Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Caraguatatuba

For one person, living is cheaper in Caraguatatuba: $778 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Caraguatatuba
Learn more

Caraguatatuba Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Caraguatatuba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$778

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro versus $778 in Caraguatatuba.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Caraguatatuba $778

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,259 in Caraguatatuba.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Caraguatatuba $1,259

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,739 in Caraguatatuba.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Caraguatatuba $1,739

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 52% more expensive than in Caraguatatuba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 13% lower, Caraguatatuba 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$48.86

$6.94 R$37.36

30.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$200

$26.88 R$145

38.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$43.15

$8.24 R$44.37

-2.67%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.78

$2.15 R$11.58

1.86%

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

$1.46 R$7.87

$1.10 R$5.91

32.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.31

$0.86 R$4.65

15.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.91

$2.25 R$12.11

-9.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.55

$2.94 R$15.81

17.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.70

$1.00 R$5.38

6.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.68

$1.50 R$8.07

32.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.32

$1.23 R$6.60

-4.88%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.88

$1.83 R$9.84

20.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$54.4

$5.62 R$30.24

79.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.15

$2.96 R$15.92

39.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.36

$7.28 R$39.20

25.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.63

$1.94 R$10.43

40.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.21

$1.58 R$8.50

8.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.23

$1.39 R$7.48

10.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$8.94

$1.26 R$6.78

31.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.13

$1.24 R$6.65

-8.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.35

$0.77 R$4.14

28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.48

$0.67 R$3.60

-2.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.22

$0.77 R$4.16

-22.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$15.04

$2.00 R$10.78

39.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$40.25

$6.33 R$34.08

18.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.87

$1.46 R$7.84

-25.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.56

$2.36 R$12.70

-1.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.82

$0.96 R$5.16

-6.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$285

$21.53 R$116

146.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.28

$1.08 R$5.84

8.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.20

$0.66 R$3.56

18.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$45.05

$3.30 R$17.77

153.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.53

$1.21 R$6.52

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

$21.5K R$115.5K

$14.3K R$77.0K

50.12%

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

$31.1K R$167.6K

$27.6K R$148.7K

12.67%

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

$124 R$670

$62.2 R$335

100.13%

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

$10.03 R$54.0

$12.19 R$65.6

-17.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$112

$21.17 R$114

-1.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$153

$20.15 R$108

40.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$158

$15.02 R$80.9

95.27%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$40.99

$7.41 R$39.89

2.83%

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

$563 R$3,029

$207 R$1,111

172.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$64.8K

$3,944 R$21.2K

205.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$211

$53.3 R$287

-26.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$250

$52.1 R$280

-11.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$368

$72.4 R$390

-5.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$341

$55.4 R$298

14.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,177

$396 R$2,132

95.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,547

$218 R$1,175

116.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,485

$790 R$4,254

75.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$3,977

$484 R$2,606

52.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.3K

$1,610 R$8,666

110.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,450

$1,166 R$6,277

34.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,212

$308 R$1,658

93.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

8.15

46.38%

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 Caraguatatuba: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Caraguatatuba

$218 28.1% 53.9% $255

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Caraguatatuba

$164 21% 18.6% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Caraguatatuba

$96 12.3% 38.5% $60

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Caraguatatuba

$131 16.8% 12.5% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Caraguatatuba

$105 13.5% 7.2% $7.1

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Caraguatatuba

$30 3.8% 51.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Caraguatatuba

$35 4.5% 19.8% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $776 in Rio de Janeiro and $396 in Caraguatatuba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 94% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Rio de Janeiro vs $27 in Caraguatatuba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $164 per month, with Caraguatatuba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Caraguatatuba

🕒 Local time

06:52 6:52 AM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

134,873

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Rio de Janeiro Caraguatatuba 240 km

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Rio de Janeiro
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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 Caraguatatuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caraguatatuba is about 34% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 94% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $776 in Rio de Janeiro versus $396 in Caraguatatuba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Rio de Janeiro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Caraguatatuba – a meal for two runs $27 versus $37 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $778 in Caraguatatuba versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Caraguatatuba but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Caraguatatuba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Caraguatatuba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.