Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Queens, NY and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $3,339 in Queens, NY, rent and utilities included – about $24,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Queens, NY
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Queens, NY Living Index
62

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

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Queens, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$3,339

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,339 in Queens, NY versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Queens, NY $3,339
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,831 in Queens, NY versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Queens, NY $4,831
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,323 in Queens, NY versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Queens, NY $6,323
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Queens, NY is roughly 162% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Queens, NY is 146% above, Rio de Janeiro is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.16 $19.16

$9.38 R$47.54

104.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.1 $80.1

$40.00 R$203

100.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.04 $13.04

$8.34 R$42.28

56.35%

Cappuccino

$6.18 $6.18

$2.29 R$11.62

169.87%

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

$2.53 $2.53

$1.59 R$8.05

59.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.01 R$5.10

47.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.25 $9.25

$2.14 R$10.85

332.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 $6.93

$3.66 R$18.55

89.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.13 R$5.72

12.39%

White Bread (500g)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.09 R$10.60

108.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.02 $6.02

$1.25 R$6.36

381.60%

Eggs

$6.88 $6.88

$2.25 R$11.39

205.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.73 $13.73

$10.92 R$55.3

25.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.31 $10.31

$4.36 R$22.10

136.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.51 $19.51

$9.60 R$48.66

103.23%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$2.85 R$14.46

110.18%

Banana (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.81 R$9.16

92.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$1.58 R$8.02

178.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.21 $5.21

$1.83 R$9.28

184.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.20 R$6.10

151.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.06 R$5.35

187.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.11 $3.11

$0.75 R$3.81

314.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$0.68 R$3.45

354.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.63 $14.63

$2.94 R$14.90

397.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.84 $14.84

$7.98 R$40.43

85.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.18 R$5.98

56.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.42 R$12.26

45.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.94 $2.94

$0.94 R$4.78

212.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$131 $131

$50.3 R$255

159.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.20 R$6.10

146.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.83 R$4.20

167.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.49 $41.49

$8.97 R$45.48

362.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.29 R$6.53

-15.50%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$22.8K R$115.5K

22.28%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-24.80%

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

$175 $175

$134 R$681

30.14%

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

$49.84 $49.84

$10.73 R$54.4

364.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 $50.7

$22.84 R$116

121.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.68 $45.68

$30.16 R$153

51.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.6 $67.6

$31.49 R$160

114.73%

Cinema Ticket

$20.43 $20.43

$7.73 R$39.17

164.29%

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

$1,979 $1,979

$584 R$2,960

239.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K $16.2K

$12.8K R$64.9K

26.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.52 $49.52

$41.12 R$208

20.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$81.0 $81.0

$49.26 R$250

64.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 $85.7

$73.7 R$373

16.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$65.9 R$334

57.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,272 $2,272

$900 R$4,561

152.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,870 $1,870

$527 R$2,673

254.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,863 $5,863

$1,332 R$6,754

340.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,964 $2,964

$748 R$3,790

296.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,775 $8,775

$3,990 R$20.2K

119.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,134 $6,134

$1,560 R$7,908

293.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,625 $3,625

$640 R$3,246

465.98%

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 Queens, NY: 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

Queens, NY

$1.9K 56%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 71.8% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Queens, NY

$464 13.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 54% $251

Eating Out

Queens, NY

$343 10.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 54.5% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Queens, NY

$275 8.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 39% $107

Getting Around

Queens, NY

$156 4.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 62% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Queens, NY

$144 4.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 28.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Queens, NY

$87 2.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 47.3% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,272 in Queens, NY and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Queens, NY pays 466% 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: $80.0 in Queens, NY vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $464 vs $214 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Queens, NY

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

18:42 6:42 PM

19:42 7:42 PM

1 h ahead of Queens, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,405,464

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 →

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Queens, NY Rio de Janeiro 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Queens, NY
Rio de Janeiro

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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

Queens, NY vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 162% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 466% higher in Queens, NY, 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: $2,272 in Queens, NY versus $900 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 $40.00 versus $80.0 in Queens, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,339 per month in Queens, NY versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro – a 162% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,339 in Queens, NY, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Queens, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Rio de Janeiro is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Queens, NY, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 162% less than in Queens, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.