Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and El Salvador

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $1,466 in El Salvador, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Rio de Janeiro
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,285
/mo nomad
🇸🇻 El Salvador
$1,466
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Rio de Janeiro is 15% cheaper than El Salvador without rent, and 12.4% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Rio de Janeiro is 9.9% cheaper than El Salvador without rent, and 7.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rio de Janeiro
El Salvador
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.98 R$49.83
$6.68 $6.68
49.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.34 R$201
$44.84 $44.84
-10.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.48 R$42.35
$7.08 $7.08
19.77%
Cappuccino
$2.36 R$11.80
$3.57 $3.57
-33.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 R$8.13
$1.14 $1.14
42.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.01 R$5.06
$0.92 $0.92
9.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.44 R$12.19
$2.03 $2.03
20.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.69 R$18.43
$3.49 $3.49
5.73%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rio de Janeiro
El Salvador
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 R$5.72
$1.84 $1.84
-37.50%
White Bread (500g)
$2.07 R$10.34
$2.40 $2.40
-13.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.29 R$6.42
$1.55 $1.55
-16.77%
Eggs
$2.27 R$11.32
$2.76 $2.76
-17.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.00 R$54.9
$7.61 $7.61
44.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.31 R$21.51
$5.95 $5.95
-27.56%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.74 R$48.63
$8.99 $8.99
8.34%
Apples (1kg)
$2.83 R$14.12
$3.81 $3.81
-25.72%
Banana (1kg)
$1.84 R$9.17
$1.74 $1.74
5.75%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 R$7.96
$2.96 $2.96
-45.95%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 R$9.00
$2.93 $2.93
-38.57%
Potato (1kg)
$1.26 R$6.28
$2.85 $2.85
-55.79%
Onion (1kg)
$1.07 R$5.34
$2.32 $2.32
-53.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.75 R$3.75
$0.97 $0.97
-22.68%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 R$3.29
$0.95 $0.95
-30.53%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.05 R$15.21
$3.97 $3.97
-23.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.18 R$40.84
$11.90 $11.90
-31.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.19 R$5.92
$1.90 $1.90
-37.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.39 R$11.92
$2.77 $2.77
-13.72%
🚌 Getting Around
Rio de Janeiro
El Salvador
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.01 R$5.06
$0.36 $0.36
180.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$50.2 R$250
$35.46 $35.46
41.43%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 R$6.33
$6.51 $6.51
-80.49%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.90 R$4.51
$3.09 $3.09
-70.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.44 R$47.13
$20.04 $20.04
-52.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.33 R$6.65
$1.19 $1.19
11.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.4K R$117.0K
$25.2K $25.2K
-7.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.6K R$167.6K
$28.3K $28.3K
18.65%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rio de Janeiro
El Salvador
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$134 R$666
$104 $104
28.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.23 R$61.0
$22.38 $22.38
-45.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.65 R$113
$41.65 $41.65
-45.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rio de Janeiro
El Salvador
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.56 R$158
$31.73 $31.73
-0.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$30.87 R$154
$16.60 $16.60
85.96%
Cinema Ticket
$8.23 R$41.07
$4.96 $4.96
65.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rio de Janeiro
El Salvador
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$603 R$3,011
$167 $167
261.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.2K R$66.1K
$4,427 $4,427
199.11%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rio de Janeiro
El Salvador
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$41.62 R$208
$63.2 $63.2
-34.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.94 R$249
$49.16 $49.16
1.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.0 R$375
$119 $119
-37.05%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$68.3 R$341
$103 $103
-33.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rio de Janeiro
El Salvador
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$905 R$4,519
$733 $733
23.51%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$527 R$2,633
$655 $655
-19.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,346 R$6,720
$1,261 $1,261
6.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$774 R$3,865
$881 $881
-12.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,981 R$19.9K
$2,730 $2,730
45.83%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,562 R$7,798
$1,601 $1,601
-2.44%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rio de Janeiro
El Salvador
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$643 R$3,210
$440 $440
46.23%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.93
8.48
40.68%

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 El Salvador: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Rio de Janeiro
$527
El Salvador
$655 24.2% $128
Groceries & Markets
Rio de Janeiro
$215
El Salvador
$262 22.3% $48
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rio de Janeiro
$168
El Salvador
$168 0.1% $0.2
Eating Out
Rio de Janeiro
$164
El Salvador
$143 12.8% $21
Clothing & Footwear
Rio de Janeiro
$106
El Salvador
$150 42.3% $45
Getting Around
Rio de Janeiro
$60
El Salvador
$59 1.9% $1.1
Sport & Entertainment
Rio de Janeiro
$48
El Salvador
$42 13.3% $6.4
Good to know
🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro
🇸🇻 El Salvador
🕒 Local time
10:02 10:02 AM
07:02 7:02 AM
3 h behind Rio de Janeiro
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
6,211,223
6,029,976
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Rio de Janeiro El Salvador 6,450 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Rio de Janeiro
  • El Salvador

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

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