Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte

For one person, living is cheaper in Belo Horizonte: $976 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Belo Horizonte
Learn more

Belo Horizonte Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Belo Horizonte

🇧🇷 Brazil

$976

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Belo Horizonte

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $976 in Belo Horizonte.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Belo Horizonte $976

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,574 in Belo Horizonte.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Belo Horizonte $1,574

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,172 in Belo Horizonte.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Belo Horizonte $2,172

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 32% more expensive than in Belo Horizonte, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Belo Horizonte 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$5.88 R$29.79

71.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$38.39 R$195

5.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$8.75 R$44.38

-2.29%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$2.16 R$10.97

10.19%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.41 R$7.15

14.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.77 R$3.89

33.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$2.16 R$10.93

14.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$3.72 R$18.85

-0.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.00 R$5.06

19.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$1.77 R$8.97

15.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.98 R$10.03

-35.35%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$2.31 R$11.70

-0.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$9.83 R$49.83

9.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$4.35 R$22.07

1.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$7.42 R$37.61

32.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$1.95 R$9.91

44.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.16 R$5.90

53.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$1.19 R$6.05

34.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$1.65 R$8.38

9.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.14 R$5.78

7.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$0.98 R$4.97

6.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$0.80 R$4.07

-3.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$0.86 R$4.37

-22.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$2.46 R$12.47

22.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$8.26 R$41.87

-2.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.40 R$7.10

-15.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.76 R$14.00

-9.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$1.25 R$6.33

-20.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$69.7 R$353

-28.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$0.98 R$4.95

24.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$0.77 R$3.90

19.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$6.45 R$32.71

39.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.27 R$6.42

2.36%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$24.1K R$122.3K

-1.05%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$32.1K R$162.7K

2.38%

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

$133 R$676

$76.6 R$388

74.15%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$10.68 R$54.2

1.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$21.61 R$110

5.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$28.17 R$143

9.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$45.35 R$230

-29.77%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$8.14 R$41.27

-1.11%

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

$598 R$3,029

$465 R$2,359

28.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$14.1K R$71.7K

-5.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$61.6 R$312

-31.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$49.25 R$250

0.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$99.2 R$503

-24.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$72.0 R$365

-4.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$594 R$3,013

51.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$294 R$1,489

80.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$888 R$4,499

49.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$591 R$2,995

27.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$2,339 R$11.9K

71.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$1,125 R$5,704

38.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$639 R$3,238

0.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.25

6.04%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Last update for Belo Horizonte: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Belo Horizonte

$294 30.1% 44.5% $236

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Belo Horizonte

$196 20.1% 8.6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Belo Horizonte

$109 11.2% 34.8% $58

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Belo Horizonte

$126 12.9% 23.5% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Belo Horizonte

$127 13% 20.1% $21

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Belo Horizonte

$80 8.2% 32.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Belo Horizonte

$44 4.6% 5.2% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $594 in Belo Horizonte. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 0% 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 $38.00 in Belo Horizonte for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $196 per month, with Belo Horizonte cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Belo Horizonte

🕒 Local time

00:31 12:31 AM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

2,315,560

💱 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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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 Belo Horizonte: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($1,289 vs $976 including rent). Belo Horizonte is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 0% 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: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $594 in Belo Horizonte. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $598 in Rio de Janeiro versus $465 in Belo Horizonte. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Rio de Janeiro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $976 in Belo Horizonte versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Belo Horizonte but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Belo Horizonte 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 Belo Horizonte gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.