Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Boa Vista

For one person, living is cheaper in Boa Vista: $758 a month against $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Boa Vista
Learn more

Boa Vista Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,185

/mo nomad

Boa Vista

🇧🇷 Brazil

$758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Boa Vista

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

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $758 in Boa Vista, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,185
Boa Vista $758

A couple spends around $1,737 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,132 in Boa Vista, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,737
Boa Vista $1,132

A family of three spends $2,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,506 in Boa Vista, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,289
Boa Vista $1,506

Rio de Janeiro costs about 56% more than Boa Vista, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Boa Vista are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 12% lower, Boa Vista 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.16 R$44.76

$7.13 R$39.15

14.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 R$204

$21.99 R$121

69.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 R$41.28

$7.92 R$43.48

-5.05%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R$11.55

$2.49 R$13.69

-15.66%

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

$1.36 R$7.47

$0.82 R$4.52

65.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$5.27

$0.45 R$2.46

113.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R$10.84

$1.35 R$7.43

46.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 R$17.89

$2.05 R$11.27

59.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.96

$2.26 R$12.38

-51.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 R$10.24

$1.72 R$9.46

8.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.17

$1.32 R$7.22

-15.15%

Eggs

$2.20 R$12.09

$2.72 R$14.95

-19.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.91 R$54.4

$9.19 R$50.4

7.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 R$22.56

$5.17 R$28.36

-20.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 R$50.7

$9.13 R$50.1

1.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 R$14.22

$2.17 R$11.89

19.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R$9.26

$1.21 R$6.63

39.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.06

$1.64 R$9.00

-10.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 R$9.42

$1.79 R$9.82

-3.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.34

$0.94 R$5.14

23.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.48

$0.96 R$5.24

4.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 R$3.60

$0.72 R$3.94

-8.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R$3.34

$0.72 R$3.97

-15.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 R$14.77

$2.61 R$14.33

3.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 R$39.53

$11.14 R$61.1

-35.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R$5.89

$1.90 R$10.45

-43.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 R$12.29

$1.32 R$7.25

69.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.81

$0.96 R$5.26

-8.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.3 R$287

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.47

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 R$3.71

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 R$47.80

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.58

$1.23 R$6.75

-2.44%

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

$21.9K R$120.0K

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

$31.0K R$170.2K

$26.1K R$143.4K

18.65%

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

$126 R$689

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

$10.14 R$55.6

$17.20 R$94.4

-41.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.95 R$115

$29.22 R$160

-28.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 R$156

$30.81 R$169

-7.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.87 R$158

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 R$40.63

$5.96 R$32.73

24.16%

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

$537 R$2,947

$171 R$940

213.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K R$87.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.68 R$212

$22.45 R$123

72.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R$247

$22.46 R$123

100.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 R$376

$64.5 R$354

6.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.1 R$352

$30.95 R$170

107.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$4,213

$333 R$1,829

130.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 R$2,693

$254 R$1,397

92.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 R$8,004

$465 R$2,554

213.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R$4,077

$337 R$1,850

120.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,325 R$18.3K

$737 R$4,046

351.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R$8,518

$739 R$4,058

109.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 R$3,698

$491 R$2,694

37.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

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 Boa Vista: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$491 41.4%

Boa Vista

$254 33.6% 48.1% $236

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$198 16.7%

Boa Vista

$221 29.1% 11.6% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$157 13.2%

Boa Vista

$46 * 6.1% 70.4% $110

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$139 11.7%

Boa Vista

$127 16.7% 8.7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$97 8.2%

Boa Vista

$63 8.3% 35.1% $34

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 5.1%

Boa Vista

$3.8 * 0.5% 93.7% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$43 3.7%

Boa Vista

$43 5.6% 1.3% $0.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $768 in Rio de Janeiro versus $333 in Boa Vista. 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 37% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Rio de Janeiro versus $22 in Boa Vista. Groceries tell a different story – $198 in Rio de Janeiro vs $221 in Boa Vista – so Rio de Janeiro wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Boa Vista

🕒 Local time

11:42 11:42 AM

10:42 10:42 AM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

413,486

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Boa Vista 3,430 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Boa Vista

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 Boa Vista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro costs about 56% more than Boa Vista, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,778 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,138 in Boa Vista. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Boa Vista, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $333 there versus $768 in Rio de Janeiro.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro and $758 in Boa Vista. That makes Boa Vista about 36% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $171 in Boa Vista. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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

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