Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Alfenas

For one person, living is cheaper in Alfenas: $731 a month against $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Alfenas
Learn more

Alfenas Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,185

/mo nomad

Alfenas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $731 in Alfenas, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,185
Alfenas $731

A couple spends around $1,737 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,297 in Alfenas, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,737
Alfenas $1,297

A family of three spends $2,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,862 in Alfenas, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,289
Alfenas $1,862

Rio de Janeiro costs about 62% more than Alfenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Alfenas are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 12% lower, Alfenas 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.16 R$44.54

$3.59 R$19.61

127.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 R$203

$27.35 R$149

36.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 R$41.08

$5.43 R$29.64

38.49%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R$11.49

$0.89 R$4.84

135.96%

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

$1.36 R$7.44

$0.57 R$3.12

138.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$5.25

$0.54 R$2.93

77.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R$10.79

$2.17 R$11.83

-8.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 R$17.80

$2.73 R$14.92

19.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.93

$1.15 R$6.29

-5.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 R$10.19

$1.66 R$9.06

12.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.14

$1.40 R$7.63

-20.00%

Eggs

$2.20 R$12.03

$2.53 R$13.81

-13.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.91 R$54.1

$11.22 R$61.3

-11.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 R$22.44

$4.97 R$27.16

-17.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 R$50.5

$10.00 R$54.6

-7.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 R$14.15

$2.49 R$13.59

4.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R$9.21

$1.62 R$8.85

4.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.02

$1.38 R$7.51

6.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 R$9.37

$1.74 R$9.52

-1.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.31

$1.31 R$7.15

-11.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.45

$1.19 R$6.50

-15.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 R$3.59

$1.15 R$6.26

-42.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R$3.33

$0.92 R$5.02

-33.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 R$14.70

$1.82 R$9.94

47.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 R$39.33

$9.29 R$50.8

-22.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R$5.86

$1.67 R$9.12

-35.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 R$12.22

$2.36 R$12.89

-5.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.78

$1.10 R$6.00

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.3 R$286

$47.17 R$258

10.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.44

$1.26 R$6.88

-6.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 R$3.69

$0.94 R$5.15

-27.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 R$47.56

$10.02 R$54.7

-13.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.54

$1.24 R$6.80

-3.23%

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

$21.9K R$119.4K

$21.6K R$118.2K

1.02%

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

$31.0K R$169.3K

$27.5K R$150.0K

12.92%

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

$126 R$686

$55.7 R$304

125.73%

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

$10.14 R$55.4

$15.69 R$85.7

-35.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.95 R$114

$18.60 R$102

12.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 R$156

$25.24 R$138

12.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.87 R$158

$22.35 R$122

29.17%

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 R$40.43

$6.58 R$35.93

12.46%

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

$537 R$2,932

$572 R$3,125

-6.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K R$86.8K

$6,674 R$36.4K

138.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.68 R$211

$58.7 R$320

-34.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R$246

$56.1 R$306

-19.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 R$375

$93.2 R$509

-26.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.1 R$350

$86.8 R$474

-26.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$4,192

$337 R$1,842

127.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 R$2,680

$114 R$622

330.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 R$7,964

$654 R$3,573

122.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R$4,056

$451 R$2,463

64.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,325 R$18.2K

$1,784 R$9,744

86.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R$8,475

$1,165 R$6,360

33.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 R$3,679

$458 R$2,499

47.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.5

3.74%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: November 3, 2026

Last update for Alfenas: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$491 41.4%

Alfenas

$114 15.6% 76.8% $377

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$198 16.7%

Alfenas

$222 30.4% 12.3% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$157 13.2%

Alfenas

$90 12.3% 42.6% $67

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$139 11.7%

Alfenas

$76 10.5% 45% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$97 8.2%

Alfenas

$133 18.1% 36.2% $35

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 5.1%

Alfenas

$58 7.9% 4.7% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$43 3.7%

Alfenas

$38 5.3% 11.4% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $768 in Rio de Janeiro versus $337 in Alfenas. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 47% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Rio de Janeiro versus $27 in Alfenas. Groceries tell a different story – $198 in Rio de Janeiro vs $222 in Alfenas – so Rio de Janeiro wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Alfenas

🕒 Local time

21:35 9:35 PM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

78,970

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, $731 in Alfenas – Alfenas comes out roughly 38% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,778 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,097 in Alfenas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alfenas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $337 there versus $768 in Rio de Janeiro.

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Rio de Janeiro and $27 in Alfenas. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Rio de Janeiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $731 in Alfenas to $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Alfenas. 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.