Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Chone

For one person, living is cheaper in Chone: $732 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Chone
Learn more

Chone Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Chone

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$732

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $732 in Chone.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Chone $732

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,240 in Chone.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Chone $1,240

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,748 in Chone.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Chone $1,748

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 76% more expensive than in Chone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Chone 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$3.77 $3.77

166.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$31.29 $31.29

29.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$5.91 $5.91

44.67%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$2.48 $2.48

-4.03%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$0.86 $0.86

87.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.69 $0.69

49.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$2.07 $2.07

19.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$4.08 $4.08

-9.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.12 $1.12

6.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$1.52 $1.52

34.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.57 $1.57

-18.47%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$2.00 $2.00

14.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$6.64 $6.64

62.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$4.55 $4.55

-3.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$6.32 $6.32

55.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$1.55 $1.55

81.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$0.97 $0.97

83.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$1.04 $1.04

53.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$1.03 $1.03

74.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.13 $1.13

7.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$1.03 $1.03

0.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$0.71 $0.71

8.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.08 $1.08

-37.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$5.01 $5.01

-39.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$8.56 $8.56

-5.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.63 $1.63

-26.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.76 $2.76

-9.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.31 $0.31

219.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$17.28 $17.28

189.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$1.32 $1.32

-7.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.23 $1.23

-25.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$8.58 $8.58

4.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$0.86 $0.86

51.16%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$21.7K $21.7K

10.20%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$33.0K $33.0K

-0.41%

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

$133 R$676

$41.43 $41.43

221.99%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$13.59 $13.59

-20.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$25.32 $25.32

-9.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$33.32 $33.32

-7.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$15.43 $15.43

106.42%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$6.33 $6.33

27.17%

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

$598 R$3,029

$207 $207

188.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$5,025 $5,025

167.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$55.5 $55.5

-24.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$47.21 $47.21

5.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$109 $109

-31.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$79.7 $79.7

-13.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$319 $319

183.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$169 $169

213.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$788 $788

68.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$451 $451

67.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$1,272 $1,272

215.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$807 $807

93.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

10.05

18.71%

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 Chone: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Chone

$169 23.1% 68.1% $361

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Chone

$177 24.2% 17.4% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Chone

$80 11% 51.9% $87

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Chone

$102 14% 38% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Chone

$131 17.9% 24% $25

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Chone

$26 3.6% 56.6% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Chone

$46 6.3% 1.9% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $319 in Chone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $31.00 in Chone for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $177 per month, with Chone cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇪🇨 Chone

🕒 Local time

23:58 11:58 PM

21:58 9:58 PM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

44,751

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Chone 4,690 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Chone

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 Chone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chone wins on cost – living expenses run 76% lower than in Rio de Janeiro. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chone the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,933 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,097 in Chone 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: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $319 in Chone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $732 in Chone – a 76% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Chone runs roughly 190% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $732 in Chone versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chone but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Chone the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chone delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $732 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chone hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Chone gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.