Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Criciuma

For one person, living is cheaper in Criciuma: $711 a month against $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Criciuma
Learn more

Criciuma Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,185

/mo nomad

Criciuma

🇧🇷 Brazil

$711

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro versus $711 in Criciuma.

Rio de Janeiro $1,185
Criciuma $711

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,737 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,060 in Criciuma.

Rio de Janeiro $1,737
Criciuma $1,060

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,410 in Criciuma.

Rio de Janeiro $2,289
Criciuma $1,410

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 67% more expensive than in Criciuma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 12% lower, Criciuma 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.16 R$44.76

$5.38 R$29.53

51.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 R$204

$20.36 R$112

82.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 R$41.28

$5.48 R$30.07

37.23%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R$11.55

$1.23 R$6.75

70.73%

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

$1.36 R$7.47

$1.04 R$5.71

30.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$5.27

$0.68 R$3.73

41.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R$10.84

$1.50 R$8.24

32.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 R$17.89

$1.83 R$10.02

78.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.96

$0.84 R$4.62

29.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 R$10.24

$1.35 R$7.43

38.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.17

$1.02 R$5.61

9.80%

Eggs

$2.20 R$12.09

$1.90 R$10.42

15.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.91 R$54.4

$7.59 R$41.68

30.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 R$22.56

$3.38 R$18.55

21.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 R$50.7

$8.00 R$43.88

15.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 R$14.22

$1.96 R$10.78

32.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R$9.26

$1.08 R$5.95

56.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.06

$0.94 R$5.18

56.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 R$9.42

$1.48 R$8.15

16.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.34

$1.15 R$6.33

0.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.48

$1.03 R$5.66

-2.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 R$3.60

$0.74 R$4.06

-10.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R$3.34

$0.61 R$3.33

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 R$14.77

$2.35 R$12.88

14.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 R$39.53

$4.38 R$24.05

64.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R$5.89

$1.08 R$5.94

-0.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 R$12.29

$1.33 R$7.32

68.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.81

$0.95 R$5.19

-7.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.3 R$287

$36.40 R$200

43.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.47

$0.45 R$2.49

162.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 R$3.71

$0.72 R$3.97

-5.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 R$47.80

$2.27 R$12.43

283.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.58

$1.22 R$6.68

-1.64%

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

$21.9K R$120.0K

$21.7K R$119.1K

0.82%

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

$31.0K R$170.2K

$28.5K R$156.3K

8.86%

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

$126 R$689

$66.5 R$365

88.93%

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

$10.14 R$55.6

$11.38 R$62.5

-10.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.95 R$115

$20.08 R$110

4.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 R$156

$26.76 R$147

6.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.87 R$158

$37.06 R$203

-22.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 R$40.63

$6.77 R$37.14

9.31%

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

$537 R$2,947

$154 R$846

248.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K R$87.2K

$2,747 R$15.1K

478.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.68 R$212

$46.99 R$258

-17.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R$247

$27.95 R$153

61.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 R$376

$75.9 R$417

-9.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.1 R$352

$40.62 R$223

57.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$4,213

$222 R$1,216

246.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 R$2,693

$192 R$1,054

155.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 R$8,004

$378 R$2,075

285.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R$4,077

$248 R$1,362

199.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,325 R$18.3K

$1,096 R$6,015

203.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R$8,518

$594 R$3,261

161.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 R$3,698

$288 R$1,580

134.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

10.74

11.08%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: November 3, 2026

Last update for Criciuma: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$491 41.4%

Criciuma

$192 27% 60.8% $299

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$198 16.7%

Criciuma

$157 22.2% 20.5% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$157 13.2%

Criciuma

$98 13.8% 37.5% $59

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$139 11.7%

Criciuma

$92 13% 33.5% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$97 8.2%

Criciuma

$86 12.1% 11.5% $11

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 5.1%

Criciuma

$44 6.2% 26.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$43 3.7%

Criciuma

$40 5.7% 7% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $768 in Rio de Janeiro and $222 in Criciuma. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Rio de Janeiro vs $20 in Criciuma for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $157 per month, with Criciuma cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Criciuma

🕒 Local time

02:23 2:23 AM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

214,493

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Criciuma 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Criciuma

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 Criciuma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Criciuma is about 40% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Rio de Janeiro is about 2.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $768 in Rio de Janeiro versus $222 in Criciuma. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Criciuma runs roughly 30% less than in Rio de Janeiro. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $537 in Rio de Janeiro versus $154 in Criciuma. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $711 in Criciuma versus $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Criciuma but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Criciuma the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Criciuma gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.