Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Castanhal

For one person, living is cheaper in Castanhal: $879 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 Castanhal
Learn more

Castanhal Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Castanhal

🇧🇷 Brazil

$879

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $879 in Castanhal.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Castanhal $879

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,407 in Castanhal.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Castanhal $1,407

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,936 in Castanhal.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Castanhal $1,936

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 45% more expensive than in Castanhal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 6% lower, Castanhal 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$6.18 R$31.34

51.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$32.20 R$163

24.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$7.74 R$39.25

7.75%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$2.09 R$10.59

9.57%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$1.34 R$6.79

18.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$0.81 R$4.12

24.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$2.01 R$10.21

6.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$2.94 R$14.88

24.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.01 R$5.13

11.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$1.71 R$8.67

22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$1.30 R$6.60

-3.85%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$2.16 R$10.95

4.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$9.34 R$47.34

16.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$4.18 R$21.20

4.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$8.34 R$42.29

15.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$2.22 R$11.26

28.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.27 R$6.43

42.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$1.23 R$6.24

28.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$1.61 R$8.14

13.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.23 R$6.21

-2.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$1.12 R$5.69

-5.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$0.83 R$4.21

-9.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$0.81 R$4.11

-16.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$2.47 R$12.53

19.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$8.14 R$41.24

-1.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$1.28 R$6.48

-7.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$2.08 R$10.54

16.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$1.00 R$5.08

-6.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

$43.66 R$221

15.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.28 R$6.48

-6.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$0.92 R$4.66

-9.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$7.96 R$40.34

12.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.26 R$6.41

2.38%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$24.0K R$121.8K

-5.23%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$33.3K R$168.6K

2.11%

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

$134 R$681

$77.1 R$391

74.17%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$12.19 R$61.8

-11.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$20.78 R$105

9.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$26.24 R$133

14.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

$28.03 R$142

12.34%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$7.37 R$37.38

4.88%

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

$584 R$2,960

$285 R$1,445

104.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$7,284 R$36.9K

75.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$55.1 R$279

-25.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$50.8 R$258

-3.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$91.3 R$463

-19.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$73.0 R$370

-9.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$358 R$1,817

151.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$238 R$1,206

121.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$685 R$3,475

94.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$481 R$2,437

55.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$1,704 R$8,639

134.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$1,188 R$6,021

31.35%

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 Castanhal: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Castanhal

$238 27.1% 54.9% $289

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Castanhal

$192 21.9% 9.9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Castanhal

$110 12.5% 34.4% $58

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Castanhal

$122 13.9% 21.6% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Castanhal

$122 13.8% 17.5% $18

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Castanhal

$54 6.1% 9.9% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Castanhal

$41 4.7% 10.1% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $900 in Rio de Janeiro and $358 in Castanhal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $32.00 in Castanhal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $192 per month, with Castanhal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Castanhal

🕒 Local time

16:33 4:33 PM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

192,256

💱 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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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Castanhal 2,460 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Castanhal

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 Castanhal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Castanhal wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Rio de Janeiro. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Castanhal the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,910 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,318 in Castanhal to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $358 in Castanhal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Castanhal – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,273 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $879 in Castanhal – a 45% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $879 in Castanhal versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Castanhal but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Castanhal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Castanhal delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $879 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Castanhal hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Castanhal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.