120.3K

$22.8K R$115.5K

4.23%

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

$32.8K R$166.4K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-3.32%

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

$74.6 R$378

$134 R$681

-44.44%

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

$12.23 R$62.0

$10.73 R$54.4

13.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.33 R$108

$22.84 R$116

-6.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.69 R$130

$30.16 R$153

-14.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.25 R$143

$31.49 R$160

-10.29%

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 R$37.73

$7.73 R$39.17

-3.75%

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

$286 R$1,451

$584 R$2,960

-50.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,108 R$36.0K

$12.8K R$64.9K

-44.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 R$281

$41.12 R$208

35.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.85 R$253

$49.26 R$250

1.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 R$466

$73.7 R$373

24.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.3 R$377

$65.9 R$334

12.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$349 R$1,769

$900 R$4,561

-61.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$236 R$1,197

$527 R$2,673

-55.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$679 R$3,442

$1,332 R$6,754

-49.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$467 R$2,366

$748 R$3,790

-37.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,695 R$8,594

$3,990 R$20.2K

-57.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,202 R$6,093

$1,560 R$7,908

-22.96%

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 Paulo Afonso: 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

Paulo Afonso

$236 27.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 123% $291

Groceries & Markets

Paulo Afonso

$193 22.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 10.5% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Paulo Afonso

$122 14%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 15.3% $19

Eating Out

Paulo Afonso

$120 13.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 30.5% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paulo Afonso

$108 12.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 55.2% $60

Getting Around

Paulo Afonso

$53 6.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 12.5% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Paulo Afonso

$41 4.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 12.4% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $349 in Paulo Afonso 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 $33.00 in Paulo Afonso versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $214 – making Paulo Afonso the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Paulo Afonso

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

13:23 1:23 PM

Same time as Paulo Afonso

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

112,870

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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Highest

Between locations

Paulo Afonso Rio de Janeiro 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Paulo Afonso
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

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

Rio de Janeiro costs about 46% more than Paulo Afonso, 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 $1,309 per month in Paulo Afonso 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 Paulo Afonso, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $873 in Paulo Afonso and $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a gap of about 46%.

Public transport costs about 16% less in Paulo Afonso. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Paulo Afonso, where all-in costs run around $873, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,273. In Paulo Afonso 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. Paulo Afonso costs $873 versus $1,273 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 Paulo Afonso. 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.