Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Bauru

For one person, living is cheaper in Bauru: $827 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Bauru
Learn more

Bauru Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Bauru

🇧🇷 Brazil

$827

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $827 in Bauru.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Bauru $827

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,268 in Bauru.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Bauru $1,268

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,709 in Bauru.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Bauru $1,709

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 54% more expensive than in Bauru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 6% lower, Bauru 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$4.99 R$25.28

87.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$27.21 R$138

47.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$7.66 R$38.85

8.88%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$1.60 R$8.13

43.13%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$0.95 R$4.79

67.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$0.57 R$2.90

77.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$1.57 R$7.97

36.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$2.63 R$13.33

39.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$0.99 R$5.00

14.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$1.53 R$7.73

36.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$1.20 R$6.08

4.17%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$2.46 R$12.45

-8.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$7.60 R$38.52

43.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$4.28 R$21.68

1.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$6.42 R$32.55

49.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$2.14 R$10.84

33.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.37 R$6.94

32.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$1.21 R$6.14

30.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$1.74 R$8.82

5.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.36 R$6.91

-11.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$1.21 R$6.14

-12.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$1.43 R$7.23

-47.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$1.03 R$5.21

-33.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$2.42 R$12.28

21.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$7.08 R$35.91

12.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$1.16 R$5.87

1.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$2.37 R$12.01

2.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$1.00 R$5.07

-6.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

$29.52 R$150

70.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.92 R$9.72

-37.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$1.31 R$6.62

-36.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$4.03 R$20.42

122.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.14 R$5.76

13.16%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$24.0K R$121.4K

-4.92%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$34.5K R$175.0K

-1.65%

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

$134 R$681

$136 R$687

-0.91%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$10.54 R$53.5

1.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$19.62 R$99.5

16.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$19.21 R$97.4

57.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

$22.87 R$116

37.69%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$5.31 R$26.91

45.57%

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

$584 R$2,960

$256 R$1,298

128.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$5,910 R$30.0K

116.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$69.7 R$353

-40.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$49.67 R$252

-0.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$110 R$556

-32.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$77.8 R$395

-15.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$241 R$1,224

272.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$165 R$837

219.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$462 R$2,343

188.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$300 R$1,520

149.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$1,610 R$8,161

147.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$704 R$3,570

121.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

$384 R$1,945

66.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

9.59

24.40%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Last update for Bauru: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Bauru

$165 20% 68.7% $362

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Bauru

$185 22.4% 13.5% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Bauru

$166 20% 1.3% $2.2

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Bauru

$101 12.3% 35% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Bauru

$138 16.7% 33.4% $35

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Bauru

$42 5.1% 29.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Bauru

$30 3.6% 34.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $900 in Rio de Janeiro and $241 in Bauru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 67% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $27.00 in Bauru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $185 per month, with Bauru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Bauru

🕒 Local time

09:32 9:32 AM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

379,146

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Bauru 610 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Bauru

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 Bauru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bauru wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Rio de Janeiro. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bauru the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 67% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $241 in Bauru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bauru – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,273 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $827 in Bauru – a 54% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $827 in Bauru versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bauru but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Bauru the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bauru delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $827 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bauru hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Bauru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.