Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and El Dorado, AR

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $1,746 in El Dorado, AR, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in El Dorado, AR
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El Dorado, AR Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

El Dorado, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$1,746

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in El Dorado, AR

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,746 in El Dorado, AR.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
El Dorado, AR $1,746

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,547 in El Dorado, AR.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
El Dorado, AR $2,547

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,348 in El Dorado, AR.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
El Dorado, AR $3,348

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 27% less than in El Dorado, AR, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 6% below, El Dorado, AR is 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$17.29 $17.29

-45.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$59.0 $59.0

-32.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$10.86 $10.86

-23.20%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$5.04 $5.04

-54.56%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$3.04 $3.04

-47.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$2.41 $2.41

-58.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$4.95 $4.95

-56.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$6.31 $6.31

-42.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.10 $1.10

2.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$2.70 $2.70

-22.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$2.80 $2.80

-55.36%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$3.36 $3.36

-33.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$10.17 $10.17

7.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$11.99 $11.99

-63.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$22.50 $22.50

-57.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$4.31 $4.31

-33.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.45 $1.45

24.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$4.48 $4.48

-64.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$3.76 $3.76

-51.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.57 $1.57

-23.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$2.51 $2.51

-57.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$1.92 $1.92

-60.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$1.84 $1.84

-63.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$9.36 $9.36

-68.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$13.55 $13.55

-41.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$1.77 $1.77

-33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$1.69 $1.69

43.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$1.81 $1.81

-48.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$2.46 $2.46

-51.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$1.52 $1.52

-45.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$24.11 $24.11

-62.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$0.92 $0.92

40.22%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$26.7K $26.7K

-14.78%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$26.3K $26.3K

29.04%

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

$134 R$681

$134 $134

0.59%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$59.8 $59.8

-82.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$39.23 $39.23

-41.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$42.36 $42.36

-28.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$9.09 $9.09

-14.96%

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

$584 R$2,960

$1,036 $1,036

-43.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$19.1K $19.1K

-33.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$50.9 $50.9

-19.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$34.32 $34.32

43.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$79.1 $79.1

-6.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$61.0 $61.0

8.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$1,537 $1,537

-41.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$678 $678

-22.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$1,892 $1,892

-29.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$941 $941

-20.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$1,185 $1,185

236.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$1,146 $1,146

36.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

$4,169 $4,169

-84.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.75

76.74%

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 El Dorado, AR: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

El Dorado, AR

$678 38.8% 28.5% $150

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

El Dorado, AR

$366 21% 71.4% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

El Dorado, AR

$233 13.3% 38.5% $65

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

El Dorado, AR

$291 16.6% 86.3% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

El Dorado, AR

$101 5.8% 2.1% $2.1

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

El Dorado, AR

$17 * 1% 70.9% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

El Dorado, AR

$61 3.5% 32.7% $15

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 $1,537 in El Dorado, AR. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

El Dorado, AR pays 551% 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 $59.0 in El Dorado, AR for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $366 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇺🇸 El Dorado, AR

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

10:32 10:32 AM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

17,756

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 22, 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro El Dorado, AR 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
El Dorado, AR

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 Dorado, AR: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 37% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 551% lower in El Dorado, AR. 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: $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,537 in El Dorado, AR. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 71% higher in El Dorado, AR. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,273 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,746 in El Dorado, AR – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,746 in El Dorado, AR, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in El Dorado, AR. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in El Dorado, AR. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.