Cost of Living Comparison Between Porto Alegre and Rio de Janeiro Cost of Living Comparison Between Porto Alegre and Rio de Janeiro

😐 Solo nomad: Porto Alegre is 6.3% more expensive than Rio de Janeiro without rent, and 5.3% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Porto Alegre is 2.6% more expensive than Rio de Janeiro without rent, and 2.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Porto Alegre
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.22 R$34.52
$7.1 R$39.4
-12.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.2 R$151
$35.72 R$198
-23.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.46 R$35.84
$6.47 R$35.9
-0.15%
Cappuccino
$1.97 R$10.91
$1.98 R$10.97
-0.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.13 R$6.3
$1.31 R$7.28
-13.74%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 R$4.34
$0.9 R$4.97
-13.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.2 R$12.23
$1.82 R$10.08
20.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 R$20.33
$2.72 R$15.11
34.56%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Porto Alegre
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.84 R$4.67
$1.12 R$6.19
-25.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.38 R$7.68
$1.71 R$9.48
-19.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.05 R$5.83
$1.41 R$7.82
-25.53%
Eggs
$2.06 R$11.41
$2.04 R$11.32
0.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.89 R$60.5
$7.84 R$43.53
38.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.55 R$25.24
$3.63 R$20.17
25.34%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.23 R$51.3
$8.25 R$45.78
11.88%
Apples (1kg)
$1.96 R$10.89
$2.39 R$13.25
-17.99%
Banana (1kg)
$1.27 R$7.05
$1.55 R$8.58
-18.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 R$7.08
$1.47 R$8.15
-12.93%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.51 R$8.37
$1.52 R$8.43
-0.66%
Potato (1kg)
$1.14 R$6.3
$1.29 R$7.17
-11.63%
Onion (1kg)
$1.04 R$5.75
$1.16 R$6.45
-10.34%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.77 R$4.28
$0.63 R$3.5
22.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 R$3.4
$0.61 R$3.41
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.89 R$10.48
$1.95 R$10.8
-3.08%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.64 R$36.88
$7.34 R$40.77
-9.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.99 R$5.48
$1.26 R$7
-21.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.79 R$9.92
$2.1 R$11.67
-14.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Porto Alegre
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.84 R$4.65
$1.3 R$7.2
-35.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$64.9 R$360
$38.57 R$214
68.21%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.65 R$9.16
$1.13 R$6.28
46.02%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.01 R$5.63
$0.69 R$3.85
46.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.38 R$29.84
$7.8 R$43.29
-31.03%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.07 R$5.92
$1.06 R$5.87
0.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.1K R$133.5K
$20.5K R$113.5K
17.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.3K R$151.7K
$27.6K R$153.4K
-1.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Porto Alegre
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$60.5 R$336
$103 R$574
-41.52%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.39 R$79.9
$11.89 R$66
21.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.08 R$111
$18.63 R$103
7.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Porto Alegre
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$26.66 R$148
$25.89 R$144
2.97%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.44 R$113
$23.74 R$132
-13.90%
Cinema Ticket
$6.36 R$35.3
$6.57 R$36.47
-3.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Porto Alegre
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$312 R$1,730
$540 R$2,995
-42.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,299 R$40.5K
$11.8K R$65.3K
-37.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Porto Alegre
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.81 R$271
$45.33 R$252
7.68%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58 R$322
$41.71 R$231
39.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$81.4 R$452
$74.9 R$415
8.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$62.8 R$349
$60.1 R$334
4.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Porto Alegre
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$303 R$1,679
$446 R$2,475
-32.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$270 R$1,499
$333 R$1,846
-18.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$615 R$3,412
$861 R$4,780
-28.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$571 R$3,172
$573 R$3,182
-0.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,426 R$7,914
$2,021 R$11.2K
-29.44%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,498 R$8,314
$1,183 R$6,568
26.59%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Porto Alegre
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$515 R$2,858
$452 R$2,509
13.90%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10
11.33
-11.74%

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

Last update for Porto Alegre: October 27, 2025

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 29, 2025

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