Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Barranquilla

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $1,439 in Barranquilla, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Barranquilla despite lower rent and utilities.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Barranquilla
Learn more

Barranquilla Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Barranquilla

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,439

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,285 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,439 in Barranquilla, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Barranquilla $1,439

A couple spends around $1,888 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,247 in Barranquilla, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Barranquilla $2,247

A family of three spends $2,491 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,056 in Barranquilla, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Barranquilla $3,056

Rio de Janeiro is about 11% cheaper than Barranquilla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Rio de Janeiro sits 4% below the global median, while Barranquilla is 7% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$8.66 COP 27.6K

15.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$62.1 COP 198.0K

-35.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$13.40 COP 42.7K

-36.72%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$2.62 COP 8,356

-9.92%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$1.35 COP 4,298

20.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$1.23 COP 3,929

-17.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$3.04 COP 9,679

-19.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$7.70 COP 24.5K

-52.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$0.90 COP 2,875

27.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$1.24 COP 3,966

66.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$1.52 COP 4,834

-15.13%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$2.04 COP 6,509

11.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$4.77 COP 15.2K

130.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$17.28 COP 55.1K

-75.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$6.84 COP 21.8K

42.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$2.19 COP 6,985

29.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$0.95 COP 3,031

93.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$0.58 COP 1,862

175.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$1.87 COP 5,948

-3.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$1.20 COP 3,831

5.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$0.95 COP 3,019

12.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$1.25 COP 3,971

-40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$0.95 COP 3,017

-30.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$5.02 COP 16.0K

-39.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$12.31 COP 39.2K

-33.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$1.50 COP 4,783

-20.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$4.52 COP 14.4K

-47.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

$1.13 COP 3,615

-10.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

$3.31 COP 10.6K

-61.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

$3.01 COP 9,582

-70.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

$15.51 COP 49.4K

-39.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$1.29 COP 4,122

3.10%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

$21.3K COP 68.0M

9.84%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$27.9K COP 88.9M

20.34%

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

$134 R$666

$148 COP 471.7K

-9.82%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$14.29 COP 45.5K

-14.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$32.19 COP 102.6K

-29.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$33.20 COP 105.8K

-4.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$4.47 COP 14.2K

84.12%

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

$603 R$3,011

$301 COP 959.1K

100.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

$4,623 COP 14.7M

186.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$109 COP 346.3K

-61.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$46.51 COP 148.2K

7.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$181 COP 577.5K

-58.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$245 COP 781.3K

-72.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

$760 COP 2.4M

19.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

$489 COP 1.6M

7.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

$796 COP 2.5M

69.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

$883 COP 2.8M

-12.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

$1,793 COP 5.7M

122.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

$616 COP 2.0M

153.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

$502 COP 1.6M

28.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

19.30%

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 Barranquilla: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Barranquilla

$489 33.9% 7.3% $39

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Barranquilla

$248 17.2% 15.7% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Barranquilla

$195 13.5% 15.5% $26

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Barranquilla

$182 12.6% 11% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Barranquilla

$262 18.2% 148% $156

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Barranquilla

$23 * 1.6% 61.8% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Barranquilla

$42 2.9% 12.2% $5.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $760 in Barranquilla. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 28% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $62.0 in Barranquilla. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $248 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇴 Barranquilla

🕒 Local time

06:43 6:43 AM

04:43 4:43 AM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

1,327,209

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, 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).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Barranquilla 5,100 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Barranquilla

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 Barranquilla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barranquilla costs about 12% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,927 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $2,158 in Barranquilla. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rio de Janeiro, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,439 in Barranquilla. That's a gap of about 12%.

Kindergarten costs $603 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $301 in Barranquilla. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,285, than in Barranquilla at $1,439. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barranquilla it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Rio de Janeiro costs $1,285 versus $1,439 in Barranquilla. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Rio de Janeiro. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Barranquilla makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.