Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Aracatuba

For one person, living is cheaper in Aracatuba: $876 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Aracatuba
Learn more

Aracatuba Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Aracatuba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$876

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,273 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $876 in Aracatuba, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Aracatuba $876

A couple spends around $1,841 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,399 in Aracatuba, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Aracatuba $1,399

A family of three spends $2,409 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,922 in Aracatuba, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Aracatuba $1,922

Rio de Janeiro costs about 45% more than Aracatuba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Aracatuba are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 6% lower, Aracatuba 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$6.10 R$30.92

53.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$32.65 R$165

22.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$7.61 R$38.59

9.59%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$2.06 R$10.42

11.17%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$1.27 R$6.46

25.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$0.77 R$3.91

31.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$2.02 R$10.22

5.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$3.05 R$15.45

20.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.05 R$5.33

7.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$1.73 R$8.78

20.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$1.30 R$6.60

-3.85%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$2.24 R$11.34

0.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$9.25 R$46.89

18.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$4.27 R$21.65

2.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$8.60 R$43.59

11.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$2.21 R$11.19

28.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.27 R$6.43

42.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$1.22 R$6.17

29.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$1.59 R$8.08

15.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.22 R$6.17

-1.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$1.11 R$5.63

-4.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$0.84 R$4.25

-10.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$0.79 R$3.99

-13.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$2.53 R$12.80

16.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$7.89 R$39.97

1.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$1.27 R$6.45

-7.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$2.13 R$10.80

13.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$1.04 R$5.25

-9.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

$43.23 R$219

16.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.27 R$6.43

-5.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$0.91 R$4.63

-8.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$7.86 R$39.85

14.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.32 R$6.70

-2.27%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$24.2K R$122.9K

-6.06%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$32.7K R$165.9K

3.76%

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

$134 R$681

$75.1 R$381

78.83%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$12.43 R$63.0

-13.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$20.99 R$106

8.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$25.96 R$132

16.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

$27.51 R$139

14.47%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$7.16 R$36.28

7.96%

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

$584 R$2,960

$279 R$1,417

108.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$7,322 R$37.1K

74.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$56.4 R$286

-27.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$50.5 R$256

-2.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$91.4 R$463

-19.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$72.9 R$369

-9.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$360 R$1,826

149.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$238 R$1,206

121.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$681 R$3,452

95.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$468 R$2,371

59.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$1,706 R$8,646

133.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$1,190 R$6,033

31.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

$386 R$1,956

66.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

8.45%

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 Aracatuba: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Aracatuba

$238 27.2% 54.9% $289

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Aracatuba

$193 22.1% 9.5% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Aracatuba

$109 12.4% 35.4% $59

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Aracatuba

$121 13.8% 22.6% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Aracatuba

$122 13.9% 17.9% $19

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Aracatuba

$53 6.1% 10.5% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Aracatuba

$40 4.6% 11.7% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $360 in Aracatuba. 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 66% 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 $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $33.00 in Aracatuba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $214 vs $193 – making Aracatuba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Aracatuba

🕒 Local time

18:38 6:38 PM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

200,124

💱 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

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Aracatuba 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Aracatuba

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 Aracatuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, $876 in Aracatuba – roughly 45% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,910 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,314 in Aracatuba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aracatuba, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $584 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $279 in Aracatuba. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Rio de Janeiro, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Aracatuba, where all-in costs run around $876, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,273. In Aracatuba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Rio de Janeiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $876 in Aracatuba to $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Aracatuba. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rio de Janeiro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.