Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and El Alto

For one person, living is cheaper in El Alto: $291 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
14

Cost of Living Index in El Alto
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El Alto Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

El Alto

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$291

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in El Alto

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $291 in El Alto, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
El Alto $291

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $456 in El Alto, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
El Alto $456

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $621 in El Alto, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
El Alto $621

Rio de Janeiro costs about 344% more than El Alto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rio de Janeiro and El Alto are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, El Alto 78% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$1.16 BOB 13.52

767.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$9.21 BOB 107

339.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$4.00 BOB 46.42

113.75%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$1.70 BOB 19.73

40.00%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$0.67 BOB 7.75

140.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.43 BOB 4.96

139.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$1.29 BOB 14.97

91.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$2.39 BOB 27.74

54.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$0.70 BOB 8.09

70.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$0.83 BOB 9.64

146.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$0.74 BOB 8.57

72.97%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$1.24 BOB 14.43

84.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$3.51 BOB 40.80

206.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$3.38 BOB 39.27

30.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$4.43 BOB 51.5

122.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$1.69 BOB 19.58

66.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$0.50 BOB 5.79

256.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$0.48 BOB 5.60

233.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$0.78 BOB 9.09

130.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$0.54 BOB 6.31

125.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$0.52 BOB 6.06

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$0.54 BOB 6.27

42.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$0.66 BOB 7.67

1.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$1.84 BOB 21.31

63.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$2.98 BOB 34.65

171.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.34 BOB 15.52

-11.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$1.59 BOB 18.50

57.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.18 BOB 2.07

450.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$1.06 BOB 12.32

15.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$0.86 BOB 10.04

6.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$8.28 BOB 96.1

8.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$0.50 BOB 5.81

160.00%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$9,370 BOB 108.8K

154.79%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$11.9K BOB 137.7K

177.10%

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

$133 R$676

$23.13 BOB 269

476.74%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$14.37 BOB 167

-24.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$18.60 BOB 216

23.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$4.04 BOB 46.86

99.26%

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

$598 R$3,029

$126 BOB 1,458

375.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$1,328 BOB 15.4K

910.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$15.73 BOB 183

167.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$25.24 BOB 293

96.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$41.68 BOB 484

78.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$35.48 BOB 412

93.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

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

7.94

50.25%

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 El Alto: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

El Alto

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

El Alto

$110 37.8% 48.8% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

El Alto

$56 19.3% 66.4% $111

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

El Alto

$57 19.7% 65.3% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

El Alto

$53 18.3% 49.7% $53

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

El Alto

$6.1 * 2.1% 89.8% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

El Alto

$8.1 * 2.8% 82.8% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $9.00 in El Alto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $110 – making El Alto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇴 El Alto

🕒 Local time

19:34 7:34 PM

18:34 6:34 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

405,492

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Bolivian Boliviano BOB Bs.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

100 BOB = 8.61 USD

100 BOB = 7.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BOB, 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).

Bolivian Boliviano exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 11.61 BOB (100 BOB = 8.61 USD). 1 EUR = 13.05 BOB (100 BOB = 7.66 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro El Alto 2,700 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
El Alto

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 El Alto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, $291 in El Alto – roughly 344% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $436 in El Alto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro and $291 in El Alto. That's a gap of about 344%.

Kindergarten costs $598 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $126 in El Alto. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in El Alto, where all-in costs run around $291, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In El Alto it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro 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 $291 in El Alto to $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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