Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Cachoeirinha

For one person, living is cheaper in Cachoeirinha: $823 a month against $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Cachoeirinha
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Cachoeirinha Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,185

/mo nomad

Cachoeirinha

🇧🇷 Brazil

$823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $823 in Cachoeirinha, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,185
Cachoeirinha $823

A couple spends around $1,737 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,288 in Cachoeirinha, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,737
Cachoeirinha $1,288

A family of three spends $2,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,754 in Cachoeirinha, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,289
Cachoeirinha $1,754

Rio de Janeiro costs about 44% more than Cachoeirinha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Cachoeirinha are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 12% lower, Cachoeirinha 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.16 R$44.76

$4.13 R$22.69

97.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 R$204

$18.91 R$104

96.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 R$41.28

$4.11 R$22.53

82.97%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R$11.55

$1.99 R$10.95

5.53%

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

$1.36 R$7.47

$0.57 R$3.15

138.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$5.27

$0.41 R$2.23

134.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R$10.84

$1.68 R$9.25

17.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 R$17.89

$2.71 R$14.89

20.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.96

$0.97 R$5.30

12.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 R$10.24

$1.62 R$8.87

15.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.17

$1.03 R$5.66

8.74%

Eggs

$2.20 R$12.09

$2.28 R$12.53

-3.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.91 R$54.4

$9.61 R$52.8

3.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 R$22.56

$4.60 R$25.24

-10.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 R$50.7

$9.52 R$52.3

-2.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 R$14.22

$2.23 R$12.25

16.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R$9.26

$1.35 R$7.43

25.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.06

$1.33 R$7.28

10.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 R$9.42

$1.55 R$8.51

10.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.34

$1.14 R$6.24

1.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.48

$1.01 R$5.53

-0.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 R$3.60

$0.80 R$4.40

-17.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R$3.34

$0.81 R$4.44

-24.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 R$14.77

$2.26 R$12.41

19.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 R$39.53

$7.55 R$41.42

-4.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R$5.89

$1.05 R$5.75

1.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 R$12.29

$2.02 R$11.06

10.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.81

$0.93 R$5.09

-5.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.3 R$287

$41.72 R$229

25.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.47

$1.23 R$6.74

-4.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 R$3.71

$0.76 R$4.17

-10.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 R$47.80

$7.66 R$42.05

13.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.58

$1.23 R$6.75

-2.44%

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

$21.9K R$120.0K

$21.5K R$118.2K

1.53%

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

$31.0K R$170.2K

$32.6K R$178.8K

-4.82%

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

$126 R$689

$72.7 R$399

72.82%

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

$10.14 R$55.6

$11.56 R$63.4

-12.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.95 R$115

$20.14 R$111

4.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 R$156

$23.86 R$131

19.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.87 R$158

$26.13 R$143

10.49%

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 R$40.63

$6.60 R$36.23

12.12%

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

$537 R$2,947

$259 R$1,420

107.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K R$87.2K

$6,775 R$37.2K

134.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.68 R$212

$47.24 R$259

-18.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R$247

$55.0 R$302

-18.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 R$376

$95.8 R$525

-28.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.1 R$352

$72.9 R$400

-12.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$4,213

$334 R$1,836

129.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 R$2,693

$227 R$1,246

116.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 R$8,004

$639 R$3,507

128.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R$4,077

$446 R$2,446

66.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,325 R$18.3K

$1,580 R$8,670

110.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R$8,518

$1,162 R$6,375

33.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 R$3,698

$594 R$3,259

13.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.5

3.74%

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 Cachoeirinha: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$491 41.4%

Cachoeirinha

$227 27.6% 53.7% $264

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$198 16.7%

Cachoeirinha

$195 23.7% 1.8% $3.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$157 13.2%

Cachoeirinha

$104 12.7% 33.4% $52

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$139 11.7%

Cachoeirinha

$87 10.6% 37.2% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$97 8.2%

Cachoeirinha

$122 14.8% 25.2% $25

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 5.1%

Cachoeirinha

$50 6.1% 16.4% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$43 3.7%

Cachoeirinha

$37 4.5% 14.4% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $768 in Rio de Janeiro versus $334 in Cachoeirinha. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 13% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Rio de Janeiro versus $19 in Cachoeirinha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $195 – making Cachoeirinha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Cachoeirinha

🕒 Local time

00:49 12:49 AM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

136,258

💱 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

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Cachoeirinha 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Cachoeirinha

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 Cachoeirinha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, $823 in Cachoeirinha – Cachoeirinha comes out roughly 31% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,778 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,234 in Cachoeirinha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cachoeirinha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $334 there versus $768 in Rio de Janeiro.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro and $823 in Cachoeirinha. That makes Cachoeirinha about 31% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $259 in Cachoeirinha. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Cachoeirinha – 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 Cachoeirinha. 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.