Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Cariacica

For one person, living is cheaper in Cariacica: $880 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Cariacica
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Cariacica Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Cariacica

🇧🇷 Brazil

$880

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,273 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $880 in Cariacica, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Cariacica $880

A couple spends around $1,841 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,401 in Cariacica, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Cariacica $1,401

A family of three spends $2,409 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,922 in Cariacica, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Cariacica $1,922

Rio de Janeiro costs about 45% more than Cariacica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Cariacica are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 6% lower, Cariacica 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$6.06 R$30.70

54.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$31.76 R$161

25.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$7.91 R$40.08

5.44%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$2.10 R$10.63

9.05%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$1.29 R$6.56

23.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$0.82 R$4.18

23.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$1.99 R$10.08

7.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$2.98 R$15.13

22.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.05 R$5.34

7.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$1.68 R$8.51

24.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$1.24 R$6.26

0.81%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$2.15 R$10.90

4.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$9.55 R$48.42

14.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$4.17 R$21.12

4.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$8.46 R$42.91

13.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$2.17 R$11.02

31.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.28 R$6.49

41.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$1.18 R$6.01

33.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$1.51 R$7.67

21.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.25 R$6.34

-4.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$1.13 R$5.70

-6.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$0.79 R$3.99

-5.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$0.77 R$3.93

-11.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$2.47 R$12.51

19.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$8.00 R$40.53

-0.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$1.33 R$6.72

-11.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$2.13 R$10.81

13.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$1.01 R$5.11

-6.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

$43.96 R$223

14.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.33 R$6.72

-9.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$0.89 R$4.53

-6.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$8.00 R$40.56

12.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.27 R$6.45

1.57%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$24.0K R$121.5K

-4.98%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$33.2K R$168.3K

2.31%

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

$134 R$681

$74.3 R$377

80.73%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$12.57 R$63.7

-14.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$20.82 R$106

9.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$25.76 R$131

17.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

$27.67 R$140

13.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$7.24 R$36.69

6.77%

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

$584 R$2,960

$277 R$1,402

111.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$7,134 R$36.2K

79.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$55.3 R$280

-25.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$50.2 R$254

-1.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$89.1 R$451

-17.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$73.7 R$374

-10.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$361 R$1,831

149.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$244 R$1,236

116.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$675 R$3,423

97.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$477 R$2,416

56.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$1,741 R$8,828

129.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$1,183 R$5,996

31.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

8.45%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Last update for Cariacica: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Cariacica

$244 27.7% 53.7% $283

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Cariacica

$192 21.8% 10.2% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Cariacica

$108 12.2% 35.8% $60

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Cariacica

$122 13.8% 22% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Cariacica

$121 13.7% 16.6% $17

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Cariacica

$54 6.1% 9.5% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Cariacica

$40 4.6% 11.8% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $361 in Cariacica. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $32.00 in Cariacica. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $214 vs $192 – making Cariacica the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Cariacica

🕒 Local time

19:13 7:13 PM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

353,491

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Rio de Janeiro Cariacica 410 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 Cariacica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rio de Janeiro is pricier by about 45%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,910 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,320 in Cariacica. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cariacica, 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 $32.00 in Cariacica. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro and $880 in Cariacica. That's a gap of about 45%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cariacica, where all-in costs run around $880, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,273. In Cariacica it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cariacica – 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 Cariacica. 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.