Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Araxa

For one person, living is cheaper in Araxa: $828 a month against $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Araxa
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Araxa Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,185

/mo nomad

Araxa

🇧🇷 Brazil

$828

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro versus $828 in Araxa.

Rio de Janeiro $1,185
Araxa $828

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,737 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,316 in Araxa.

Rio de Janeiro $1,737
Araxa $1,316

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,805 in Araxa.

Rio de Janeiro $2,289
Araxa $1,805

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 43% more expensive than in Araxa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 12% lower, Araxa 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.16 R$44.75

$5.52 R$30.28

47.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 R$204

$30.28 R$166

22.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 R$41.27

$7.24 R$39.72

3.87%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R$11.54

$1.84 R$10.10

14.13%

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

$1.36 R$7.47

$1.21 R$6.62

12.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$5.27

$0.69 R$3.81

39.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R$10.84

$1.84 R$10.08

7.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 R$17.89

$2.83 R$15.51

15.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.96

$1.00 R$5.48

9.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 R$10.24

$1.59 R$8.72

17.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.17

$1.19 R$6.53

-5.88%

Eggs

$2.20 R$12.08

$1.98 R$10.85

11.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.91 R$54.4

$8.70 R$47.73

13.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 R$22.55

$4.13 R$22.65

-0.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 R$50.7

$7.77 R$42.66

19.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 R$14.22

$2.11 R$11.57

22.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R$9.26

$1.19 R$6.53

42.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.05

$1.13 R$6.21

30.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 R$9.42

$1.49 R$8.19

15.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.34

$1.14 R$6.24

1.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.48

$1.00 R$5.50

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 R$3.60

$0.73 R$3.98

-9.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R$3.34

$0.72 R$3.98

-15.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 R$14.77

$2.30 R$12.61

16.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 R$39.52

$7.27 R$39.89

-0.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R$5.88

$1.22 R$6.70

-12.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 R$12.28

$1.97 R$10.80

13.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.81

$0.91 R$5.01

-3.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.3 R$287

$42.36 R$232

23.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.47

$1.24 R$6.81

-4.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 R$3.71

$0.85 R$4.65

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 R$47.79

$7.61 R$41.75

14.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.57

$1.22 R$6.67

-1.64%

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

$21.9K R$120.0K

$22.1K R$121.4K

-1.11%

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

$31.0K R$170.1K

$31.4K R$172.2K

-1.19%

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

$126 R$689

$71.7 R$393

75.25%

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

$10.14 R$55.6

$11.48 R$63.0

-11.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.95 R$115

$19.98 R$110

4.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 R$156

$24.09 R$132

18.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.87 R$158

$26.10 R$143

10.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 R$40.62

$6.85 R$37.61

8.03%

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

$537 R$2,946

$257 R$1,411

108.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K R$87.2K

$6,762 R$37.1K

134.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.68 R$212

$50.9 R$279

-23.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R$247

$46.24 R$254

-2.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 R$376

$84.3 R$463

-18.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.1 R$352

$65.8 R$361

-2.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$4,212

$337 R$1,848

127.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 R$2,692

$234 R$1,282

110.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 R$8,002

$626 R$3,437

132.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R$4,076

$455 R$2,498

63.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,325 R$18.2K

$1,554 R$8,528

113.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R$8,516

$1,151 R$6,317

34.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 R$3,697

$228 R$1,249

195.99%

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: November 3, 2026

Last update for Araxa: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$491 41.4%

Araxa

$234 28.2% 52.4% $257

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$198 16.7%

Araxa

$180 21.7% 9.2% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$157 13.2%

Araxa

$103 12.5% 34.2% $54

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$139 11.7%

Araxa

$110 13.3% 20.4% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$97 8.2%

Araxa

$111 13.5% 14.2% $14

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 5.1%

Araxa

$51 6.2% 14.7% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$43 3.7%

Araxa

$38 4.6% 12.7% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $768 in Rio de Janeiro and $337 in Araxa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Rio de Janeiro vs $30 in Araxa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $180 per month, with Araxa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Araxa

🕒 Local time

03:10 3:10 AM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

111,691

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Araxa 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Araxa

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 Araxa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Araxa wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Rio de Janeiro. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Araxa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Rio de Janeiro is about 3 times higher, 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: $768 in Rio de Janeiro versus $337 in Araxa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,185 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $828 in Araxa – Araxa is about 30% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Araxa runs roughly 19% less than in Rio de Janeiro. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Araxa is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Araxa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.