Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Cabo Rojo

For one person, living costs are similar in Rio de Janeiro and in Cabo Rojo: $1,289 and $1,233 a month, rent and utilities included.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Cabo Rojo
Learn more

Cabo Rojo Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Cabo Rojo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,233

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,233 in Cabo Rojo, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Cabo Rojo $1,233

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,944 in Cabo Rojo, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Cabo Rojo $1,944

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,655 in Cabo Rojo, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Cabo Rojo $2,655

Rio de Janeiro costs about 5% more than Cabo Rojo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Cabo Rojo are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Cabo Rojo 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$10.13 $10.13

-0.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$82.8 $82.8

-51.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$8.98 $8.98

-4.79%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.56 $3.56

-33.15%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.84 $1.84

-12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.47 $1.47

-29.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$1.49 $1.49

65.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$3.55 $3.55

4.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$2.22 $2.22

-46.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$3.56 $3.56

-42.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$2.45 $2.45

-47.76%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$7.42 $7.42

-69.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$12.58 $12.58

-14.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$9.54 $9.54

-53.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$13.49 $13.49

-27.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$5.02 $5.02

-44.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$2.62 $2.62

-32.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$4.89 $4.89

-67.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$4.91 $4.91

-63.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$3.87 $3.87

-68.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$3.89 $3.89

-73.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$3.54 $3.54

-78.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.60 $1.60

-58.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$11.98 $11.98

-74.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$15.45 $15.45

-47.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$3.07 $3.07

-61.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$4.10 $4.10

-38.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.51 $2.51

-51.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.48 $1.48

-37.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$41.21 $41.21

-78.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$0.80 $0.80

62.50%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$40.1K $40.1K

-40.49%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$28.2K $28.2K

16.50%

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

$133 R$676

$322 $322

-58.54%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$65.3 $65.3

-83.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$69.2 $69.2

-66.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$10.35 $10.35

-22.22%

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

$598 R$3,029

$817 $817

-26.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$12.7K $12.7K

5.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$57.3 $57.3

-26.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$60.5 $60.5

-17.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$109 $109

-31.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$112 $112

-38.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$4,204 $4,204

-84.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.55

82.14%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cabo Rojo: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Cabo Rojo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Cabo Rojo

$415 33.7% 93.5% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Cabo Rojo

$456 37% 173% $289

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Cabo Rojo

$178 14.5% 8.2% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Cabo Rojo

$152 12.4% 44.1% $47

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Cabo Rojo

$9.9 * 0.8% 83.4% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Cabo Rojo

$21 * 1.7% 55.9% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 557% higher in Cabo Rojo, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $83.0 in Cabo Rojo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $415 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇵🇷 Cabo Rojo

🕒 Local time

21:24 9:24 PM

20:24 8:24 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

50,000

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Cabo Rojo 5,250 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Cabo Rojo

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 Rojo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro costs about 5% more than Cabo Rojo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,849 in Cabo Rojo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,233 in Cabo Rojo. That's a gap of about 5%.

Kindergarten costs $598 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $817 in Cabo Rojo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cabo Rojo, where all-in costs run around $1,233, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Cabo Rojo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cabo Rojo costs $1,233 versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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