Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Aracaju

For one person, living is cheaper in Aracaju: $739 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Aracaju
Learn more

Aracaju Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Aracaju

🇧🇷 Brazil

$739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $739 in Aracaju.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Aracaju $739

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,153 in Aracaju.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Aracaju $1,153

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,568 in Aracaju.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Aracaju $1,568

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 72% more expensive than in Aracaju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 6% lower, Aracaju 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$4.97 R$25.20

88.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$23.50 R$119

70.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$5.83 R$29.55

43.05%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$1.76 R$8.93

30.11%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$1.16 R$5.89

37.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$0.61 R$3.11

65.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$2.00 R$10.14

7.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$2.96 R$15.03

23.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.09 R$5.54

3.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$1.54 R$7.79

35.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$1.17 R$5.95

6.84%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$1.68 R$8.49

33.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$7.49 R$37.96

45.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$3.80 R$19.28

14.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$7.10 R$35.97

35.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$2.12 R$10.77

34.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.30 R$6.60

39.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$0.70 R$3.55

125.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$1.07 R$5.41

71.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.01 R$5.13

18.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$0.89 R$4.50

19.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$0.54 R$2.75

38.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$0.72 R$3.63

-5.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$2.32 R$11.74

26.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$6.04 R$30.61

32.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$1.28 R$6.51

-7.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$2.10 R$10.65

15.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$0.93 R$4.72

1.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

$43.16 R$219

16.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.67 R$8.49

-28.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$1.16 R$5.88

-28.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$6.71 R$34.00

33.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.30 R$6.59

-0.77%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$23.0K R$116.6K

-0.95%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$33.0K R$167.2K

2.98%

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

$134 R$681

$93.4 R$474

43.75%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$9.91 R$50.2

8.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$17.29 R$87.6

32.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$21.98 R$111

37.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

$26.90 R$136

17.06%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$6.30 R$31.93

22.70%

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

$584 R$2,960

$185 R$938

215.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$5,343 R$27.1K

139.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$58.3 R$295

-29.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$35.78 R$181

37.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$86.0 R$436

-14.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$81.5 R$413

-19.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$305 R$1,545

195.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$145 R$736

263.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$641 R$3,250

107.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$272 R$1,381

174.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$1,281 R$6,494

211.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$907 R$4,598

71.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

$448 R$2,270

42.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

19.30%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Last update for Aracaju: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Aracaju

$145 19.6% 72.5% $382

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Aracaju

$165 22.4% 22.7% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Aracaju

$121 16.3% 28.1% $47

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Aracaju

$101 13.7% 35% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Aracaju

$118 15.9% 13.7% $14

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Aracaju

$54 7.4% 8.5% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Aracaju

$35 4.7% 24.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $900 in Rio de Janeiro and $305 in Aracaju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 43% 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: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $24.00 in Aracaju for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $165 per month, with Aracaju cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Aracaju

🕒 Local time

15:01 3:01 PM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

602,757

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Aracaju 1,480 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Aracaju

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 Aracaju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Aracaju differ by about 72% in total monthly costs ($1,273 vs $739 including rent). Aracaju is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 43% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $305 in Aracaju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $584 in Rio de Janeiro versus $185 in Aracaju. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Rio de Janeiro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $739 in Aracaju versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Aracaju but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Aracaju 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 Aracaju gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.