Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Bar Harbor, ME

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,182 a month against $2,693 in Bar Harbor, ME, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
136

Cost of Living Index in Bar Harbor, ME
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Bar Harbor, ME Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Bar Harbor, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,693

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Bar Harbor, ME

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 Bar Harbor, ME actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,693 in Bar Harbor, ME.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Bar Harbor, ME $2,693

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro versus $4,285 in Bar Harbor, ME.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Bar Harbor, ME $4,285

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro versus $5,878 in Bar Harbor, ME.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Bar Harbor, ME $5,878

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 56% less than in Bar Harbor, ME, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 13% below, Bar Harbor, ME is 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$48.54

$25.25 $25.25

-64.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$199

$118 $118

-68.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$42.87

$15.24 $15.24

-47.38%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.71

$6.16 $6.16

-64.45%

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

$1.46 R$7.82

$3.01 $3.01

-51.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.27

$2.47 $2.47

-59.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.84

$7.95 $7.95

-74.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.43

$8.22 $8.22

-58.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.66

$1.12 $1.12

-5.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.61

$4.55 $4.55

-56.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.27

$8.66 $8.66

-86.49%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.80

$4.04 $4.04

-45.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$54.1

$19.19 $19.19

-47.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.00

$10.17 $10.17

-59.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.04

$16.02 $16.02

-42.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.54

$4.83 $4.83

-43.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.15

$1.71 $1.71

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.18

$5.89 $5.89

-74.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$8.89

$6.66 $6.66

-75.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.09

$6.19 $6.19

-81.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.32

$3.81 $3.81

-74.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.46

$3.32 $3.32

-80.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.20

$2.61 $2.61

-77.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$14.94

$12.21 $12.21

-77.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$39.99

$14.77 $14.77

-49.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.83

$1.88 $1.88

-42.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.48

$2.63 $2.63

-11.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.79

$1.85 $1.85

-51.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$283

$58.7 $58.7

-9.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.24

$2.03 $2.03

-42.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.17

$1.56 $1.56

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$44.75

$11.09 $11.09

-24.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.48

$1.05 $1.05

15.24%

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

$21.5K R$114.8K

$27.6K $27.6K

-22.15%

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

$31.1K R$166.5K

$26.7K $26.7K

16.65%

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

$124 R$665

$223 $223

-44.10%

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

$10.03 R$53.7

$70.0 $70.0

-85.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$112

$78.8 $78.8

-73.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$152

$36.18 $36.18

-21.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$157

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$40.72

$14.09 $14.09

-45.92%

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

$563 R$3,010

$1,238 $1,238

-54.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$64.4K

$20.4K $20.4K

-40.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$210

$52.7 $52.7

-25.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$248

$78.6 $78.6

-41.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$366

$103 $103

-33.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$339

$134 $134

-52.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,150

$1,344 $1,344

-42.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,530

$1,145 $1,145

-58.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,437

$2,177 $2,177

-36.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$3,951

$2,318 $2,318

-68.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.1K

$3,107 $3,107

9.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,396

$2,260 $2,260

-30.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,192

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.5

83.54%

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 Bar Harbor, ME: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Bar Harbor, ME

$1.1K 42.5% 142% $672

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Bar Harbor, ME

$470 17.5% 134% $269

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Bar Harbor, ME

$371 13.8% 139% $216

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Bar Harbor, ME

$400 14.9% 167% $250

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Bar Harbor, ME

$166 6.2% 69.5% $68

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Bar Harbor, ME

$76 2.8% 23.1% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Bar Harbor, ME

$64 2.4% 47.7% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $776 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,344 in Bar Harbor, ME. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37 in Rio de Janeiro vs $118 in Bar Harbor, ME for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $470 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇺🇸 Bar Harbor, ME

🕒 Local time

16:10 4:10 PM

15:10 3:10 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

5,500

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Bar Harbor, ME 7,900 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Bar Harbor, ME

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 Bar Harbor, ME: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Bar Harbor, ME differ by about 128% in total monthly costs ($1,182 vs $2,693 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,774 in Rio de Janeiro and $4,039 in Bar Harbor, ME 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $776 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,344 in Bar Harbor, ME. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,182 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,693 in Bar Harbor, ME – a 128% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Rio de Janeiro runs roughly 10% less than in Bar Harbor, ME. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,693 in Bar Harbor, ME, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Bar Harbor, ME. 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 56% less than in Bar Harbor, ME. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.