Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Desamparados

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $1,689 in Desamparados, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Desamparados
Learn more

Desamparados Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Desamparados

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,689 in Desamparados, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Desamparados $1,689

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,670 in Desamparados, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Desamparados $2,670

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,651 in Desamparados, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Desamparados $3,651

Rio de Janeiro is about 24% cheaper than Desamparados, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Rio de Janeiro sits 5% below the global median, while Desamparados is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$12.26 ₡5,498

-17.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$52.4 ₡23.5K

-22.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$11.82 ₡5,303

-27.66%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$4.69 ₡2,101

-49.25%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$2.39 ₡1,072

-32.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.98 ₡889

-47.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$3.60 ₡1,617

-31.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$4.68 ₡2,097

-20.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$2.42 ₡1,087

-50.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.71 ₡1,217

-24.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$2.13 ₡954

-39.91%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$3.88 ₡1,740

-40.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$12.07 ₡5,412

-10.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$10.56 ₡4,736

-58.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$14.00 ₡6,279

-29.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$4.90 ₡2,200

-42.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.75 ₡785

1.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$3.61 ₡1,617

-55.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$3.24 ₡1,454

-44.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$3.49 ₡1,564

-65.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$3.33 ₡1,493

-68.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$1.05 ₡469

-26.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$2.86 ₡1,283

-76.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$5.63 ₡2,524

-46.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$15.39 ₡6,903

-47.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$2.26 ₡1,015

-47.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.84 ₡1,273

-11.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$1.32 ₡594

-25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.25 ₡1,008

-45.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.76 ₡788

-47.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$7.44 ₡3,337

20.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.54 ₡692

-15.58%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$21.5K ₡9.6M

11.06%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$30.9K ₡13.9M

6.32%

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

$133 R$676

$97.5 ₡43.7K

36.79%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$34.11 ₡15.3K

-68.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$56.3 ₡25.2K

-59.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$69.1 ₡31.0K

-55.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$7.96 ₡3,571

1.13%

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

$598 R$3,029

$919 ₡412.2K

-34.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$14.9K ₡6.7M

-9.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$76.9 ₡34.5K

-45.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$60.9 ₡27.3K

-18.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$133 ₡59.5K

-43.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$121 ₡54.4K

-43.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$854 ₡383.1K

5.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$613 ₡275.0K

-13.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$2,068 ₡927.3K

-35.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$1,243 ₡557.3K

-39.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

8.62

38.40%

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 Desamparados: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Desamparados

$613 36.3% 15.8% $84

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Desamparados

$375 22.2% 74.9% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Desamparados

$188 11.1% 12.4% $21

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Desamparados

$235 13.9% 42.2% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Desamparados

$176 10.4% 66.7% $71

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Desamparados

$16 * 1% 72.7% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Desamparados

$85 5% 81.4% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $854 in Desamparados. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $52.0 in Desamparados. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $375 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇷 Desamparados

🕒 Local time

12:08 12:08 PM

09:08 9:08 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

38,000

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Desamparados 5,750 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Desamparados

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 Desamparados: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, $1,689 in Desamparados – roughly 31% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $2,533 in Desamparados. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rio de Janeiro, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro and $52.0 in Desamparados. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 75% more in Desamparados, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,289, than in Desamparados at $1,689. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Desamparados it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Rio de Janeiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro to $1,689 in Desamparados. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Rio de Janeiro. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Desamparados makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.