Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Alexandria

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $1,044 a month against $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 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
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Alexandria

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,044

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,044 in Alexandria.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Alexandria $1,044

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,704 in Alexandria.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Alexandria $1,704

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,364 in Alexandria.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Alexandria $2,364

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 23% more expensive than in Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 4% lower, Alexandria 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$15.61 JMD 2,466

-36.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$76.6 JMD 12.1K

-47.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$8.75 JMD 1,381

-3.09%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$5.28 JMD 834

-55.30%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$1.16 JMD 184

40.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$0.68 JMD 107

48.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$2.27 JMD 359

7.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$3.21 JMD 508

14.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$4.09 JMD 646

-71.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$3.86 JMD 610

-46.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$1.59 JMD 250

-18.87%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$3.53 JMD 557

-35.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$11.57 JMD 1,826

-4.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$6.39 JMD 1,009

-32.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$10.30 JMD 1,626

-5.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$6.22 JMD 983

-54.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$3.93 JMD 621

-53.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$7.47 JMD 1,180

-78.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$3.01 JMD 475

-40.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$3.33 JMD 525

-62.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$2.59 JMD 409

-58.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$3.12 JMD 492

-75.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$1.47 JMD 232

-55.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$9.74 JMD 1,538

-68.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$11.57 JMD 1,827

-29.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$2.90 JMD 458

-58.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$4.07 JMD 643

-41.28%

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

$1.17 JMD 185

8.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

$3.13 JMD 494

-71.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

$6.42 JMD 1,013

47.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$1.42 JMD 224

-6.34%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

$44.9K JMD 7.1M

-47.81%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

1.96%

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

$134 R$666

$174 JMD 27.5K

-23.37%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$30.04 JMD 4,744

-59.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$53.0 JMD 8,365

-57.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$13.14 JMD 2,074

-37.37%

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

$603 R$3,011

$359 JMD 56.7K

67.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

$8,225 JMD 1.3M

60.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$23.28 JMD 3,676

78.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$31.50 JMD 4,974

58.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

-2.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$102 JMD 16.1K

-33.13%

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

9.45

26.24%

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 Alexandria: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Alexandria

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Alexandria

$388 37.6% 80.9% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Alexandria

$257 24.9% 52.8% $89

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Alexandria

$240 23.2% 46.3% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Alexandria

$105 10.2% 0.3% $0.3

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Alexandria

$17 * 1.6% 72% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Alexandria

$26 * 2.5% 45.3% $22

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 $77.0 in Alexandria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $388 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇯🇲 Alexandria

🕒 Local time

09:00 9:00 AM

07:00 7:00 AM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

1,927

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, 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).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Alexandria 5,900 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Alexandria

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 Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Alexandria differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,285 vs $1,044 including rent). Alexandria is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,927 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,567 in Alexandria 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 $359 in Alexandria. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Alexandria – a meal for two runs $77.0 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,044 in Alexandria versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alexandria but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Alexandria 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 Alexandria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.