Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Erie, PA

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $2,146 in Erie, PA, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Erie, PA
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Erie, PA Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Erie, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,146

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Erie, PA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,146 in Erie, PA.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Erie, PA $2,146

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,039 in Erie, PA.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Erie, PA $3,039

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,932 in Erie, PA.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Erie, PA $3,932

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 40% less than in Erie, PA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 4% below, Erie, PA is 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.69

$22.35 $22.35

-55.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$76.0 $76.0

-46.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.23

$9.95 $9.95

-14.77%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.77

$5.06 $5.06

-53.36%

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

$1.63 R$8.11

$2.40 $2.40

-32.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.05

$1.96 $1.96

-48.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.15

$4.24 $4.24

-42.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.38

$3.94 $3.94

-6.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.70

$0.81 $0.81

41.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.31

$3.46 $3.46

-40.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.40

$2.13 $2.13

-39.44%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.29

$2.94 $2.94

-22.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.7

$10.47 $10.47

5.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.44

$7.84 $7.84

-45.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.49

$15.24 $15.24

-36.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.07

$3.79 $3.79

-25.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.14

$1.21 $1.21

52.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.94

$5.16 $5.16

-68.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$8.97

$4.84 $4.84

-62.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.26

$2.62 $2.62

-51.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.32

$4.19 $4.19

-74.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.74

$2.06 $2.06

-63.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.28

$2.17 $2.17

-69.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.16

$11.90 $11.90

-74.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.72

$9.95 $9.95

-17.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.90

$1.68 $1.68

-29.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.88

$2.86 $2.86

-16.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.04

$1.66 $1.66

-39.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

$52.2 $52.2

-3.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.31

$2.46 $2.46

-48.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.50

$1.85 $1.85

-51.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$46.99

$20.67 $20.67

-54.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.63

$1.11 $1.11

19.82%

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

$23.4K R$116.6K

$30.5K $30.5K

-23.24%

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

$33.6K R$167.1K

$26.0K $26.0K

29.14%

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

$134 R$664

$144 $144

-7.30%

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

$12.23 R$60.9

$38.19 $38.19

-67.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$69.8 $69.8

-67.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$157

$28.36 $28.36

11.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

$9.01 $9.01

242.62%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$40.95

$11.90 $11.90

-30.84%

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

$603 R$3,002

$1,361 $1,361

-55.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$65.9K

$29.7K $29.7K

-55.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$207

$41.04 $41.04

1.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$32.90 $32.90

51.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$373

$85.3 $85.3

-12.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$340

$86.5 $86.5

-21.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,506

$757 $757

19.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,625

$1,008 $1,008

-47.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,700

$1,288 $1,288

4.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,854

$1,392 $1,392

-44.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.8K

$1,543 $1,543

157.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,775

$1,546 $1,546

1.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,200

$3,023 $3,023

-78.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.54

82.42%

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 Erie, PA: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Erie, PA

$1K 47% 91% $480

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Erie, PA

$335 15.6% 56.1% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Erie, PA

$252 11.8% 49.6% $84

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Erie, PA

$316 14.7% 92.8% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Erie, PA

$111 5.2% 4.6% $4.9

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Erie, PA

$70 3.3% 17.5% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Erie, PA

$52 2.4% 8.6% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $905 in Rio de Janeiro and $757 in Erie, PA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Erie, PA pays 370% 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 $76.0 in Erie, PA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $335 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇺🇸 Erie, PA

🕒 Local time

22:10 10:10 PM

21:10 9:10 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

97,263

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.201 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 11, 2026: 1 USD = 4.98 BRL (1 BRL = 0.201 USD). 1 EUR = 5.58 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Erie, PA 8,160 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Erie, PA

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 Erie, PA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 67% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 370% lower in Erie, PA. 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: $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $757 in Erie, PA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Rio de Janeiro runs roughly 4% less than in Erie, PA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $603 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,361 in Erie, PA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,146 in Erie, PA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Erie, PA. 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 Erie, PA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Rio de Janeiro and Erie, PA are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Erie, PA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.