Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Barra do Garças

For one person, living is cheaper in Barra do Garças: $824 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
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Barra do Garças
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Barra do Garças Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,185

/mo nomad

Barra do Garças

🇧🇷 Brazil

$824

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Barra do Garças

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 Barra do Garças actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $824 in Barra do Garças, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,185
Barra do Garças $824

A couple spends around $1,737 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,314 in Barra do Garças, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,737
Barra do Garças $1,314

A family of three spends $2,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,804 in Barra do Garças, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,289
Barra do Garças $1,804

Rio de Janeiro costs about 44% more than Barra do Garças, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Barra do Garças are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 12% lower, Barra do Garças 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.16 R$44.54

$5.61 R$30.65

45.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 R$203

$30.36 R$166

22.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 R$41.08

$7.22 R$39.43

4.16%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R$11.49

$1.92 R$10.50

9.38%

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

$1.36 R$7.44

$1.25 R$6.81

8.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$5.25

$0.70 R$3.82

37.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R$10.79

$1.89 R$10.33

4.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 R$17.80

$2.77 R$15.15

17.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.93

$0.94 R$5.16

15.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 R$10.19

$1.55 R$8.46

20.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.14

$1.16 R$6.35

-3.45%

Eggs

$2.20 R$12.03

$2.06 R$11.24

6.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.91 R$54.1

$8.57 R$46.80

15.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 R$22.44

$3.97 R$21.68

3.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 R$50.5

$7.75 R$42.30

19.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 R$14.15

$2.11 R$11.55

22.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R$9.21

$1.19 R$6.52

42.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.02

$1.09 R$5.94

34.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 R$9.37

$1.46 R$7.98

17.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.31

$1.16 R$6.36

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.45

$1.01 R$5.51

-0.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 R$3.59

$0.76 R$4.13

-13.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R$3.33

$0.77 R$4.21

-20.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 R$14.70

$2.39 R$13.05

12.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 R$39.33

$7.58 R$41.41

-5.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R$5.86

$1.19 R$6.48

-10.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 R$12.22

$1.89 R$10.33

18.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.78

$0.98 R$5.37

-10.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.3 R$286

$41.66 R$228

25.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.44

$1.18 R$6.43

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 R$3.69

$0.81 R$4.40

-16.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 R$47.56

$7.47 R$40.82

16.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.54

$1.21 R$6.60

-0.83%

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

$21.9K R$119.4K

$22.3K R$121.7K

-1.87%

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

$31.0K R$169.3K

$31.2K R$170.5K

-0.67%

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

$126 R$686

$70.5 R$385

78.18%

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

$10.14 R$55.4

$11.40 R$62.3

-11.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.95 R$114

$19.54 R$107

7.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 R$156

$24.36 R$133

17.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.87 R$158

$26.29 R$144

9.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 R$40.43

$6.84 R$37.36

8.19%

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

$537 R$2,932

$263 R$1,435

104.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K R$86.8K

$6,573 R$35.9K

141.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.68 R$211

$51.9 R$283

-25.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R$246

$46.47 R$254

-3.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 R$375

$82.9 R$453

-17.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.1 R$350

$67.4 R$368

-4.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$4,192

$337 R$1,842

127.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 R$2,680

$231 R$1,261

112.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 R$7,964

$629 R$3,434

131.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R$4,056

$454 R$2,480

63.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,325 R$18.2K

$1,583 R$8,646

110.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R$8,475

$1,133 R$6,188

36.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 R$3,679

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 Barra do Garças: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$491 41.4%

Barra do Garças

$231 28% 52.9% $260

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$198 16.7%

Barra do Garças

$179 21.7% 9.8% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$157 13.2%

Barra do Garças

$101 12.3% 35.3% $55

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$139 11.7%

Barra do Garças

$112 13.6% 19% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$97 8.2%

Barra do Garças

$112 13.6% 14.9% $14

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 5.1%

Barra do Garças

$51 6.2% 15.9% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$43 3.7%

Barra do Garças

$38 4.6% 12.2% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $768 in Rio de Janeiro versus $337 in Barra do Garças. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Rio de Janeiro versus $30 in Barra do Garças. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $179 – making Barra do Garças the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Barra do Garças

🕒 Local time

20:39 8:39 PM

19:39 7:39 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

69,210

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Barra do Garças 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Barra do Garças

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 Barra do Garças: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, $824 in Barra do Garças – Barra do Garças comes out roughly 30% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,778 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,236 in Barra do Garças. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barra do Garças, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $337 there versus $768 in Rio de Janeiro.

Public transport costs about 20% less in Barra do Garças. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $263 in Barra do Garças. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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

For expats, Barra do Garças is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 30% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.