Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Aguilares

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguilares: $806 a month against $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Aguilares
Learn more

Aguilares Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Aguilares

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Aguilares actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $806 in Aguilares.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Aguilares $806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,292 in Aguilares.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Aguilares $1,292

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,777 in Aguilares.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Aguilares $1,777

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 59% more expensive than in Aguilares, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 4% lower, Aguilares 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$6.90 $6.90

44.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$44.21 $44.21

-8.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$6.90 $6.90

22.90%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$3.70 $3.70

-36.22%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$1.15 $1.15

41.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$0.79 $0.79

27.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$1.96 $1.96

24.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$3.58 $3.58

3.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$1.85 $1.85

-37.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$2.77 $2.77

-25.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$1.37 $1.37

-5.84%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$3.12 $3.12

-27.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$7.51 $7.51

46.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$6.78 $6.78

-36.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$10.37 $10.37

-6.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$5.11 $5.11

-44.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$1.47 $1.47

25.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$2.94 $2.94

-45.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$3.52 $3.52

-48.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$2.96 $2.96

-57.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$3.34 $3.34

-67.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$0.97 $0.97

-22.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$0.96 $0.96

-31.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$3.96 $3.96

-22.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$11.79 $11.79

-30.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$2.27 $2.27

-47.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$2.89 $2.89

-17.30%

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

$5.90 $5.90

-78.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

$2.96 $2.96

-69.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

$19.87 $19.87

-52.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$1.20 $1.20

10.83%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

$25.2K $25.2K

-7.03%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$26.9K $26.9K

25.01%

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

$134 R$666

$128 $128

3.99%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$21.01 $21.01

-41.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$41.77 $41.77

-45.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$5.10 $5.10

61.37%

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

$603 R$3,011

$160 $160

275.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

$4,767 $4,767

177.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$66.4 $66.4

-37.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$46.24 $46.24

8.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$116 $116

-35.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$117 $117

-41.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

8.5

40.35%

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 Aguilares: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Aguilares

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Aguilares

$287 35.5% 33.8% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Aguilares

$191 23.6% 13.5% $23

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Aguilares

$145 17.9% 11.5% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Aguilares

$156 19.2% 47.3% $50

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Aguilares

$21 * 2.6% 65.5% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Aguilares

$10 * 1.3% 78.8% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $44.00 in Aguilares for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $287 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇸🇻 Aguilares

🕒 Local time

05:47 5:47 AM

02:47 2:47 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

21,445

💱 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 = 5.6 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 Aguilares 6,470 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Aguilares

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 Aguilares: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aguilares wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Rio de Janeiro. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Aguilares the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,927 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,209 in Aguilares to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $603 in Rio de Janeiro versus $160 in Aguilares. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Aguilares – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $806 in Aguilares versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Aguilares but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Aguilares the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Aguilares delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Aguilares hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Aguilares gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.