Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio Branco and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio Branco: $837 a month against $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Rio Branco
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Rio Branco Living Index
57

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

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Rio Branco

🇧🇷 Brazil

$837

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $837 per month in Rio Branco vs $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Rio Branco $837
Rio de Janeiro $1,185

A couple spends around $1,322 per month in Rio Branco vs $1,737 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Rio Branco $1,322
Rio de Janeiro $1,737

A family of three spends $1,806 per month in Rio Branco vs $2,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Rio Branco $1,806
Rio de Janeiro $2,289

Rio Branco is about 29% cheaper than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rio Branco and Rio de Janeiro are more affordable than the global median – Rio Branco 38% lower, Rio de Janeiro 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.58 R$35.92

$8.16 R$44.53

-19.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.93 R$131

$37.20 R$203

-35.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 R$37.35

$7.52 R$41.07

-9.04%

Cappuccino

$2.78 R$15.15

$2.10 R$11.48

32.38%

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

$1.33 R$7.24

$1.36 R$7.43

-2.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R$3.94

$0.96 R$5.25

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.88 R$10.25

$1.98 R$10.79

-5.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 R$15.67

$3.26 R$17.80

-11.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 R$5.40

$1.09 R$5.93

-9.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 R$8.68

$1.87 R$10.19

-14.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.54

$1.12 R$6.14

7.14%

Eggs

$2.08 R$11.37

$2.20 R$12.02

-5.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.66 R$47.30

$9.91 R$54.1

-12.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.08 R$22.30

$4.11 R$22.44

-0.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.81 R$42.65

$9.25 R$50.5

-15.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 R$11.49

$2.59 R$14.15

-18.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.55

$1.69 R$9.21

-28.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.94

$1.47 R$8.01

-25.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 R$7.92

$1.72 R$9.37

-15.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.45

$1.16 R$6.31

1.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 R$5.71

$1.00 R$5.45

5.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$4.19

$0.66 R$3.59

16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 R$3.88

$0.61 R$3.33

16.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 R$12.78

$2.69 R$14.70

-13.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.53 R$41.12

$7.20 R$39.32

4.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 R$6.67

$1.07 R$5.86

14.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 R$10.72

$2.24 R$12.22

-12.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 R$3.40

$0.88 R$4.78

-29.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.30 R$225

$52.3 R$286

-21.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 R$6.72

$1.18 R$6.44

4.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 R$4.36

$0.68 R$3.69

17.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.25 R$39.59

$8.71 R$47.55

-16.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$7.05

$1.20 R$6.54

7.50%

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

$21.9K R$119.6K

$21.9K R$119.4K

0.15%

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

$30.8K R$168.2K

$31.0K R$169.3K

-0.67%

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

$71.9 R$393

$126 R$686

-42.75%

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

$11.31 R$61.8

$10.14 R$55.4

11.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.60 R$107

$20.95 R$114

-6.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.91 R$131

$28.51 R$156

-16.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.12 R$143

$28.87 R$158

-9.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.84 R$37.35

$7.40 R$40.42

-7.57%

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

$260 R$1,420

$537 R$2,931

-51.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,586 R$36.0K

$15.9K R$86.7K

-58.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 R$286

$38.68 R$211

35.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.99 R$257

$45.06 R$246

4.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 R$458

$68.6 R$374

22.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.4 R$368

$64.1 R$350

5.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$342 R$1,865

$768 R$4,191

-55.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$225 R$1,229

$491 R$2,679

-54.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$634 R$3,461

$1,458 R$7,962

-56.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 R$2,448

$743 R$4,056

-39.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,585 R$8,653

$3,325 R$18.2K

-52.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,506 R$8,223

$1,552 R$8,473

-2.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$241 R$1,316

$674 R$3,678

-64.23%

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 Rio Branco: November 2, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio Branco

$225 26.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$491 41.4% 118% $266

Groceries & Markets

Rio Branco

$180 21.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$198 16.7% 9.8% $18

Eating Out

Rio Branco

$130 15.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$139 11.7% 6.9% $9

Clothing & Footwear

Rio Branco

$113 13.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$97 8.2% 13.7% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio Branco

$103 12.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$157 13.2% 52.4% $54

Getting Around

Rio Branco

$49 5.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 5.1% 23.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Rio Branco

$38 4.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$43 3.7% 15.2% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $342 in Rio Branco versus $768 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 in Rio de Janeiro are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Rio Branco versus $37 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $180 vs $198 – making Rio Branco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio Branco

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

06:38 6:38 AM

08:38 8:38 AM

2 h ahead of Rio Branco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

364,756

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Rio Branco Rio de Janeiro 2,990 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio Branco
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

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

Yes – Rio de Janeiro is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,256 per month in Rio Branco and $1,778 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 Rio Branco, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $342 there versus $768 in Rio de Janeiro.

Public transport costs about 21% less in Rio Branco. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $260 per month in Rio Branco and $537 in Rio de Janeiro. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio Branco, where all-in costs run around $837, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,185. In Rio Branco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rio Branco – 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 Rio Branco. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rio de Janeiro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.