Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Cucuta

For one person, living costs are similar in Rio de Janeiro and in Cucuta: $1,289 and $1,335 a month, rent and utilities included.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Cucuta
Learn more

Cucuta Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Cucuta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,335

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,335 in Cucuta.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Cucuta $1,335

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,003 in Cucuta.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Cucuta $2,003

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,670 in Cucuta.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Cucuta $2,670

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 3% less than in Cucuta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Cucuta 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$7.44 COP 23.6K

35.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$48.54 COP 153.9K

-16.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$9.16 COP 29.1K

-6.66%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$2.91 COP 9,235

-18.21%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.43 COP 4,544

12.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.08 COP 3,420

-4.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$3.09 COP 9,785

-20.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$3.70 COP 11.7K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.61 COP 5,112

-26.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.47 COP 7,844

-17.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.54 COP 4,893

-16.88%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$2.99 COP 9,488

-23.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$9.00 COP 28.5K

19.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$8.58 COP 27.2K

-48.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$11.41 COP 36.2K

-13.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$3.54 COP 11.2K

-20.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.60 COP 5,061

11.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$2.07 COP 6,574

-22.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$1.94 COP 6,139

-7.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.28 COP 4,071

-4.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$1.31 COP 4,149

-20.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$1.10 COP 3,497

-30.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.02 COP 3,221

-34.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$4.35 COP 13.8K

-30.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$14.74 COP 46.7K

-45.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.65 COP 5,217

-27.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.29 COP 7,271

9.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$1.19 COP 3,783

-16.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$1.52 COP 4,830

-19.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$2.09 COP 6,624

-55.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$9.90 COP 31.4K

-9.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.28 COP 4,055

1.56%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$28.7K COP 90.9M

-16.69%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$40.2K COP 127.6M

-18.33%

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

$133 R$676

$126 COP 397.9K

6.29%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$13.88 COP 44.0K

-22.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$29.14 COP 92.4K

-21.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$33.45 COP 106.1K

-7.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$6.95 COP 22.0K

15.83%

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

$598 R$3,029

$647 COP 2.1M

-7.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$6,396 COP 20.3M

109.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$86.4 COP 273.8K

-51.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$49.97 COP 158.4K

-0.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$154 COP 489.8K

-51.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$102 COP 323.2K

-32.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$643 COP 2.0M

40.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$497 COP 1.6M

6.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$1,017 COP 3.2M

30.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$792 COP 2.5M

-4.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$1,980 COP 6.3M

102.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$1,498 COP 4.7M

4.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$565 COP 1.8M

13.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.58

3.02%

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 Cucuta: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Cucuta

$497 37.2% 6.1% $32

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Cucuta

$274 20.5% 27.6% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Cucuta

$169 12.6% 0.8% $1.4

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Cucuta

$155 11.6% 6.1% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Cucuta

$177 13.2% 67.2% $71

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Cucuta

$17 * 1.3% 72% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Cucuta

$47 3.6% 1% $0.5

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 $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $643 in Cucuta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 13% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $49.00 in Cucuta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $274 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇴 Cucuta

🕒 Local time

21:51 9:51 PM

19:51 7:51 PM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

777,106

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, 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).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Cucuta 4,680 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Cucuta

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 Cucuta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 13% higher in Rio de Janeiro, 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: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $643 in Cucuta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $598 in Rio de Janeiro versus $647 in Cucuta. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $49.00 in Cucuta. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,335 in Cucuta, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Cucuta. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Rio de Janeiro is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cucuta, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Cucuta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.