Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Caguas

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $1,621 in Caguas, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Caguas
Learn more

Caguas Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Caguas

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,621 in Caguas, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Caguas $1,621

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,580 in Caguas, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Caguas $2,580

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,539 in Caguas, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Caguas $3,539

Rio de Janeiro is about 21% cheaper than Caguas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Rio de Janeiro sits 5% below the global median, while Caguas is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$14.74 $14.74

-31.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$82.9 $82.9

-51.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$8.99 $8.99

-4.89%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$2.28 $2.28

4.39%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.12 $1.12

43.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.24 $1.24

-16.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$1.52 $1.52

62.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$4.12 $4.12

-10.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$2.16 $2.16

-44.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.80 $2.80

-26.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$2.31 $2.31

-44.59%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$4.97 $4.97

-53.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$6.90 $6.90

55.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$9.13 $9.13

-51.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$11.99 $11.99

-17.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$5.15 $5.15

-45.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$2.61 $2.61

-31.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$2.39 $2.39

-33.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$4.53 $4.53

-60.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$2.57 $2.57

-52.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$2.71 $2.71

-61.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$2.26 $2.26

-65.93%

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

$10.64 $10.64

-71.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$14.03 $14.03

-42.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.45 $1.45

-17.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.18 $2.18

15.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$1.98 $1.98

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$70.3 $70.3

-28.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.44 $2.44

-50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.54 $1.54

-40.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$42.73 $42.73

-79.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$0.89 $0.89

46.07%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$30.5K $30.5K

-21.84%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$25.8K $25.8K

27.45%

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

$133 R$676

$185 $185

-27.97%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$59.9 $59.9

-81.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$56.2 $56.2

-59.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$35.28 $35.28

-12.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$50.9 $50.9

-37.43%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$9.83 $9.83

-18.11%

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

$598 R$3,029

$300 $300

99.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$12.3K $12.3K

9.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$26.14 $26.14

60.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$35.43 $35.43

40.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$81.1 $81.1

-8.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$115 $115

-40.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$752 $752

20.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$528 $528

0.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$1,080 $1,080

22.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$977 $977

-22.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$2,422 $2,422

65.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$849 $849

83.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$3,041 $3,041

-78.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

4.85

145.98%

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 Caguas: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Caguas

$528 32.6% 0.3% $1.8

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Caguas

$336 20.7% 56.4% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Caguas

$301 18.6% 80.3% $134

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Caguas

$198 12.2% 19.7% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Caguas

$116 7.2% 9.6% $10

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Caguas

$88 5.5% 47.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Caguas

$55 3.4% 17.2% $8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $752 in Caguas. 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 376% higher in Caguas, 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 $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $83.0 in Caguas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $336 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇵🇷 Caguas

🕒 Local time

23:02 11:02 PM

22:02 10:02 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

70,318

💱 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

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Caguas 5,200 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Caguas

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 Caguas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caguas costs about 26% more than Rio de Janeiro, 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 $2,432 in Caguas. 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 $83.0 in Caguas. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,621 in Caguas. That's a gap of about 26%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,289, than in Caguas at $1,621. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Caguas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Rio de Janeiro costs $1,289 versus $1,621 in Caguas. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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