Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Foshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Foshan: $777 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Foshan
Learn more

Foshan Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Foshan

🇨🇳 China

$777

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Foshan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $777 in Foshan.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Foshan $777

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,242 in Foshan.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Foshan $1,242

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,708 in Foshan.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Foshan $1,708

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 66% more expensive than in Foshan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Foshan 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$3.78 ¥25.26

166.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$22.79 ¥152

77.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$5.11 ¥34.19

67.32%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.07 ¥20.50

-22.48%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$0.52 ¥3.49

209.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.31 ¥2.09

232.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$1.22 ¥8.17

102.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$1.89 ¥12.61

95.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.66 ¥11.11

-28.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$1.12 ¥7.48

83.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$0.92 ¥6.16

39.13%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$1.70 ¥11.38

34.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$16.68 ¥112

-35.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$3.92 ¥26.18

12.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$10.69 ¥71.5

-7.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$3.01 ¥20.16

-6.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.27 ¥8.51

40.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$1.90 ¥12.69

-15.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$1.63 ¥10.91

10.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.09 ¥7.27

11.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$0.95 ¥6.38

9.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$0.64 ¥4.26

20.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$0.50 ¥3.36

34.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$2.23 ¥14.89

34.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$10.23 ¥68.4

-21.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$0.93 ¥6.24

27.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$1.51 ¥10.13

66.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.31 ¥2.08

219.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$10.62 ¥71.0

371.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$1.52 ¥10.18

-19.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$0.47 ¥3.15

95.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$8.81 ¥58.9

1.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.22 ¥8.19

6.56%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$21.3K ¥142.3K

12.19%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$16.2K ¥108.3K

102.92%

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

$133 R$676

$84.5 ¥565

57.83%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$7.92 ¥53.0

36.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$15.69 ¥105

45.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$71.4 ¥477

-56.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$23.83 ¥159

33.66%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$5.31 ¥35.50

51.60%

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

$598 R$3,029

$457 ¥3,054

30.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$23.3K ¥155.8K

-42.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$42.21 ¥282

-0.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$18.76 ¥125

164.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$62.1 ¥415

20.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$91.8 ¥614

-25.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$304 ¥2,031

197.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$159 ¥1,061

233.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$596 ¥3,982

122.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$341 ¥2,279

121.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$4,329 ¥28.9K

-7.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$1,864 ¥12.5K

-16.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$802 ¥5,362

-20.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

3.83

211.49%

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 Foshan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Foshan

$159 20.4% 70% $371

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Foshan

$220 28.4% 2.7% $5.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Foshan

$108 13.9% 35.3% $59

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Foshan

$96 12.3% 42.1% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Foshan

$97 12.4% 8.5% $9

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Foshan

$16 2% 73.7% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Foshan

$82 10.6% 74.9% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $304 in Foshan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Foshan pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $23.00 in Foshan. Groceries flip the comparison at $215 vs $220, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇳 Foshan

🕒 Local time

22:13 10:13 PM

09:13 9:13 AM

11 h ahead of Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

9,498,863

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Foshan 17,590 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Foshan

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 Foshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Foshan is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 66% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Foshan. 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: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $304 in Foshan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Foshan runs roughly 372% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $598 in Rio de Janeiro versus $457 in Foshan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $777 in Foshan versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Foshan but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Foshan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Foshan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.