Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Des Plaines, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $3,073 in Des Plaines, IL, rent and utilities included – about $21,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
146

Cost of Living Index in Des Plaines, IL
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Des Plaines, IL Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Des Plaines, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Des Plaines, IL

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 Des Plaines, IL actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,073 in Des Plaines, IL.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Des Plaines, IL $3,073

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro versus $4,412 in Des Plaines, IL.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Des Plaines, IL $4,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro versus $5,750 in Des Plaines, IL.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Des Plaines, IL $5,750

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 58% less than in Des Plaines, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 4% below, Des Plaines, IL is 129% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$20.88 $20.88

-52.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$89.5 $89.5

-54.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$12.87 $12.87

-34.11%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$5.65 $5.65

-58.23%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$2.59 $2.59

-37.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$2.32 $2.32

-56.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$6.95 $6.95

-64.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$8.02 $8.02

-53.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$0.95 $0.95

21.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$3.49 $3.49

-40.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$4.23 $4.23

-69.50%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$4.16 $4.16

-45.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$14.67 $14.67

-25.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$13.02 $13.02

-66.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$18.95 $18.95

-48.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$4.75 $4.75

-40.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$1.63 $1.63

12.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$4.16 $4.16

-61.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$4.82 $4.82

-62.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$2.66 $2.66

-52.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$2.74 $2.74

-60.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$2.15 $2.15

-65.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$2.41 $2.41

-72.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$10.65 $10.65

-71.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$14.86 $14.86

-44.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$2.55 $2.55

-53.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$3.53 $3.53

-32.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

$2.02 $2.02

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

$60.8 $60.8

-17.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

$3.17 $3.17

-59.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

$1.37 $1.37

-34.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

$24.93 $24.93

-62.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$1.05 $1.05

26.67%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

$35.9K $35.9K

-34.77%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$24.8K $24.8K

35.24%

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

$134 R$666

$195 $195

-31.51%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$60.5 $60.5

-79.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$77.2 $77.2

-70.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$125 $125

-74.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

$40.72 $40.72

-24.19%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$15.16 $15.16

-45.71%

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

$603 R$3,011

$1,545 $1,545

-60.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

$23.5K $23.5K

-43.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$65.3 $65.3

-36.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$51.0 $51.0

-1.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$101 $101

-25.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$123 $123

-44.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

$2,093 $2,093

-56.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

$1,521 $1,521

-65.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

$3,861 $3,861

-65.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

$2,536 $2,536

-69.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

$3,174 $3,174

25.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

$2,521 $2,521

-38.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

$6,220 $6,220

-89.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.77

76.22%

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 Des Plaines, IL: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Des Plaines, IL

$1.5K 50.6% 188% $994

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Des Plaines, IL

$419 14% 95.1% $204

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Des Plaines, IL

$333 11.1% 97.5% $164

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Des Plaines, IL

$344 11.5% 110% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Des Plaines, IL

$153 5.1% 44.5% $47

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Des Plaines, IL

$79 2.6% 31.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Des Plaines, IL

$155 5.2% 223% $107

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $905 in Rio de Janeiro and $2,093 in Des Plaines, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Des Plaines, IL pays 867% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $89.0 in Des Plaines, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $419 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇺🇸 Des Plaines, IL

🕒 Local time

21:33 9:33 PM

19:33 7:33 PM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

60,675

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Des Plaines, IL 8,560 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Des Plaines, IL

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 Des Plaines, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Des Plaines, IL differ by about 139% in total monthly costs ($1,285 vs $3,073 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 867% lower in Des Plaines, IL. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,093 in Des Plaines, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 95% higher in Des Plaines, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $89.0 in Des Plaines, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,073 in Des Plaines, IL, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Des Plaines, IL. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro 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 Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 139% less than in Des Plaines, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.