Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Aguada

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguada: $1,176 a month against $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Rio de Janeiro despite lower rent and utilities.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Aguada
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Aguada Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Aguada

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,176

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Aguada

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Rio de Janeiro and in Aguada actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,176 in Aguada.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Aguada $1,176

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,209 in Aguada.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Aguada $1,209

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,242 in Aguada.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Aguada $1,242

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 9% more expensive than in Aguada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 4% lower, Aguada 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$11.10 $11.10

-10.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$11.88 $11.88

-28.62%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$2.02 $2.02

16.83%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$2.05 $2.05

-20.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$1.02 $1.02

-0.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$1.54 $1.54

58.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$2.94 $2.94

25.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$1.70 $1.70

-32.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$2.48 $2.48

-16.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$4.41 $4.41

-48.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$0.91 $0.91

46.15%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

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

$134 R$666

$251 $251

-46.89%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$60.6 $60.6

-79.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$55.6 $55.6

-43.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$5.93 $5.93

38.79%

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

$603 R$3,011

$509 $509

18.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$35.56 $35.56

17.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$39.63 $39.63

26.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$81.3 $81.3

-7.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$99.5 $99.5

-31.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

$501 $501

80.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

$456 $456

15.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

$2,184 $2,184

-70.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026

Last update for Aguada: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Aguada

$456 38.5% 13.6% $72

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Aguada

$59 * 5% 72.3% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Aguada

$312 * 26.3% 85.3% $144

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Aguada

$175 14.7% 6.5% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Aguada

$115 9.7% 9% $9.5

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Aguada

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Aguada

$68 5.7% 40.6% $19

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $905 in Rio de Janeiro and $501 in Aguada. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aguada pays 240% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇵🇷 Aguada

🕒 Local time

08:27 8:27 AM

07:27 7:27 AM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

41,000

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Aguada 5,280 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Aguada

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 de Janeiro vs Aguada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Aguada differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($1,285 vs $1,176 including rent). Aguada is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 240% lower in Aguada. 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: $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $501 in Aguada. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $603 in Rio de Janeiro versus $509 in Aguada. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you'll spend $1,285 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,176 in Aguada – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,176 in Aguada versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Aguada but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Aguada 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.

Safety-wise, Rio de Janeiro and Aguada are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Aguada gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.