Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quito and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $979 a month against $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

48

Cost of Living Index in Quito
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Quito Living Index
63

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

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Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$979

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $979 per month in Quito vs $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Quito $979
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

A couple spends around $1,607 per month in Quito vs $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Quito $1,607
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

A family of three spends $2,234 per month in Quito vs $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Quito $2,234
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Quito is about 24% cheaper than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Quito and Rio de Janeiro are more affordable than the global median – Quito 27% lower, Rio de Janeiro 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.14 $6.14

$9.98 R$49.83

-38.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.9 $53.9

$40.34 R$201

33.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.81 $7.81

$8.48 R$42.35

-7.90%

Cappuccino

$3.42 $3.42

$2.36 R$11.80

44.92%

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

$1.44 $1.44

$1.63 R$8.13

-11.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.01 R$5.06

12.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.44 R$12.19

42.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 $5.89

$3.69 R$18.43

59.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.15 R$5.72

-0.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.07 R$10.34

-25.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.29 R$6.42

17.05%

Eggs

$2.16 $2.16

$2.27 R$11.32

-4.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.40 $6.40

$11.00 R$54.9

-41.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$4.31 R$21.51

27.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.81 $7.81

$9.74 R$48.63

-19.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.83 R$14.12

-17.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.84 R$9.17

-32.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.60 R$7.96

-18.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.80 R$9.00

-36.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.26 R$6.28

-3.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.07 R$5.34

-4.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 $0.93

$0.75 R$3.75

24.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$0.66 R$3.29

59.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 $6.02

$3.05 R$15.21

97.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.93 $9.93

$8.18 R$40.84

21.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.19 R$5.92

33.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.39 R$11.92

28.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 $0.37

$1.01 R$5.06

-63.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.95 $20.95

$50.2 R$250

-58.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.27 R$6.33

21.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$0.90 R$4.51

70.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.01 $10.01

$9.44 R$47.13

6.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.33 R$6.65

-34.59%

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

$21.0K $21.0K

$23.4K R$117.0K

-10.44%

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

$28.6K $28.6K

$33.6K R$167.6K

-14.96%

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

$28.97 $28.97

$134 R$666

-78.30%

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

$17.57 $17.57

$12.23 R$61.0

43.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.14 $28.14

$22.65 R$113

24.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.48 $46.48

$31.56 R$158

47.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.70 $17.70

$30.87 R$154

-42.66%

Cinema Ticket

$6.38 $6.38

$8.23 R$41.07

-22.48%

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

$746 $746

$603 R$3,011

23.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,015 $9,015

$13.2K R$66.1K

-31.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 $68.8

$41.62 R$208

65.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 $50.4

$49.94 R$249

0.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$75.0 R$375

56.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$68.3 R$341

59.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 $478

$905 R$4,519

-47.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 $313

$527 R$2,633

-40.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$967 $967

$1,346 R$6,720

-28.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$549 $549

$774 R$3,865

-29.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,763 $1,763

$3,981 R$19.9K

-55.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$720 $720

$1,562 R$7,798

-53.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 $597

$643 R$3,210

-7.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

11.93

-15.17%

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

Last update for Quito: October 4, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quito

$313 31.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 68.4% $214

Groceries & Markets

Quito

$198 20.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 8.6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Quito

$156 15.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 32% $50

Eating Out

Quito

$153 15.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 7.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quito

$75 7.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 126% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Quito

$59 6%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 18.9% $11

Getting Around

Quito

$32 3.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 89.7% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Quito versus $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 8% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54.0 in Quito versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Groceries tell a different story – $198 in Quito vs $215 in Rio de Janeiro – so Quito wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Quito

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

00:38 12:38 AM

02:38 2:38 AM

2 h ahead of Quito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,671,191 Capital

6,211,223

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Quito Rio de Janeiro 4,570 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Quito
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

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

Yes – Rio de Janeiro is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,468 per month in Quito and $1,927 in Rio de Janeiro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quito, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 139% less in Quito. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $746 per month in Quito and $603 in Rio de Janeiro. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Quito, where all-in costs run around $979, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,285. In Quito it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Quito – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Quito. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rio de Janeiro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.