Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Banjul

For one person, living is cheaper in Banjul: $677 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Banjul
Learn more

Banjul Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Banjul

🇬🇲 Gambia

$677

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,182 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $677 in Banjul, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Banjul $677

A couple spends around $1,750 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,191 in Banjul, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Banjul $1,191

A family of three spends $2,318 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,706 in Banjul, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Banjul $1,706

Rio de Janeiro costs about 75% more than Banjul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Banjul are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 13% lower, Banjul 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$48.54

$7.47 GMD 554

21.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$199

$75.6 GMD 5,603

-50.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$42.87

$8.04 GMD 596

-0.25%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.71

$3.72 GMD 276

-41.13%

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

$1.46 R$7.82

$2.66 GMD 197

-45.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.27

$1.53 GMD 114

-35.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.84

$5.76 GMD 427

-64.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.43

$4.46 GMD 331

-22.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.66

$1.40 GMD 104

-24.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.61

$0.61 GMD 44.98

224.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.27

$1.32 GMD 97.6

-11.36%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.80

$1.90 GMD 141

16.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$54.1

$6.24 GMD 462

62.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.00

$2.77 GMD 206

48.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.04

$5.77 GMD 427

58.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.54

$2.08 GMD 154

30.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.15

$1.27 GMD 93.9

34.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.18

$1.79 GMD 132

-14.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$8.89

$1.40 GMD 104

18.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.09

$0.93 GMD 69.0

22.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.32

$1.00 GMD 74.0

-1.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.46

$0.23 GMD 17.04

182.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.20

$0.62 GMD 46.05

-3.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$14.94

$1.69 GMD 125

65.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$39.99

$6.55 GMD 486

14.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.83

$1.51 GMD 112

-27.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.48

$1.66 GMD 123

40.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.79

$0.18 GMD 13.08

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$283

$6.66 GMD 493

695.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.24

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.17

$0.71 GMD 52.5

9.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$44.75

$4.09 GMD 303

104.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.48

$1.05 GMD 77.8

15.24%

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

$21.5K R$114.8K

$2,648 GMD 196.2K

710.73%

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

$31.1K R$166.5K

$3,346 GMD 248.0K

830.36%

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

$124 R$665

$30.46 GMD 2,257

308.60%

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

$10.03 R$53.7

$14.52 GMD 1,076

-30.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$112

$44.51 GMD 3,298

-53.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$152

$24.02 GMD 1,780

18.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$157

$13.42 GMD 994

118.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$40.72

$3.33 GMD 247

128.83%

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

$563 R$3,010

$6.92 GMD 513

8034.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$64.4K

$139 GMD 10.3K

8592.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$210

$56.3 GMD 4,170

-30.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$248

$44.27 GMD 3,280

4.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$366

$98.0 GMD 7,262

-30.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$339

$86.9 GMD 6,439

-27.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,150

$105 GMD 7,744

642.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,530

$82.1 GMD 6,082

476.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,437

$220 GMD 16.3K

530.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$3,951

$138 GMD 10.2K

434.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.1K

$1,443 GMD 107.0K

135.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,396

$1,165 GMD 86.3K

34.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,192

$62.4 GMD 4,622

857.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

-20.47%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 25, 2026

Last update for Banjul: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Banjul

$82 12.1% 82.7% $391

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Banjul

$152 22.5% 24.3% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Banjul

$89 13.2% 42.4% $66

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Banjul

$183 27.1% 22.2% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Banjul

$128 19% 31.3% $31

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Banjul

$11 * 1.6% 82.3% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Banjul

$31 4.5% 29.6% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $776 in Rio de Janeiro versus $105 in Banjul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Rio de Janeiro are about 9.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Rio de Janeiro versus $76 in Banjul. Groceries tell a different story – $201 in Rio de Janeiro vs $152 in Banjul – so Banjul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇬🇲 Banjul

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

14:04 2:04 PM

3 h ahead of Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

31,356 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Gambian Dalasi GMD D

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

100 GMD = 1.35 USD

100 GMD = 1.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GMD, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

Gambian Dalasi exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 74.1 GMD (100 GMD = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 82.47 GMD (100 GMD = 1.21 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Banjul 4,980 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Banjul

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 Banjul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rio de Janeiro is pricier by about 75%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,774 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,015 in Banjul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Banjul, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $105 there versus $776 in Rio de Janeiro.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro and $677 in Banjul. That’s a gap of about 75%.

Public transport costs about 87% less in Banjul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Banjul, where all-in costs run around $677, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,182. In Banjul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Banjul – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Banjul. 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.