Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Cedar City, UT

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $2,279 in Cedar City, UT, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Rio de Janeiro
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,289
/mo nomad
Cedar City, UT
🇺🇸 United States
$2,279
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Cedar City, UT

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 Cedar City, UT actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,279 in Cedar City, UT.

  • Rio de Janeiro $1,289
  • Cedar City, UT $2,279

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,548 in Cedar City, UT.

  • Rio de Janeiro $1,868
  • Cedar City, UT $3,548

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $4,818 in Cedar City, UT.

  • Rio de Janeiro $2,448
  • Cedar City, UT $4,818

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 43% less than in Cedar City, UT, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 5% below, Cedar City, UT is 69% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rio de Janeiro
Cedar City, UT
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.06 R$51.0
$23.97 $23.97
-58.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.44 R$205
$78.7 $78.7
-48.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.55 R$43.35
$15.01 $15.01
-43.04%
Cappuccino
$2.38 R$12.04
$6.53 $6.53
-63.55%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 R$8.18
$4.77 $4.77
-66.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 R$5.22
$2.96 $2.96
-65.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.47 R$12.54
$5.97 $5.97
-58.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.70 R$18.77
$11.09 $11.09
-66.64%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rio de Janeiro
Cedar City, UT
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.19 R$6.05
$1.08 $1.08
10.19%
White Bread (500g)
$2.05 R$10.38
$3.66 $3.66
-43.99%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.28 R$6.49
$4.39 $4.39
-70.84%
Eggs
$2.29 R$11.60
$3.74 $3.74
-38.77%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.76 R$54.5
$18.35 $18.35
-41.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.41 R$22.36
$15.56 $15.56
-71.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.84 R$49.86
$18.18 $18.18
-45.87%
Apples (1kg)
$2.81 R$14.25
$7.94 $7.94
-64.61%
Banana (1kg)
$1.78 R$9.03
$2.41 $2.41
-26.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 R$8.13
$7.79 $7.79
-79.46%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 R$9.11
$3.54 $3.54
-49.15%
Potato (1kg)
$1.22 R$6.17
$1.78 $1.78
-31.46%
Onion (1kg)
$1.04 R$5.26
$2.36 $2.36
-55.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.77 R$3.92
$2.14 $2.14
-64.02%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.67 R$3.38
$2.34 $2.34
-71.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.01 R$15.27
$13.16 $13.16
-77.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.08 R$40.94
$22.32 $22.32
-63.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.19 R$6.03
$1.97 $1.97
-39.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.51 R$12.73
$4.91 $4.91
-48.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Rio de Janeiro
Cedar City, UT
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.99 R$5.00
$5.01 $5.01
-80.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$50.1 R$254
$40.35 $40.35
24.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.22 R$6.20
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.92 R$4.66
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.97 R$45.45
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 R$6.57
$0.89 $0.89
46.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.9K R$121.0K
$36.7K $36.7K
-34.94%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.9K R$166.6K
$25.6K $25.6K
28.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rio de Janeiro
Cedar City, UT
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$133 R$676
$174 $174
-23.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.82 R$54.8
$33.09 $33.09
-67.30%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.90 R$116
$58.1 $58.1
-60.55%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rio de Janeiro
Cedar City, UT
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.79 R$156
$54.1 $54.1
-43.03%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$31.85 R$161
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.05 R$40.83
$11.28 $11.28
-28.63%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rio de Janeiro
Cedar City, UT
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$598 R$3,029
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.4K R$68.0K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rio de Janeiro
Cedar City, UT
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.04 R$213
$57.0 $57.0
-26.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.68 R$252
$49.36 $49.36
0.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.5 R$378
$99.9 $99.9
-25.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$68.7 R$348
$147 $147
-53.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rio de Janeiro
Cedar City, UT
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$903 R$4,578
$1,043 $1,043
-13.39%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$529 R$2,684
$838 $838
-36.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,326 R$6,724
$1,901 $1,901
-30.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$756 R$3,831
$1,587 $1,587
-52.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,010 R$20.3K
$2,643 $2,643
51.75%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,560 R$7,910
$2,701 $2,701
-42.22%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rio de Janeiro
Cedar City, UT
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$640 R$3,242
$3,489 $3,489
-81.67%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.93
7.19
65.92%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cedar City, UT: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Rio de Janeiro
$529
Cedar City, UT
$838 58.3% $309
Groceries & Markets
Rio de Janeiro
$215
Cedar City, UT
$481 124% $267
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rio de Janeiro
$167
Cedar City, UT
$266 58.9% $98
Eating Out
Rio de Janeiro
$165
Cedar City, UT
$398 141% $233
Clothing & Footwear
Rio de Janeiro
$106
Cedar City, UT
$159 50.4% $53
Getting Around
Rio de Janeiro
$60
Cedar City, UT
$60 * 0.9% $0.5
Sport & Entertainment
Rio de Janeiro
$47
Cedar City, UT
$77 63.4% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,043 in Cedar City, UT. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cedar City, UT pays 446% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $79.0 in Cedar City, UT for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $481 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro
🇺🇸 Cedar City, UT
🕒 Local time
01:12 1:12 AM
22:12 10:12 PM
3 h behind Rio de Janeiro
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
6,211,223
28,857
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Rio de Janeiro Cedar City, UT 9,920 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Rio de Janeiro
  • Cedar City, UT

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 Cedar City, UT: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cedar City, UT cheaper than Rio de Janeiro?
Rio de Janeiro is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 77% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Rio de Janeiro or Cedar City, UT?
On paper, salaries run 446% lower in Cedar City, UT. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Rio de Janeiro and Cedar City, UT?
Rent for a central apartment: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,043 in Cedar City, UT. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Rio de Janeiro or in Cedar City, UT?
Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $79.0 in Cedar City, UT. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Rio de Janeiro runs roughly 24% less than in Cedar City, UT. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Rio de Janeiro or in Cedar City, UT?
At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,279 in Cedar City, UT, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Cedar City, UT. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Rio de Janeiro or Cedar City, UT more family-friendly?
For families, Rio de Janeiro is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cedar City, UT, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Rio de Janeiro or Cedar City, UT?
Safety-wise, Rio de Janeiro and Cedar City, UT are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Cedar City, UT. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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