Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Centreville, VA

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $3,973 in Centreville, VA, rent and utilities included – about $32,400 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
193

Cost of Living Index in Centreville, VA
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Centreville, VA Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Centreville, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,973

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Centreville, VA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,973 in Centreville, VA.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Centreville, VA $3,973

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $5,800 in Centreville, VA.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Centreville, VA $5,800

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $7,626 in Centreville, VA.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Centreville, VA $7,626

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 68% less than in Centreville, VA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 6% below, Centreville, VA is 193% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$24.19 $24.19

-61.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$106 $106

-62.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$11.78 $11.78

-29.20%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$6.20 $6.20

-63.06%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$3.10 $3.10

-48.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$2.48 $2.48

-59.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$8.10 $8.10

-73.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$8.92 $8.92

-58.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.35 $1.35

-16.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$4.42 $4.42

-52.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$6.88 $6.88

-81.83%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$5.51 $5.51

-59.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$21.94 $21.94

-50.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$17.13 $17.13

-74.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$22.98 $22.98

-58.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$6.90 $6.90

-58.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.91 $1.91

-5.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$4.89 $4.89

-67.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$5.78 $5.78

-68.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$3.22 $3.22

-62.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$3.85 $3.85

-72.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$2.57 $2.57

-70.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$2.63 $2.63

-74.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$10.90 $10.90

-73.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$15.97 $15.97

-50.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$2.86 $2.86

-58.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$5.83 $5.83

-58.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$4.52 $4.52

-79.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

$199 $199

-74.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$3.96 $3.96

-69.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$1.26 $1.26

-34.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$25.42 $25.42

-64.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.00 $1.00

29.00%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$31.7K $31.7K

-28.14%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$26.1K $26.1K

30.08%

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

$134 R$681

$214 $214

-37.34%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$79.7 $79.7

-86.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$78.4 $78.4

-70.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$98.7 $98.7

-69.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

$49.54 $49.54

-36.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$17.94 $17.94

-56.91%

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

$584 R$2,960

$2,034 $2,034

-71.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$36.3K $36.3K

-64.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$70.7 $70.7

-41.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$62.5 $62.5

-21.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$105 $105

-30.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$164 $164

-59.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$2,766 $2,766

-67.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$2,135 $2,135

-75.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$4,010 $4,010

-66.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$3,440 $3,440

-78.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$3,814 $3,814

4.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$2,929 $2,929

-46.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

$5,675 $5,675

-88.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.63

79.94%

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 Centreville, VA: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Centreville, VA

$2.1K 53.7% 305% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Centreville, VA

$539 13.6% 152% $325

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Centreville, VA

$373 9.4% 122% $205

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Centreville, VA

$384 9.7% 146% $228

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Centreville, VA

$181 4.6% 74.9% $78

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Centreville, VA

$227 5.7% 283% $168

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Centreville, VA

$135 3.4% 195% $89

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $900 in Rio de Janeiro and $2,766 in Centreville, VA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Centreville, VA pays 786% 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 $106 in Centreville, VA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $539 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇺🇸 Centreville, VA

🕒 Local time

20:48 8:48 PM

19:48 7:48 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

74,000

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Centreville, VA 7,740 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Centreville, VA

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 Centreville, VA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro wins on cost – living expenses run 212% lower than in Centreville, VA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rio de Janeiro the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 786% lower in Centreville, VA. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,766 in Centreville, VA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 152% higher in Centreville, VA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $106 in Centreville, VA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,973 in Centreville, VA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Centreville, VA. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Rio de Janeiro delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,273 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Rio de Janeiro hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 212% less than in Centreville, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.