Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portoviejo and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Portoviejo: $807 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Portoviejo
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Portoviejo Living Index
63

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

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Portoviejo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$807

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $807 in Portoviejo versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Portoviejo $807
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,347 in Portoviejo versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

Portoviejo $1,347
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,888 in Portoviejo versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

Portoviejo $1,888
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Portoviejo costs roughly 37% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Portoviejo 40% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.07 $4.07

$10.06 R$51.0

-59.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.8 $51.8

$40.44 R$205

28.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.19 $9.19

$8.55 R$43.35

7.49%

Cappuccino

$2.91 $2.91

$2.38 R$12.04

22.27%

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

$0.89 $0.89

$1.61 R$8.18

-44.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.03 R$5.22

-27.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.47 R$12.54

23.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.70 R$18.77

13.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.19 R$6.05

2.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.05 R$10.38

-3.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.28 R$6.49

10.94%

Eggs

$2.04 $2.04

$2.29 R$11.60

-10.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.85 $6.85

$10.76 R$54.5

-36.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$4.41 R$22.36

15.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.35 $9.35

$9.84 R$49.86

-4.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.81 R$14.25

-45.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.78 R$9.03

-35.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.60 R$8.13

-38.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.80 R$9.11

-47.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.22 R$6.17

0.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.04 R$5.26

-6.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 $0.82

$0.77 R$3.92

6.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.67 R$3.38

47.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.87 $5.87

$3.01 R$15.27

95.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.77 $11.77

$8.08 R$40.94

45.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.19 R$6.03

32.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.51 R$12.73

-12.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$0.99 R$5.00

-63.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.65 $17.65

$50.1 R$254

-64.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.22 R$6.20

12.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$0.92 R$4.66

86.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.82 $11.82

$8.97 R$45.45

31.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.30 R$6.57

-36.15%

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

$20.6K $20.6K

$23.9K R$121.0K

-13.70%

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

$31.0K $31.0K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-5.72%

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

$39.37 $39.37

$133 R$676

-70.49%

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

$14.63 $14.63

$10.82 R$54.8

35.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.63 $25.63

$22.90 R$116

11.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.86 $26.86

$30.79 R$156

-12.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 $17.76

$31.85 R$161

-44.24%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 $7.46

$8.05 R$40.83

-7.33%

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

$378 $378

$598 R$3,029

-36.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,653 $5,653

$13.4K R$68.0K

-57.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.3 $65.3

$42.04 R$213

55.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 $39.77

$49.68 R$252

-19.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 $125

$74.5 R$378

68.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.0 $94.0

$68.7 R$348

36.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$296 $296

$903 R$4,578

-67.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 $185

$529 R$2,684

-64.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 $719

$1,326 R$6,724

-45.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 $362

$756 R$3,831

-52.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,183 $1,183

$4,010 R$20.3K

-70.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 $769

$1,560 R$7,910

-50.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$327 $327

$640 R$3,242

-48.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

11.93

-15.76%

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

Last update for Portoviejo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Portoviejo

$200 24.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 7.4% $15

Accommodation & Living

Portoviejo

$185 23%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 186% $344

Clothing & Footwear

Portoviejo

$146 18.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 27.6% $40

Eating Out

Portoviejo

$125 15.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 31.8% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portoviejo

$80 9.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 110% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Portoviejo

$42 5.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 12.2% $5.1

Getting Around

Portoviejo

$29 3.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 106% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $296 in Portoviejo and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 95% 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: $52.0 in Portoviejo vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Groceries flip the comparison at $200 vs $215, with Portoviejo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Portoviejo

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

04:02 4:02 AM

2 h ahead of Portoviejo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

180,641

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Portoviejo Rio de Janeiro 4,700 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Portoviejo
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

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

Portoviejo wins on cost – living expenses run 60% lower than in Rio de Janeiro. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Portoviejo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 95% lower in Rio de Janeiro. 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: $296 in Portoviejo 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 7% higher in Rio de Janeiro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Portoviejo – a meal for two runs $52.0 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $807 in Portoviejo versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Portoviejo but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Portoviejo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Portoviejo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $807 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Portoviejo hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Portoviejo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.