Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Freeport

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $2,642 in Freeport, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Freeport
Learn more

Freeport Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Freeport

🇧🇸 Bahamas

$2,642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,642 in Freeport.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Freeport $2,642

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro versus $4,318 in Freeport.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Freeport $4,318

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro versus $5,994 in Freeport.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Freeport $5,994

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 51% less than in Freeport, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 4% below, Freeport is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$47.39 BSD 47.39

-78.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$101 BSD 101

-59.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$12.49 BSD 12.49

-32.11%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$6.53 BSD 6.53

-63.86%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$3.09 BSD 3.09

-47.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$2.81 BSD 2.81

-64.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$4.74 BSD 4.74

-48.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$7.16 BSD 7.16

-48.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$2.38 BSD 2.38

-51.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$5.47 BSD 5.47

-62.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$8.63 BSD 8.63

-85.05%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$8.82 BSD 8.82

-74.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$16.83 BSD 16.83

-34.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$6.94 BSD 6.94

-37.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$14.10 BSD 14.10

-30.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$10.02 BSD 10.02

-71.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$4.08 BSD 4.08

-54.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$9.91 BSD 9.91

-83.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$12.72 BSD 12.72

-85.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$4.43 BSD 4.43

-71.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$2.63 BSD 2.63

-59.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$4.33 BSD 4.33

-82.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$3.20 BSD 3.20

-79.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$15.05 BSD 15.05

-79.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$19.64 BSD 19.64

-58.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$4.60 BSD 4.60

-48.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

$1.85 BSD 1.85

-45.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

$2.98 BSD 2.98

-57.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

$3.05 BSD 3.05

-70.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

$98.8 BSD 98.8

-90.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$1.68 BSD 1.68

-20.83%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

$37.5K BSD 37.5K

-37.56%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$34.8K BSD 34.8K

-3.41%

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

$134 R$666

$278 BSD 278

-51.96%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$63.7 BSD 63.7

-80.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$66.2 BSD 66.2

-65.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$56.4 BSD 56.4

-44.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

$54.6 BSD 54.6

-43.41%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$18.08 BSD 18.08

-54.48%

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

$603 R$3,011

$575 BSD 575

4.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

$8,515 BSD 8,515

55.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$47.85 BSD 47.85

-13.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$92.6 BSD 92.6

-18.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$69.7 BSD 69.7

-1.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

$984 BSD 984

-7.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

$930 BSD 930

-43.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

$2,210 BSD 2,210

-39.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

$1,974 BSD 1,974

-60.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

$4,289 BSD 4,289

-7.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

$3,253 BSD 3,253

-51.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

$1,573 BSD 1,573

-59.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

12.72

-6.21%

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 Freeport: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Freeport

$930 34.7% 76.3% $402

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Freeport

$576 * 21.5% 169% $362

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Freeport

$408 15.2% 142% $239

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Freeport

$557 20.7% 240% $393

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Freeport

$95 * 3.5% 10.6% $11

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Freeport

$26 * 1% 57.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Freeport

$93 3.5% 92.8% $45

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 $905 in Rio de Janeiro and $984 in Freeport. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Freeport pays 145% 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 $101 in Freeport for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $576 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇸 Freeport

🕒 Local time

05:34 5:34 AM

04:34 4:34 AM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

45,945

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Bahamian Dollar BSD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 BSD = 1 USD

1 BSD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BSD, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Bahamian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1 BSD (1 BSD = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 BSD (1 BSD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Freeport 6,690 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Freeport

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 Freeport: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Freeport differ by about 106% in total monthly costs ($1,285 vs $2,642 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 145% lower in Freeport. 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 $984 in Freeport. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $603 in Rio de Janeiro versus $575 in Freeport. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $101 in Freeport. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,642 in Freeport, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Freeport. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 106% less than in Freeport. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.