Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Atlantic City, NJ

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,821 in Atlantic City, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 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
136

Cost of Living Index in Atlantic City, NJ
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Atlantic City, NJ Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Atlantic City, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Atlantic City, NJ

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 Atlantic City, NJ actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,821 in Atlantic City, NJ.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Atlantic City, NJ $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $4,228 in Atlantic City, NJ.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Atlantic City, NJ $4,228

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $5,635 in Atlantic City, NJ.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Atlantic City, NJ $5,635

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 55% less than in Atlantic City, NJ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 6% below, Atlantic City, NJ is 108% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$19.73 $19.73

-52.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$98.1 $98.1

-59.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$11.30 $11.30

-26.19%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$5.43 $5.43

-57.83%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$2.28 $2.28

-30.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$2.01 $2.01

-49.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$6.09 $6.09

-64.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$8.78 $8.78

-58.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.24 $1.24

-8.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$3.38 $3.38

-38.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$7.27 $7.27

-82.81%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$4.21 $4.21

-46.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$11.18 $11.18

-2.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$16.67 $16.67

-73.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$20.14 $20.14

-52.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$7.55 $7.55

-62.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$3.69 $3.69

-50.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$5.41 $5.41

-70.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$5.86 $5.86

-68.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$3.98 $3.98

-69.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$4.75 $4.75

-77.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$2.54 $2.54

-70.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$2.45 $2.45

-72.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$14.24 $14.24

-79.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$13.27 $13.27

-39.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$2.64 $2.64

-55.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$3.38 $3.38

-28.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$3.04 $3.04

-69.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

$88.3 $88.3

-42.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$2.99 $2.99

-59.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$2.11 $2.11

-60.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$42.73 $42.73

-79.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$0.96 $0.96

34.38%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$20.4K $20.4K

11.80%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$24.8K $24.8K

36.79%

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

$134 R$681

$250 $250

-46.29%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$61.2 $61.2

-82.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$61.0 $61.0

-62.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$29.59 $29.59

1.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

$50.1 $50.1

-37.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$16.78 $16.78

-53.93%

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

$584 R$2,960

$503 $503

16.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$7,031 $7,031

82.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$70.5 $70.5

-41.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$31.78 $31.78

55.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$122 $122

-39.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$120 $120

-45.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$1,737 $1,737

-48.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$1,307 $1,307

-59.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$2,320 $2,320

-42.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$2,175 $2,175

-65.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$4,255 $4,255

-6.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$4,212 $4,212

-62.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

$4,017 $4,017

-84.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.67

78.86%

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 Atlantic City, NJ: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Atlantic City, NJ

$1.3K 46.3% 148% $780

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Atlantic City, NJ

$488 17.3% 128% $274

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Atlantic City, NJ

$372 13.2% 122% $204

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Atlantic City, NJ

$322 11.4% 107% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Atlantic City, NJ

$155 5.5% 49.6% $51

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Atlantic City, NJ

$114 4% 91.7% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Atlantic City, NJ

$63 2.2% 38.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $900 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,737 in Atlantic City, NJ. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Atlantic City, NJ pays 527% 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 $98.0 in Atlantic City, NJ for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $488 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇺🇸 Atlantic City, NJ

🕒 Local time

15:05 3:05 PM

14:05 2:05 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

39,958

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Atlantic City, NJ 7,650 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Atlantic City, NJ

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 Atlantic City, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Atlantic City, NJ differ by about 122% in total monthly costs ($1,273 vs $2,821 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 527% lower in Atlantic City, NJ. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,737 in Atlantic City, NJ. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 128% higher in Atlantic City, NJ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $98.0 in Atlantic City, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,821 in Atlantic City, NJ, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Atlantic City, NJ. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro 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 Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 122% less than in Atlantic City, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.