Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio Claro and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio Claro: $837 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Rio Claro
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Rio Claro Living Index
62

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

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Rio Claro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$837

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $837 in Rio Claro versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Rio Claro $837
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,268 in Rio Claro versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Rio Claro $1,268
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,699 in Rio Claro versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Rio Claro $1,699
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Rio Claro costs roughly 34% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio Claro 38% lower, Rio de Janeiro 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.67 R$28.74

$9.38 R$47.54

-39.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.49 R$119

$40.00 R$203

-41.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 R$37.98

$8.34 R$42.28

-10.19%

Cappuccino

$2.26 R$11.46

$2.29 R$11.62

-1.31%

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

$1.13 R$5.73

$1.59 R$8.05

-28.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 R$3.51

$1.01 R$5.10

-31.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.13 R$10.78

$2.14 R$10.85

-0.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 R$22.56

$3.66 R$18.55

21.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 R$4.60

$1.13 R$5.72

-19.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 R$10.11

$2.09 R$10.60

-4.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.25 R$6.36

-4.80%

Eggs

$2.26 R$11.47

$2.25 R$11.39

0.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.00 R$45.60

$10.92 R$55.3

-17.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.48 R$22.73

$4.36 R$22.10

2.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.47 R$48.00

$9.60 R$48.66

-1.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 R$12.38

$2.85 R$14.46

-14.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 R$9.42

$1.81 R$9.16

2.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.08

$1.58 R$8.02

-11.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.90

$1.83 R$9.28

-25.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 R$4.88

$1.20 R$6.10

-20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.09

$1.06 R$5.35

13.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 R$4.54

$0.75 R$3.81

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 R$4.03

$0.68 R$3.45

17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 R$14.50

$2.94 R$14.90

-2.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.80 R$44.63

$7.98 R$40.43

10.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 R$8.37

$1.18 R$5.98

39.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 R$18.92

$2.42 R$12.26

54.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 R$4.82

$0.94 R$4.78

1.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.85 R$202

$50.3 R$255

-20.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.42

$1.20 R$6.10

5.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 R$7.16

$0.83 R$4.20

69.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.27 R$46.99

$8.97 R$45.48

3.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.01

$1.29 R$6.53

-7.75%

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

$23.3K R$117.9K

$22.8K R$115.5K

2.09%

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

$34.3K R$173.7K

$34.0K R$172.1K

0.91%

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

$42.36 R$215

$134 R$681

-68.46%

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

$9.36 R$47.45

$10.73 R$54.4

-12.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.17 R$92.1

$22.84 R$116

-20.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.25 R$123

$30.16 R$153

-19.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$5.96 R$30.22

$7.73 R$39.17

-22.90%

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

$234 R$1,186

$584 R$2,960

-59.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,435 R$27.6K

$12.8K R$64.9K

-57.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 R$276

$41.12 R$208

32.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.6 R$292

$49.26 R$250

17.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 R$487

$73.7 R$373

30.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.8 R$369

$65.9 R$334

10.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 R$1,429

$900 R$4,561

-68.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 R$1,127

$527 R$2,673

-57.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$431 R$2,187

$1,332 R$6,754

-67.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 R$1,658

$748 R$3,790

-56.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$765 R$3,876

$3,990 R$20.2K

-80.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$671 R$3,402

$1,560 R$7,908

-56.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$515 R$2,610

$640 R$3,246

-19.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.12

11.93

-6.79%

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

Last update for Rio Claro: October 20, 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

Rio Claro

$222 26.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 137% $305

Groceries & Markets

Rio Claro

$208 24.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 2.7% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Rio Claro

$126 15.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 18.2% $23

Eating Out

Rio Claro

$122 14.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 28.1% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio Claro

$70 8.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 140% $98

Getting Around

Rio Claro

$52 6.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 14.4% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Rio Claro

$36 4.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 26.1% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $282 in Rio Claro and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 24% 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: $23.00 in Rio Claro vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $208 vs $214 per month, with Rio Claro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio Claro

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

08:41 8:41 AM

Same time as Rio Claro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

201,418

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Rio Claro Rio de Janeiro 450 km

From you

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

Rio Claro and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($837 vs $1,273 including rent). Rio Claro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 24% 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: $282 in Rio Claro versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Rio de Janeiro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio Claro – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $837 in Rio Claro versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio Claro but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Rio Claro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Rio Claro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.