Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $1,735 in Costa Rica, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
Learn more

Costa Rica Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,735

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Rio de Janeiro is 38.3% cheaper than Costa Rica without rent, and 26% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Rio de Janeiro is 34.6% cheaper than Costa Rica without rent, and 32.4% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$11.78 ₡5,312

-15.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$55.5 ₡25.0K

-27.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$10.72 ₡4,831

-20.90%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$4.49 ₡2,023

-47.44%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$2.33 ₡1,051

-30.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$1.81 ₡815

-44.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$3.23 ₡1,455

-24.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$4.42 ₡1,992

-16.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$2.30 ₡1,037

-50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$3.55 ₡1,600

-41.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$2.71 ₡1,221

-52.40%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$4.05 ₡1,825

-43.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$9.92 ₡4,473

10.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$10.49 ₡4,729

-58.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$13.56 ₡6,111

-28.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$5.13 ₡2,312

-44.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$1.68 ₡758

9.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$3.63 ₡1,639

-55.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$3.24 ₡1,463

-44.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$3.40 ₡1,534

-62.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$3.09 ₡1,394

-65.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$1.11 ₡501

-32.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$2.64 ₡1,192

-75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$5.43 ₡2,446

-43.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$15.63 ₡7,048

-47.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$2.75 ₡1,238

-56.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$3.27 ₡1,472

-26.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

$1.07 ₡480

-5.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

$65.3 ₡29.4K

-23.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

$2.18 ₡981

-41.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

$2.03 ₡916

-55.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

$8.82 ₡3,977

7.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$1.53 ₡688

-13.07%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

$32.8K ₡14.8M

-28.51%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$36.0K ₡16.2M

-6.67%

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

$134 R$666

$93.4 ₡42.1K

42.93%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$30.19 ₡13.6K

-59.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$57.1 ₡25.7K

-60.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$65.1 ₡29.3K

-51.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

$22.13 ₡9,976

39.49%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$8.09 ₡3,645

1.73%

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

$603 R$3,011

$740 ₡333.8K

-18.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

$12.6K ₡5.7M

5.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$75.5 ₡34.0K

-44.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$54.6 ₡24.6K

-8.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$127 ₡57.4K

-41.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$107 ₡48.3K

-36.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

$833 ₡375.3K

8.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

$641 ₡289.1K

-17.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

$1,776 ₡800.8K

-24.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

$1,191 ₡536.9K

-34.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

$2,437 ₡1.1M

63.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

$1,631 ₡735.2K

-4.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

$1,033 ₡465.8K

-37.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

9.56

24.79%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Costa Rica

$641 36.7% 21.6% $114

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Costa Rica

$379 21.7% 76.6% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Costa Rica

$181 10.3% 7.3% $12

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Costa Rica

$222 12.7% 35.4% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Costa Rica

$164 9.4% 55.2% $58

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Costa Rica

$82 4.7% 36.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Costa Rica

$81 4.6% 69.2% $33

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🕒 Local time

09:05 9:05 AM

06:05 6:05 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

5,044,197

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Costa Rica 5,760 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Costa Rica

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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