Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Azua

For one person, living is cheaper in Azua: $660 a month against $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Azua
Learn more

Azua Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Azua

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$660

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $660 in Azua.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Azua $660

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,060 in Azua.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Azua $1,060

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,460 in Azua.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Azua $1,460

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 95% more expensive than in Azua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 4% lower, Azua 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$8.61 DOP 524

15.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$41.37 DOP 2,518

-2.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$7.15 DOP 435

18.60%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$1.36 DOP 82.5

73.53%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$0.68 DOP 41.59

139.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$0.39 DOP 23.53

158.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$2.57 DOP 157

-5.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$4.14 DOP 252

-10.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$1.20 DOP 73.0

-4.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$1.83 DOP 111

13.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$1.05 DOP 63.8

22.86%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$1.47 DOP 89.3

54.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$6.55 DOP 399

67.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$3.69 DOP 224

16.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$4.83 DOP 294

101.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$3.74 DOP 228

-24.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$1.42 DOP 86.2

29.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$3.23 DOP 197

-50.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$2.27 DOP 138

-20.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$3.68 DOP 224

-65.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$2.93 DOP 178

-63.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$0.96 DOP 58.6

-21.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$1.63 DOP 98.9

-59.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$4.75 DOP 289

-35.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$17.12 DOP 1,042

-52.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$2.92 DOP 178

-59.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$3.37 DOP 205

-29.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

$2.49 DOP 151

-49.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

$3.27 DOP 199

-72.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$1.37 DOP 83.7

-2.92%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

$15.0K DOP 915.2K

55.84%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$25.7K DOP 1.6M

30.40%

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

$134 R$666

$94.7 DOP 5,767

40.91%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$27.44 DOP 1,670

-55.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$39.28 DOP 2,391

-42.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$20.21 DOP 1,230

56.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$5.07 DOP 309

62.33%

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

$603 R$3,011

$152 DOP 9,263

296.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

$5,570 DOP 339.0K

137.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$26.60 DOP 1,619

56.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$45.31 DOP 2,758

10.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$62.8 DOP 3,824

19.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$66.8 DOP 4,063

2.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

$3,576 DOP 217.7K

11.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

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 6, 2026

Last update for Azua: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Azua

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Azua

$240 35.7% 11.9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Azua

$161 24% 4.1% $6.9

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Azua

$132 19.6% 19.4% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Azua

$91 13.5% 14.2% $15

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Azua

$19 * 2.8% 68.6% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Azua

$30 4.5% 36.8% $18

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $41.00 in Azua for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $240 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇩🇴 Azua

🕒 Local time

07:29 7:29 AM

06:29 6:29 AM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

128,264

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

100 DOP = 1.64 USD

100 DOP = 1.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 60.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.21 DOP (100 DOP = 1.47 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Azua 5,490 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Azua

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 Azua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Azua is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 95% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,927 in Rio de Janeiro and $990 in Azua to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Shoppers in Rio de Janeiro pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,285 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $660 in Azua – a 95% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $660 in Azua versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Azua but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Azua the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Azua is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Rio de Janeiro, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Rio de Janeiro and Azua are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Azua gentler on the wallet – expenses run 95% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.