Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Candelaria

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,182 a month against $1,327 in Candelaria, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Candelaria despite lower rent and utilities.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Candelaria
Learn more

Candelaria Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Candelaria

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,327

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,182 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,327 in Candelaria, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Candelaria $1,327

A couple spends around $1,750 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,085 in Candelaria, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Candelaria $2,085

A family of three spends $2,318 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,844 in Candelaria, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Candelaria $2,844

Rio de Janeiro is about 11% cheaper than Candelaria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Candelaria are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 13% lower, Candelaria 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$48.54

$19.01 $19.01

-52.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$199

$81.5 $81.5

-54.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$42.87

$9.21 $9.21

-12.92%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.71

$3.70 $3.70

-40.81%

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

$1.46 R$7.82

$1.88 $1.88

-22.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.27

$1.46 $1.46

-32.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.84

$3.06 $3.06

-33.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.43

$4.97 $4.97

-30.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.66

$2.16 $2.16

-50.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.61

$3.54 $3.54

-44.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.27

$2.33 $2.33

-49.79%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.80

$7.19 $7.19

-69.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$54.1

$12.35 $12.35

-18.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.00

$9.91 $9.91

-58.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.04

$13.47 $13.47

-31.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.54

$5.11 $5.11

-46.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.15

$2.57 $2.57

-33.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.18

$4.82 $4.82

-68.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$8.89

$4.87 $4.87

-65.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.09

$3.71 $3.71

-69.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.32

$3.97 $3.97

-75.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.46

$3.38 $3.38

-80.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.20

$1.66 $1.66

-63.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$14.94

$12.10 $12.10

-76.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$39.99

$15.81 $15.81

-52.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.83

$3.12 $3.12

-65.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.48

$4.09 $4.09

-43.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.79

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$283

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.24

$2.46 $2.46

-52.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.17

$1.51 $1.51

-48.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$44.75

$41.21 $41.21

-79.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.48

$1.17 $1.17

3.42%

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

$21.5K R$114.8K

$34.0K $34.0K

-36.92%

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

$31.1K R$166.5K

$28.2K $28.2K

10.25%

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

$124 R$665

$326 $326

-61.85%

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

$10.03 R$53.7

$68.8 $68.8

-85.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$112

$69.4 $69.4

-69.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$152

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$157

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$40.72

$10.69 $10.69

-28.72%

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

$563 R$3,010

$806 $806

-30.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$64.4K

$12.3K $12.3K

-1.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$210

$55.7 $55.7

-29.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$248

$61.3 $61.3

-24.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$366

$110 $110

-37.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$339

$114 $114

-44.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,150

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,530

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,437

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$3,951

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,396

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,192

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 25, 2026

Last update for Candelaria: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Candelaria

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Candelaria

$415 31.3% 106% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Candelaria

$464 35% 199% $309

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Candelaria

$263 19.8% 75.4% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Candelaria

$153 11.6% 56.7% $55

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Candelaria

$10 * 0.8% 83.8% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Candelaria

$21 * 1.6% 50.9% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Rio de Janeiro versus $81 in Candelaria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $201 vs $415 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇵🇷 Candelaria

🕒 Local time

18:00 6:00 PM

17:00 5:00 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

17,631

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Candelaria 5,230 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Candelaria

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 Candelaria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, $1,327 in Candelaria – Rio de Janeiro comes out roughly 11% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,774 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,990 in Candelaria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,327 in Candelaria. That makes Rio de Janeiro about 11% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $563 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $806 in Candelaria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,327 in Candelaria, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Rio de Janeiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro to $1,327 in Candelaria. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.