Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth Amboy, NJ and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,684 in Perth Amboy, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Perth Amboy, NJ
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Perth Amboy, NJ Living Index
62

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

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Perth Amboy, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,684

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,684 in Perth Amboy, NJ versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Perth Amboy, NJ $2,684
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,774 in Perth Amboy, NJ versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Perth Amboy, NJ $3,774
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,865 in Perth Amboy, NJ versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Perth Amboy, NJ $4,865
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Perth Amboy, NJ is roughly 111% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Perth Amboy, NJ is 98% above, Rio de Janeiro is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.32 $19.32

$9.38 R$47.54

105.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 $78.5

$40.00 R$203

96.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.14 $13.14

$8.34 R$42.28

57.55%

Cappuccino

$6.28 $6.28

$2.29 R$11.62

174.24%

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

$2.52 $2.52

$1.59 R$8.05

58.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.01 R$5.10

49.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.90 $8.90

$2.14 R$10.85

315.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 $7.13

$3.66 R$18.55

94.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.13 R$5.72

0.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.09 R$10.60

6.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.16 $6.16

$1.25 R$6.36

392.80%

Eggs

$2.93 $2.93

$2.25 R$11.39

30.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.68 $13.68

$10.92 R$55.3

25.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 $10.45

$4.36 R$22.10

139.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.90 $19.90

$9.60 R$48.66

107.29%

Apples (1kg)

$5.96 $5.96

$2.85 R$14.46

109.12%

Banana (1kg)

$3.51 $3.51

$1.81 R$9.16

93.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.58 R$8.02

174.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$1.83 R$9.28

185.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.20 R$6.10

16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.06 R$5.35

32.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.75 R$3.81

94.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 $2.99

$0.68 R$3.45

339.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.80 $14.80

$2.94 R$14.90

403.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.21 $12.21

$7.98 R$40.43

53.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.18 R$5.98

55.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.42 R$12.26

49.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 $1.81

$0.94 R$4.78

92.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.20 R$6.10

153.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.11 $2.11

$0.83 R$4.20

154.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.43 $42.43

$8.97 R$45.48

373.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.29 R$6.53

-19.38%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$22.8K R$115.5K

21.70%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-24.84%

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

$170 $170

$134 R$681

26.82%

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

$24.07 $24.07

$10.73 R$54.4

124.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.71 $49.71

$22.84 R$116

117.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.11 $41.11

$30.16 R$153

36.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$17.68 $17.68

$7.73 R$39.17

128.72%

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

$2,026 $2,026

$584 R$2,960

247.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K $16.2K

$12.8K R$64.9K

26.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.62 $33.62

$41.12 R$208

-18.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.44 $40.44

$49.26 R$250

-17.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 $77.1

$73.7 R$373

4.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.4 $96.4

$65.9 R$334

46.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,617 $1,617

$900 R$4,561

79.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 $1,480

$527 R$2,673

180.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,211 $2,211

$1,332 R$6,754

65.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 $2,137

$748 R$3,790

185.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,753 $2,753

$3,990 R$20.2K

-31.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,425 $2,425

$1,560 R$7,908

55.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,323 $3,323

$640 R$3,246

418.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

11.93

-43.00%

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

Last update for Perth Amboy, NJ: October 18, 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

Perth Amboy, NJ

$1.5K 55.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 64.4% $953

Groceries & Markets

Perth Amboy, NJ

$407 15.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 47.5% $193

Eating Out

Perth Amboy, NJ

$344 12.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 54.7% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth Amboy, NJ

$244 9.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 31.2% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Perth Amboy, NJ

$111 4.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 7.1% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Perth Amboy, NJ

$76 2.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 40.3% $31

Getting Around

Perth Amboy, NJ

$21 * 0.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 186% $39

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,617 in Perth Amboy, NJ and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Perth Amboy, NJ pays 419% 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: $78.0 in Perth Amboy, NJ vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $407 vs $214 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Perth Amboy, NJ

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

19:49 7:49 PM

20:49 8:49 PM

1 h ahead of Perth Amboy, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

48,607

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Perth Amboy, NJ Rio de Janeiro 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Perth Amboy, NJ
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

Perth Amboy, NJ vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro wins on cost – living expenses run 111% lower than in Perth Amboy, NJ. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rio de Janeiro the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 419% higher in Perth Amboy, NJ, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,617 in Perth Amboy, NJ versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,026 in Perth Amboy, NJ versus $584 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $78.0 in Perth Amboy, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,684 in Perth Amboy, NJ, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Perth Amboy, NJ. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Rio de Janeiro delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,273 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Rio de Janeiro hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 111% less than in Perth Amboy, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.