Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Buenaventura

For one person, living costs are similar in Rio de Janeiro and in Buenaventura: $1,273 and $1,308 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Buenaventura
Learn more

Buenaventura Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Buenaventura

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,308

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,273 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,308 in Buenaventura, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Buenaventura $1,308

A couple spends around $1,841 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,012 in Buenaventura, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Buenaventura $2,012

A family of three spends $2,409 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,716 in Buenaventura, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Buenaventura $2,716

Rio de Janeiro is about 3% cheaper than Buenaventura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Buenaventura are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 6% lower, Buenaventura 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$7.61 COP 24.1K

23.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$42.62 COP 135.1K

-6.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$9.41 COP 29.8K

-11.37%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$2.59 COP 8,225

-11.58%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$1.38 COP 4,370

15.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$0.89 COP 2,835

13.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$3.14 COP 9,959

-31.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$3.73 COP 11.8K

-1.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.43 COP 4,538

-20.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$2.41 COP 7,642

-13.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$1.63 COP 5,169

-23.31%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$2.95 COP 9,353

-23.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$7.86 COP 24.9K

38.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$9.62 COP 30.5K

-54.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$12.27 COP 38.9K

-21.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$3.58 COP 11.4K

-20.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.47 COP 4,665

23.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$1.91 COP 6,047

-17.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$1.80 COP 5,696

1.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.49 COP 4,737

-19.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$1.48 COP 4,694

-28.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$1.19 COP 3,758

-36.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$1.20 COP 3,811

-43.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$3.95 COP 12.5K

-25.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$13.14 COP 41.7K

-39.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$1.41 COP 4,474

-16.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$2.38 COP 7,555

1.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$1.09 COP 3,450

-13.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.60 COP 5,079

-25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$2.04 COP 6,457

-59.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$9.02 COP 28.6K

-0.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.29 COP 4,080

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$24.7K COP 78.5M

-7.95%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$35.4K COP 112.2M

-4.01%

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

$134 R$681

$126 COP 399.9K

6.49%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$13.14 COP 41.7K

-18.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$29.17 COP 92.5K

-21.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$38.15 COP 120.9K

-20.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$6.50 COP 20.6K

18.92%

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

$584 R$2,960

$630 COP 2.0M

-7.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$7,516 COP 23.8M

70.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$84.9 COP 269.2K

-51.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$54.4 COP 172.5K

-9.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$139 COP 440.5K

-46.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$103 COP 328.1K

-36.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$653 COP 2.1M

37.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$475 COP 1.5M

11.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$997 COP 3.2M

33.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$875 COP 2.8M

-14.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$1,966 COP 6.2M

102.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$1,628 COP 5.2M

-4.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.58

3.02%

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 Buenaventura: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Buenaventura

$475 36.3% 9.9% $52

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Buenaventura

$273 20.9% 27.9% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Buenaventura

$168 12.9% 0.3% $0.6

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Buenaventura

$153 11.7% 2.2% $3.4

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Buenaventura

$172 13.1% 66% $68

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Buenaventura

$16 * 1.2% 72.8% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Buenaventura

$51 3.9% 12.1% $5.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $653 in Buenaventura. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $43.00 in Buenaventura. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $214 vs $273 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇴 Buenaventura

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

13:48 1:48 PM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

365,607

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 23, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Buenaventura 4,730 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Buenaventura

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 Buenaventura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, $1,308 in Buenaventura – roughly 3% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,910 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,962 in Buenaventura. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro and $43.00 in Buenaventura. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Buenaventura, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,273, than in Buenaventura at $1,308. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Buenaventura it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Rio de Janeiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro to $1,308 in Buenaventura. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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