Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Brasilia: $1,000 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,008 in Brasilia.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Brasilia $1,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,618 in Brasilia.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Brasilia $1,618

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,228 in Brasilia.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Brasilia $2,228

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 26% more expensive than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 6% lower, Brasilia 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$8.80 R$44.59

6.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$39.84 R$202

0.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$8.26 R$41.87

0.97%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$2.72 R$13.81

-15.81%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$1.57 R$7.96

1.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$1.00 R$5.07

1.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$2.33 R$11.81

-8.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$3.92 R$19.85

-6.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.09 R$5.53

3.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$2.07 R$10.52

0.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$1.36 R$6.87

-8.09%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$2.43 R$12.33

-7.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$11.64 R$59.0

-6.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$4.07 R$20.62

7.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$8.80 R$44.60

9.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$2.49 R$12.64

14.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.48 R$7.48

22.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$1.34 R$6.79

17.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$1.63 R$8.29

12.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.23 R$6.25

-2.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$1.04 R$5.27

1.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$0.86 R$4.34

-12.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$0.95 R$4.80

-28.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$2.52 R$12.77

16.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$8.39 R$42.54

-4.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$1.31 R$6.65

-9.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$2.41 R$12.23

0.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$1.01 R$5.13

-6.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

$35.30 R$179

42.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.10 R$5.58

9.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$0.93 R$4.73

-10.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$6.17 R$31.25

45.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.29 R$6.54

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$23.4K R$118.8K

-2.82%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$33.7K R$170.9K

0.75%

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

$134 R$681

$96.3 R$488

39.45%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$12.59 R$63.8

-14.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$22.58 R$114

1.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$33.65 R$171

-10.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

$27.87 R$141

12.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$7.78 R$39.43

-0.64%

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

$584 R$2,960

$815 R$4,133

-28.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$17.2K R$87.3K

-25.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$55.4 R$281

-25.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$44.23 R$224

11.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$85.0 R$431

-13.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$87.8 R$445

-24.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$494 R$2,506

82.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$282 R$1,427

87.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$1,127 R$5,711

18.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$593 R$3,004

26.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$2,522 R$12.8K

58.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$1,753 R$8,885

-11.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

$850 R$4,310

-24.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

12.12

-1.57%

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 Brasilia: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Brasilia

$282 28.2% 46.6% $246

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Brasilia

$212 21.2% 0.8% $1.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Brasilia

$131 13.2% 21.7% $36

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Brasilia

$158 15.8% 1.1% $1.6

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Brasilia

$123 12.3% 18.5% $19

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Brasilia

$45 4.5% 24.1% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Brasilia

$49 4.9% 7.9% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $900 in Rio de Janeiro and $507 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

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

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

07:00 7:00 AM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

2,817,381 Capital

💱 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 Brasilia 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Brasilia

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 Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($1,273 vs $1,008 including rent). Brasilia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Brasilia. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $507 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Brasilia – a meal for two runs $40.00 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 $1,008 in Brasilia – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,008 in Brasilia versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Brasilia but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Brasilia 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 Brasilia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.