Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Davao

For one person, living is cheaper in Davao: $839 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Davao
Learn more

Davao Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Davao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro versus $839 in Davao.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Davao $839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,275 in Davao.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Davao $1,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,712 in Davao.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Davao $1,712

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 41% more expensive than in Davao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 13% lower, Davao 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$49.36

$4.71 ₱299

92.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$203

$26.33 ₱1,672

41.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$43.60

$3.83 ₱243

109.40%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.90

$2.53 ₱161

-13.44%

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

$1.46 R$7.95

$1.06 ₱67.3

37.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.36

$0.62 ₱39.64

59.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$11.02

$1.53 ₱97.0

32.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.75

$2.38 ₱151

44.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.76

$1.96 ₱125

-45.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.79

$1.07 ₱68.0

85.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.38

$0.91 ₱57.9

28.57%

Eggs

$2.21 R$12.00

$1.84 ₱117

20.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$55.0

$6.41 ₱407

57.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.38

$4.59 ₱292

-10.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.87

$8.97 ₱570

2.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.78

$2.68 ₱170

1.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.30

$1.06 ₱67.3

61.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.32

$2.43 ₱154

-37.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$9.04

$1.14 ₱72.3

45.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.19

$1.99 ₱126

-42.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.41

$3.35 ₱213

-70.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.52

$1.24 ₱78.6

-47.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.25

$0.71 ₱45.03

-15.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$15.20

$2.46 ₱156

13.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$40.67

$7.99 ₱507

-6.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.93

$1.27 ₱80.5

-14.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.69

$1.58 ₱100

47.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.87

$0.21 ₱13.33

328.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$288

$13.16 ₱836

302.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.34

$0.81 ₱51.4

44.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.24

$0.24 ₱15.32

225.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$45.51

$1.83 ₱116

357.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.59

$1.22 ₱77.2

-0.82%

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

$21.5K R$116.7K

$21.3K ₱1.4M

0.61%

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

$31.1K R$169.3K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

63.47%

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

$124 R$677

$105 ₱6,661

18.65%

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

$10.03 R$54.6

$19.14 ₱1,215

-47.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$114

$30.17 ₱1,916

-30.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$154

$34.37 ₱2,183

-17.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$159

$3.44 ₱218

752.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$41.41

$4.75 ₱302

60.42%

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

$563 R$3,061

$104 ₱6,623

439.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$65.5K

$7,536 ₱478.6K

59.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$213

$61.0 ₱3,877

-35.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$252

$30.74 ₱1,952

50.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$372

$69.7 ₱4,425

-1.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$345

$60.1 ₱3,816

5.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,220

$350 ₱22.2K

121.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,573

$229 ₱14.6K

106.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,562

$723 ₱45.9K

92.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$4,018

$404 ₱25.6K

83.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.4K

$1,584 ₱100.6K

114.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,537

$1,364 ₱86.6K

15.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,245

$207 ₱13.1K

188.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

8.31

43.56%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 25, 2026

Last update for Davao: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Davao

$229 27.3% 51.6% $244

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Davao

$197 23.5% 1.9% $3.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Davao

$154 18.4% 0.8% $1.2

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Davao

$99 11.8% 34.2% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Davao

$100 11.9% 1.9% $1.9

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Davao

$16 1.9% 74% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Davao

$44 5.2% 0.7% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $776 in Rio de Janeiro and $350 in Davao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Rio de Janeiro vs $26 in Davao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $197 per month, with Davao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇵🇭 Davao

🕒 Local time

14:33 2:33 PM

01:33 1:33 AM

11 h ahead of Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

1,632,991

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.165 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.51 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 70.87 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Davao 17,890 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Davao

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 Davao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Davao is about 29% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Rio de Janeiro is about 2.9 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: $776 in Rio de Janeiro versus $350 in Davao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $563 in Rio de Janeiro versus $104 in Davao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Davao – a meal for two runs $26 versus $37 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $839 in Davao versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Davao but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Davao the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

It comes down to priorities – Davao wins on affordability, Rio de Janeiro on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.