Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Burlington, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,604 in Burlington, NC, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, NC
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Burlington, NC Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Burlington, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,604

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Burlington, NC

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

A single person spends $1,273 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,604 in Burlington, NC, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Burlington, NC $2,604

A couple spends around $1,841 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,784 in Burlington, NC, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Burlington, NC $3,784

A family of three spends $2,409 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $4,963 in Burlington, NC, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Burlington, NC $4,963

Rio de Janeiro is about 51% cheaper than Burlington, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Rio de Janeiro sits 6% below the global median, while Burlington, NC is 92% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$18.93 $18.93

-50.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$74.7 $74.7

-46.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$10.89 $10.89

-23.42%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$5.23 $5.23

-56.21%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$2.51 $2.51

-36.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$2.06 $2.06

-50.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$6.14 $6.14

-65.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$6.80 $6.80

-46.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.04 $1.04

8.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$3.57 $3.57

-41.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$4.35 $4.35

-71.26%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$4.22 $4.22

-46.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$12.47 $12.47

-12.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$11.29 $11.29

-61.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$15.63 $15.63

-38.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$5.02 $5.02

-43.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.56 $1.56

16.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$4.20 $4.20

-62.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$4.81 $4.81

-61.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$2.91 $2.91

-58.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$2.76 $2.76

-61.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$2.11 $2.11

-64.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$2.08 $2.08

-67.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$9.37 $9.37

-68.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$14.08 $14.08

-43.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$1.85 $1.85

-36.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$3.33 $3.33

-27.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$2.02 $2.02

-53.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$3.40 $3.40

-64.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$1.65 $1.65

-49.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$28.99 $28.99

-69.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$0.89 $0.89

44.94%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$29.9K $29.9K

-23.75%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$25.5K $25.5K

33.42%

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

$134 R$681

$191 $191

-29.53%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$52.9 $52.9

-79.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$67.0 $67.0

-65.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$42.35 $42.35

-28.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$13.34 $13.34

-42.05%

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

$584 R$2,960

$1,282 $1,282

-54.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$23.7K $23.7K

-46.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$51.0 $51.0

-19.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$39.90 $39.90

23.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$85.3 $85.3

-13.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$112 $112

-41.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$1,632 $1,632

-44.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$1,378 $1,378

-61.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$2,653 $2,653

-49.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$2,241 $2,241

-66.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$2,740 $2,740

45.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$2,417 $2,417

-35.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.51

83.26%

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 Burlington, NC: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Burlington, NC

$1.4K 52.9% 161% $851

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Burlington, NC

$388 14.9% 81.6% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Burlington, NC

$310 11.9% 84.9% $143

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Burlington, NC

$309 11.9% 98.4% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Burlington, NC

$130 5% 25.3% $26

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Burlington, NC

$20 * 0.8% 66.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Burlington, NC

$69 2.7% 51.3% $23

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 $1,632 in Burlington, NC. 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 $75.0 in Burlington, NC. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $214 vs $388 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇺🇸 Burlington, NC

🕒 Local time

21:17 9:17 PM

20:17 8:17 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

44,743

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Burlington, NC 7,590 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Burlington, NC

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 Burlington, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, $2,604 in Burlington, NC – roughly 105% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,910 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $3,907 in Burlington, NC. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro and $2,604 in Burlington, NC. That's a gap of about 105%.

Kindergarten costs $584 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,282 in Burlington, NC. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,273, than in Burlington, NC at $2,604. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burlington, NC 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 $2,604 in Burlington, NC. 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, Burlington, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.