Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Cabo Frio

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabo Frio: $625 a month against $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Cabo Frio
Learn more

Cabo Frio Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,185

/mo nomad

Cabo Frio

🇧🇷 Brazil

$625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Cabo Frio

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

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $625 in Cabo Frio, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,185
Cabo Frio $625

A couple spends around $1,737 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,031 in Cabo Frio, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,737
Cabo Frio $1,031

A family of three spends $2,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,438 in Cabo Frio, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,289
Cabo Frio $1,438

Rio de Janeiro costs about 90% more than Cabo Frio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Cabo Frio are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 12% lower, Cabo Frio 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.16 R$44.76

$5.58 R$30.63

46.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 R$204

$27.85 R$153

33.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 R$41.28

$6.46 R$35.46

16.41%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R$11.55

$1.62 R$8.90

29.63%

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

$1.36 R$7.47

$1.26 R$6.91

7.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$5.27

$0.50 R$2.75

92.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R$10.84

$1.13 R$6.20

75.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 R$17.89

$1.79 R$9.84

82.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.96

$0.77 R$4.22

41.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 R$10.24

$1.41 R$7.72

32.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.17

$0.76 R$4.19

47.37%

Eggs

$2.20 R$12.09

$1.43 R$7.85

53.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.91 R$54.4

$7.20 R$39.49

37.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 R$22.56

$3.18 R$17.47

29.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 R$50.7

$9.19 R$50.4

0.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 R$14.22

$1.77 R$9.71

46.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R$9.26

$1.10 R$6.06

53.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.06

$0.90 R$4.95

63.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 R$9.42

$1.18 R$6.50

45.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.34

$0.64 R$3.51

81.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.48

$0.75 R$4.14

33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 R$3.60

$0.53 R$2.92

24.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R$3.34

$0.54 R$2.94

12.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 R$14.77

$1.50 R$8.21

79.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 R$39.53

$5.50 R$30.20

30.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R$5.89

$0.88 R$4.81

21.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 R$12.29

$1.32 R$7.24

69.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.81

$1.25 R$6.87

-29.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.3 R$287

$74.7 R$410

-29.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.47

$1.22 R$6.68

-3.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 R$3.71

$0.73 R$4.00

-6.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 R$47.80

$7.24 R$39.72

20.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.58

$1.08 R$5.91

11.11%

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

$21.9K R$120.0K

$19.7K R$108.2K

10.93%

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

$31.0K R$170.2K

$28.6K R$156.8K

8.51%

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

$126 R$689

$54.1 R$297

132.29%

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

$10.14 R$55.6

$7.04 R$38.66

44.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.95 R$115

$12.74 R$69.9

64.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 R$156

$20.35 R$112

40.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.87 R$158

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 R$40.63

$4.39 R$24.10

68.56%

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

$537 R$2,947

$135 R$740

298.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K R$87.2K

$2,436 R$13.4K

552.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.68 R$212

$42.09 R$231

-8.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R$247

$37.34 R$205

20.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 R$376

$51.9 R$285

32.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.1 R$352

$44.49 R$244

44.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$4,213

$418 R$2,295

83.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 R$2,693

$108 R$594

353.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 R$8,004

$611 R$3,355

138.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R$4,077

$262 R$1,439

183.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,325 R$18.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R$8,518

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 R$3,698

$256 R$1,407

162.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

10.67

11.81%

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 Cabo Frio: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$491 41.4%

Cabo Frio

$108 17.3% 77.9% $382

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$198 16.7%

Cabo Frio

$151 24.1% 23.9% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$157 13.2%

Cabo Frio

$74 11.8% 52.9% $83

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$139 11.7%

Cabo Frio

$100 16% 28.1% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$97 8.2%

Cabo Frio

$79 12.7% 18.8% $18

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 5.1%

Cabo Frio

$85 13.5% 40% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$43 3.7%

Cabo Frio

$29 4.7% 32.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $768 in Rio de Janeiro versus $418 in Cabo Frio. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Rio de Janeiro are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Rio de Janeiro versus $28 in Cabo Frio. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $151 – making Cabo Frio the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Cabo Frio

🕒 Local time

07:03 7:03 AM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

222,161

💱 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 Cabo Frio 120 km

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Cabo Frio

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 Cabo Frio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rio de Janeiro is pricier by about 90%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,778 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $938 in Cabo Frio. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cabo Frio, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $418 there versus $768 in Rio de Janeiro.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro and $625 in Cabo Frio. That makes Cabo Frio about 47% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 30% less in Rio de Janeiro. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cabo Frio, where all-in costs run around $625, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,185. In Cabo Frio it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cabo Frio – 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 Cabo Frio. 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.