Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Dickinson, ND

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,508 in Dickinson, ND, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Rio de Janeiro
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,273
/mo nomad
Dickinson, ND
🇺🇸 United States
$2,508
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Dickinson, ND

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,508 in Dickinson, ND.

  • Rio de Janeiro $1,273
  • Dickinson, ND $2,508

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,696 in Dickinson, ND.

  • Rio de Janeiro $1,841
  • Dickinson, ND $3,696

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $4,885 in Dickinson, ND.

  • Rio de Janeiro $2,409
  • Dickinson, ND $4,885

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 49% less than in Dickinson, ND, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 6% below, Dickinson, ND is 85% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rio de Janeiro
Dickinson, ND
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.38 R$47.54
$19.67 $19.67
-52.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.00 R$203
$79.2 $79.2
-49.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.34 R$42.28
$11.62 $11.62
-28.23%
Cappuccino
$2.29 R$11.62
$4.85 $4.85
-52.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 R$8.05
$2.53 $2.53
-37.15%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.01 R$5.10
$2.10 $2.10
-51.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.14 R$10.85
$5.63 $5.63
-61.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 R$18.55
$6.59 $6.59
-44.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rio de Janeiro
Dickinson, ND
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.13 R$5.72
$1.06 $1.06
6.60%
White Bread (500g)
$2.09 R$10.60
$3.63 $3.63
-42.42%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.25 R$6.36
$2.94 $2.94
-57.48%
Eggs
$2.25 R$11.39
$4.10 $4.10
-45.12%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.92 R$55.3
$12.38 $12.38
-11.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.36 R$22.10
$11.75 $11.75
-62.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.60 R$48.66
$16.92 $16.92
-43.26%
Apples (1kg)
$2.85 R$14.46
$5.13 $5.13
-44.44%
Banana (1kg)
$1.81 R$9.16
$1.66 $1.66
9.04%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.58 R$8.02
$2.40 $2.40
-34.17%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.83 R$9.28
$4.74 $4.74
-61.39%
Potato (1kg)
$1.20 R$6.10
$2.76 $2.76
-56.52%
Onion (1kg)
$1.06 R$5.35
$2.94 $2.94
-63.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.75 R$3.81
$2.09 $2.09
-64.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.68 R$3.45
$2.20 $2.20
-69.09%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.94 R$14.90
$11.07 $11.07
-73.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.98 R$40.43
$14.79 $14.79
-46.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 R$5.98
$1.98 $1.98
-40.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 R$12.26
$3.45 $3.45
-29.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Rio de Janeiro
Dickinson, ND
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.94 R$4.78
$1.73 $1.73
-45.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$50.3 R$255
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.20 R$6.10
$2.70 $2.70
-55.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.83 R$4.20
$1.67 $1.67
-50.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.97 R$45.48
$27.78 $27.78
-67.71%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.29 R$6.53
$0.89 $0.89
44.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.8K R$115.5K
$25.9K $25.9K
-11.92%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.0K R$172.1K
$29.6K $29.6K
14.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rio de Janeiro
Dickinson, ND
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$134 R$681
$172 $172
-21.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.73 R$54.4
$54.3 $54.3
-80.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.84 R$116
$68.9 $68.9
-66.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rio de Janeiro
Dickinson, ND
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.16 R$153
$40.70 $40.70
-25.90%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$31.49 R$160
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.73 R$39.17
$15.04 $15.04
-48.60%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rio de Janeiro
Dickinson, ND
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$584 R$2,960
$1,399 $1,399
-58.28%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.8K R$64.9K
$24.8K $24.8K
-48.37%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rio de Janeiro
Dickinson, ND
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$41.12 R$208
$47.69 $47.69
-13.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.26 R$250
$46.07 $46.07
6.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.7 R$373
$85.2 $85.2
-13.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$65.9 R$334
$99.2 $99.2
-33.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rio de Janeiro
Dickinson, ND
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$900 R$4,561
$920 $920
-2.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$527 R$2,673
$1,303 $1,303
-59.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,332 R$6,754
$2,534 $2,534
-47.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$748 R$3,790
$2,166 $2,166
-65.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,990 R$20.2K
$1,616 $1,616
146.85%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,560 R$7,908
$1,571 $1,571
-0.71%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rio de Janeiro
Dickinson, ND
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$640 R$3,246
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.93
6.57
81.58%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Last update for Dickinson, ND: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Rio de Janeiro
$527
Dickinson, ND
$1.3K 147% $776
Groceries & Markets
Rio de Janeiro
$214
Dickinson, ND
$386 80.6% $172
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rio de Janeiro
$168
Dickinson, ND
$295 75.9% $127
Eating Out
Rio de Janeiro
$156
Dickinson, ND
$310 99% $154
Clothing & Footwear
Rio de Janeiro
$103
Dickinson, ND
$125 20.9% $22
Getting Around
Rio de Janeiro
$59
Dickinson, ND
$18 * 69.7% $41
Sport & Entertainment
Rio de Janeiro
$46
Dickinson, ND
$71 55.2% $25

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 $900 in Rio de Janeiro and $920 in Dickinson, ND. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $79.0 in Dickinson, ND for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $386 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro
🇺🇸 Dickinson, ND
🕒 Local time
21:50 9:50 PM
18:50 6:50 PM
3 h behind Rio de Janeiro
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
6,211,223
15,636
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Rio de Janeiro Dickinson, ND 9,790 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Rio de Janeiro
  • Dickinson, ND

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 Dickinson, ND: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dickinson, ND cheaper than Rio de Janeiro?
Rio de Janeiro is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 97% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $1,910 in Rio de Janeiro and $3,762 in Dickinson, ND to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Rio de Janeiro and Dickinson, ND?
Rent for a central apartment: $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $920 in Dickinson, ND. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Rio de Janeiro and in Dickinson, ND?
Supermarket bills run roughly 81% higher in Dickinson, ND. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Rio de Janeiro and in Dickinson, ND?
All in, you'll spend $1,273 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,508 in Dickinson, ND – a 97% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Rio de Janeiro or in Dickinson, ND?
At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,508 in Dickinson, ND, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Dickinson, ND. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Rio de Janeiro or Dickinson, ND more family-friendly?
For families, Rio de Janeiro is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Dickinson, ND, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Rio de Janeiro or Dickinson, ND?
Safety-wise, Rio de Janeiro and Dickinson, ND are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 97% less than in Dickinson, ND. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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