Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Caxias do Sul

For one person, living is cheaper in Caxias do Sul: $757 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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 Caxias do Sul
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Caxias do Sul Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Caxias do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$757

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Caxias do Sul

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 Caxias do Sul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,182 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $757 in Caxias do Sul, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Caxias do Sul $757

A couple spends around $1,750 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,283 in Caxias do Sul, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Caxias do Sul $1,283

A family of three spends $2,318 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,809 in Caxias do Sul, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Caxias do Sul $1,809

Rio de Janeiro costs about 56% more than Caxias do Sul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Caxias do Sul are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 13% lower, Caxias do Sul 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$49.39

$6.38 R$34.72

42.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$203

$35.67 R$194

4.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$43.62

$6.62 R$35.99

21.15%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.91

$1.77 R$9.61

23.73%

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

$1.46 R$7.96

$1.27 R$6.90

14.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.37

$0.98 R$5.31

1.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$11.03

$2.11 R$11.47

-3.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.75

$2.85 R$15.48

21.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.76

$0.82 R$4.47

29.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.79

$1.54 R$8.37

28.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.38

$1.03 R$5.62

13.59%

Eggs

$2.21 R$12.01

$1.79 R$9.75

23.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$55.0

$9.22 R$50.1

9.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.39

$4.47 R$24.30

-7.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.89

$9.25 R$50.3

-0.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.79

$1.52 R$8.28

78.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.31

$0.98 R$5.34

74.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.32

$0.53 R$2.90

188.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$9.04

$1.55 R$8.42

7.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.19

$0.90 R$4.89

26.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.41

$0.63 R$3.42

57.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.52

$0.71 R$3.85

-8.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.26

$0.75 R$4.05

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$15.20

$2.37 R$12.89

17.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$40.69

$3.65 R$19.83

104.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.93

$1.10 R$5.97

-0.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.69

$2.01 R$10.91

15.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.87

$1.26 R$6.84

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$288

$41.13 R$224

28.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.35

$1.18 R$6.39

-0.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.24

$0.76 R$4.11

2.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$45.53

$7.76 R$42.23

7.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.60

$1.16 R$6.31

4.31%

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

$21.5K R$116.8K

$22.1K R$120.2K

-2.84%

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

$31.1K R$169.4K

$31.6K R$171.6K

-1.32%

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

$124 R$677

$66.9 R$364

86.18%

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

$10.03 R$54.6

$11.54 R$62.8

-13.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$114

$20.14 R$110

3.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$154

$24.73 R$135

14.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$160

$56.9 R$309

-48.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$41.43

$6.82 R$37.08

11.73%

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

$563 R$3,062

$373 R$2,030

50.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$65.5K

$21.8K R$118.8K

-44.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$213

$47.14 R$256

-16.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$252

$34.38 R$187

34.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$372

$93.7 R$510

-27.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$345

$73.4 R$399

-13.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,222

$256 R$1,393

203.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,574

$171 R$929

177.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,566

$640 R$3,483

117.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$4,020

$409 R$2,226

80.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.5K

$1,633 R$8,884

107.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,541

$1,138 R$6,192

37.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,247

$517 R$2,814

15.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.5

3.74%

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 Caxias do Sul: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Caxias do Sul

$171 22.6% 63.9% $302

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Caxias do Sul

$169 22.3% 16.1% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Caxias do Sul

$99 13% 36.6% $57

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Caxias do Sul

$117 15.5% 21.7% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Caxias do Sul

$112 14.8% 14.4% $14

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Caxias do Sul

$51 6.8% 17.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Caxias do Sul

$38 5.1% 12% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $776 in Rio de Janeiro versus $256 in Caxias do Sul. 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 15% higher in Rio de Janeiro, 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 $37 in Rio de Janeiro versus $36 in Caxias do Sul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $201 vs $169 – making Caxias do Sul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Caxias do Sul

🕒 Local time

09:54 9:54 AM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

463,501

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Rio de Janeiro Caxias do Sul 1,060 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Caxias do Sul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, $757 in Caxias do Sul – Caxias do Sul comes out roughly 36% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,774 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,135 in Caxias do Sul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Caxias do Sul, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $256 there versus $776 in Rio de Janeiro.

Public transport costs about 22% less in Caxias do Sul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $563 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $373 in Caxias do Sul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Caxias do Sul – 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 Caxias do Sul. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rio de Janeiro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.