Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Porto Velho and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Porto Velho: $851 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Porto Velho
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Porto Velho Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Porto Velho

🇧🇷 Brazil

$851

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $851 in Porto Velho versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro.

Porto Velho $851
Rio de Janeiro $1,182

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,347 in Porto Velho versus $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro.

Porto Velho $1,347
Rio de Janeiro $1,750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,844 in Porto Velho versus $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro.

Porto Velho $1,844
Rio de Janeiro $2,318

Living in Porto Velho costs roughly 28% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Porto Velho 38% lower, Rio de Janeiro 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.47 R$29.23

$9.08 R$48.54

-39.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.80 R$202

$37.25 R$199

1.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R$32.86

$8.02 R$42.87

-23.32%

Cappuccino

$1.78 R$9.53

$2.19 R$11.71

-18.72%

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

$1.52 R$8.13

$1.46 R$7.82

4.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 R$2.60

$0.99 R$5.27

-50.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.85 R$9.87

$2.03 R$10.84

-8.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 R$11.03

$3.45 R$18.43

-40.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 R$5.29

$1.06 R$5.66

-6.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 R$7.51

$1.98 R$10.61

-28.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.78

$1.17 R$6.27

-7.69%

Eggs

$1.97 R$10.53

$2.21 R$11.80

-10.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.70 R$46.51

$10.11 R$54.1

-13.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.08 R$21.82

$4.12 R$22.00

-0.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.61 R$46.03

$9.17 R$49.04

-6.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 R$10.87

$2.72 R$14.54

-25.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.65

$1.71 R$9.15

-27.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 R$5.50

$1.53 R$8.18

-32.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 R$8.29

$1.66 R$8.89

-6.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.80

$1.14 R$6.09

11.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 R$5.89

$0.99 R$5.32

11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 R$3.39

$0.65 R$3.46

-3.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.39

$0.60 R$3.20

36.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.17 R$11.61

$2.79 R$14.94

-22.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.34 R$33.89

$7.48 R$39.99

-15.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 R$6.58

$1.09 R$5.83

12.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R$10.06

$2.33 R$12.48

-19.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 R$4.93

$0.90 R$4.79

2.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.03 R$219

$53.0 R$283

-22.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 R$6.89

$1.17 R$6.24

10.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.80

$0.78 R$4.17

15.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.50 R$40.09

$8.37 R$44.75

-10.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 R$6.52

$1.21 R$6.48

0.83%

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

$20.8K R$111.4K

$21.5K R$114.8K

-2.96%

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

$33.7K R$180.1K

$31.1K R$166.5K

8.18%

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

$79.3 R$424

$124 R$665

-36.27%

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

$12.36 R$66.1

$10.03 R$53.7

23.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.71 R$105

$20.88 R$112

-5.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.42 R$131

$28.35 R$152

-13.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.57 R$137

$29.33 R$157

-12.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.69 R$35.77

$7.62 R$40.72

-12.20%

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

$227 R$1,215

$563 R$3,010

-59.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,657 R$40.9K

$12.0K R$64.4K

-36.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.37 R$248

$39.25 R$210

18.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.33 R$248

$46.36 R$248

-0.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.1 R$450

$68.4 R$366

22.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.5 R$356

$63.4 R$339

4.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$355 R$1,901

$776 R$4,150

-54.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$257 R$1,376

$473 R$2,530

-45.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$629 R$3,366

$1,391 R$7,437

-54.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 R$2,477

$739 R$3,951

-37.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,810 R$9,676

$3,393 R$18.1K

-46.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,256 R$6,718

$1,570 R$8,396

-19.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$388 R$2,075

$597 R$3,192

-34.99%

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 Porto Velho: October 26, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Porto Velho

$257 30.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40% 83.8% $216

Groceries & Markets

Porto Velho

$179 21%

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17% 12.3% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Porto Velho

$111 13.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1% 39.5% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Porto Velho

$110 12.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3% 10.6% $12

Eating Out

Porto Velho

$105 12.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7% 42.7% $45

Getting Around

Porto Velho

$51 5.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2% 22.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Porto Velho

$38 4.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7% 15.3% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $355 in Porto Velho and $776 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 54% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Porto Velho vs $37 in Rio de Janeiro. Groceries flip the comparison at $179 vs $201, with Porto Velho cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Porto Velho

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

13:23 1:23 PM

14:23 2:23 PM

1 h ahead of Porto Velho

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

460,434

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Porto Velho Rio de Janeiro 2,710 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Porto Velho
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

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

Porto Velho wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Rio de Janeiro. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Porto Velho the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Porto Velho. 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: $355 in Porto Velho versus $776 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $37 versus $38 in Porto Velho. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $851 per month in Porto Velho versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Porto Velho is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Porto Velho wins on affordability, Rio de Janeiro on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.