Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Crato

For one person, living is cheaper in Crato: $879 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Crato
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Crato Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Crato

🇧🇷 Brazil

$879

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $879 in Crato.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Crato $879

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,403 in Crato.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Crato $1,403

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,926 in Crato.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Crato $1,926

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 45% more expensive than in Crato, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 6% lower, Crato 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$5.99 R$30.38

56.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$31.52 R$160

26.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$7.84 R$39.77

6.38%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$2.01 R$10.21

13.93%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$1.32 R$6.71

20.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$0.77 R$3.93

31.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$2.03 R$10.29

5.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$2.98 R$15.13

22.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.02 R$5.15

10.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$1.69 R$8.55

23.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$1.29 R$6.52

-3.10%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$2.26 R$11.45

-0.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$9.37 R$47.49

16.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$4.31 R$21.84

1.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$8.66 R$43.90

10.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$2.24 R$11.37

27.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.31 R$6.65

38.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$1.18 R$5.97

33.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$1.59 R$8.05

15.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.22 R$6.21

-1.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$1.08 R$5.49

-1.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$0.83 R$4.22

-9.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$0.82 R$4.13

-17.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$2.57 R$13.04

14.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$8.10 R$41.06

-1.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$1.33 R$6.72

-11.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$2.11 R$10.72

14.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$1.04 R$5.27

-9.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

$43.73 R$222

15.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.28 R$6.48

-6.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$0.92 R$4.67

-9.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$8.22 R$41.69

9.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.31 R$6.62

-1.53%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$23.4K R$118.7K

-2.73%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$32.7K R$165.6K

3.93%

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

$134 R$681

$76.8 R$389

74.87%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$12.21 R$61.9

-12.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$20.74 R$105

10.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$26.10 R$132

15.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

$27.93 R$142

12.75%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$7.45 R$37.76

3.76%

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

$584 R$2,960

$280 R$1,420

108.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$7,310 R$37.1K

75.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$56.6 R$287

-27.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$50.9 R$258

-3.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$88.6 R$449

-16.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$72.6 R$368

-9.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$354 R$1,794

154.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$239 R$1,210

120.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$677 R$3,430

96.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$476 R$2,411

57.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$1,689 R$8,565

136.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$1,182 R$5,991

31.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

8.45%

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 Crato: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Crato

$239 27.2% 54.7% $289

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Crato

$195 22.1% 9% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Crato

$110 12.5% 34.6% $58

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Crato

$120 13.7% 22.9% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Crato

$121 13.8% 16.8% $17

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Crato

$54 6.1% 9.5% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Crato

$41 4.7% 10.1% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $900 in Rio de Janeiro and $354 in Crato. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $32.00 in Crato for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $195 per month, with Crato cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Crato

🕒 Local time

11:40 11:40 AM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

131,050

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Crato 1,790 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Crato

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 Crato: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Crato wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Rio de Janeiro. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Crato the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,910 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,318 in Crato 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: $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $354 in Crato. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Crato runs roughly 15% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $584 in Rio de Janeiro versus $280 in Crato. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $879 in Crato versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Crato but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Crato the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Crato delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $879 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Crato hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Crato gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.