Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Chesterfield, MO

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,474 in Chesterfield, MO, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Rio de Janeiro
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,273
/mo nomad
Chesterfield, MO
🇺🇸 United States
$2,474
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Chesterfield, MO

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,474 in Chesterfield, MO.

  • Rio de Janeiro $1,273
  • Chesterfield, MO $2,474

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,442 in Chesterfield, MO.

  • Rio de Janeiro $1,841
  • Chesterfield, MO $3,442

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $4,411 in Chesterfield, MO.

  • Rio de Janeiro $2,409
  • Chesterfield, MO $4,411

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 49% less than in Chesterfield, MO, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 6% below, Chesterfield, MO is 83% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rio de Janeiro
Chesterfield, MO
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.38 R$47.54
$25.13 $25.13
-62.67%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.00 R$203
$61.0 $61.0
-34.42%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.34 R$42.28
$10.08 $10.08
-17.26%
Cappuccino
$2.29 R$11.62
$5.01 $5.01
-54.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 R$8.05
$2.21 $2.21
-28.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.01 R$5.10
$1.23 $1.23
-17.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.14 R$10.85
$4.46 $4.46
-52.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 R$18.55
$6.33 $6.33
-42.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rio de Janeiro
Chesterfield, MO
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.13 R$5.72
$1.04 $1.04
8.65%
White Bread (500g)
$2.09 R$10.60
$2.99 $2.99
-30.10%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.25 R$6.36
$2.14 $2.14
-41.59%
Eggs
$2.25 R$11.39
$3.62 $3.62
-37.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.92 R$55.3
$11.39 $11.39
-4.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.36 R$22.10
$8.91 $8.91
-51.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.60 R$48.66
$12.93 $12.93
-25.75%
Apples (1kg)
$2.85 R$14.46
$4.28 $4.28
-33.41%
Banana (1kg)
$1.81 R$9.16
$1.13 $1.13
60.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.58 R$8.02
$2.99 $2.99
-47.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.83 R$9.28
$4.27 $4.27
-57.14%
Potato (1kg)
$1.20 R$6.10
$1.64 $1.64
-26.83%
Onion (1kg)
$1.06 R$5.35
$2.44 $2.44
-56.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.75 R$3.81
$1.83 $1.83
-59.02%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.68 R$3.45
$1.95 $1.95
-65.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.94 R$14.90
$7.88 $7.88
-62.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.98 R$40.43
$13.52 $13.52
-40.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 R$5.98
$1.84 $1.84
-35.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 R$12.26
$4.46 $4.46
-45.74%
🚌 Getting Around
Rio de Janeiro
Chesterfield, MO
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.94 R$4.78
$1.97 $1.97
-52.28%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$50.3 R$255
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.20 R$6.10
$3.05 $3.05
-60.66%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.83 R$4.20
$1.40 $1.40
-40.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.97 R$45.48
$36.08 $36.08
-75.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.29 R$6.53
$0.91 $0.91
41.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.8K R$115.5K
$24.4K $24.4K
-6.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.0K R$172.1K
$22.7K $22.7K
49.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rio de Janeiro
Chesterfield, MO
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$134 R$681
$254 $254
-47.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.73 R$54.4
$58.2 $58.2
-81.56%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.84 R$116
$72.1 $72.1
-68.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rio de Janeiro
Chesterfield, MO
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.16 R$153
$41.23 $41.23
-26.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$31.49 R$160
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.73 R$39.17
$12.20 $12.20
-36.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rio de Janeiro
Chesterfield, MO
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$584 R$2,960
$776 $776
-24.73%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.8K R$64.9K
$26.6K $26.6K
-51.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rio de Janeiro
Chesterfield, MO
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$41.12 R$208
$60.1 $60.1
-31.52%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.26 R$250
$30.46 $30.46
61.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.7 R$373
$39.80 $39.80
85.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$65.9 R$334
$40.13 $40.13
64.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rio de Janeiro
Chesterfield, MO
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$900 R$4,561
$1,778 $1,778
-49.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$527 R$2,673
$1,262 $1,262
-58.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,332 R$6,754
$3,161 $3,161
-57.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$748 R$3,790
$1,868 $1,868
-59.98%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,990 R$20.2K
$2,734 $2,734
45.95%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,560 R$7,908
$2,341 $2,341
-33.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rio de Janeiro
Chesterfield, MO
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$640 R$3,246
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.93
6.36
87.58%

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 Chesterfield, MO: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Rio de Janeiro
$527
Chesterfield, MO
$1.3K 139% $734
Groceries & Markets
Rio de Janeiro
$214
Chesterfield, MO
$328 53.5% $114
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rio de Janeiro
$168
Chesterfield, MO
$384 129% $216
Eating Out
Rio de Janeiro
$156
Chesterfield, MO
$340 118% $184
Clothing & Footwear
Rio de Janeiro
$103
Chesterfield, MO
$77 25.9% $27
Getting Around
Rio de Janeiro
$59
Chesterfield, MO
$18 * 69.8% $41
Sport & Entertainment
Rio de Janeiro
$46
Chesterfield, MO
$66 43.9% $20

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 $900 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,778 in Chesterfield, MO. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $61.0 in Chesterfield, MO for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $328 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro
🇺🇸 Chesterfield, MO
🕒 Local time
21:17 9:17 PM
19:17 7:17 PM
2 h behind Rio de Janeiro
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
6,211,223
49,999
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Rio de Janeiro Chesterfield, MO 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Rio de Janeiro
  • Chesterfield, MO

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 Chesterfield, MO: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Rio de Janeiro and in Chesterfield, MO?
Rio de Janeiro and Chesterfield, MO differ by about 94% in total monthly costs ($1,273 vs $2,474 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Rio de Janeiro compared to Chesterfield, MO?
You'd need roughly $1,910 in Rio de Janeiro and $3,711 in Chesterfield, MO 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Rio de Janeiro and in Chesterfield, MO?
Rent for a central apartment: $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,778 in Chesterfield, MO. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Chesterfield, MO. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Rio de Janeiro or Chesterfield, MO?
All in, you'll spend $1,273 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,474 in Chesterfield, MO – a 94% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,474 in Chesterfield, MO, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Chesterfield, MO. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Rio de Janeiro and Chesterfield, MO?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Where should expats move: Rio de Janeiro or Chesterfield, MO?
Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 94% less than in Chesterfield, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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