Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Governador Valadares

For one person, living is cheaper in Governador Valadares: $672 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Governador Valadares
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Governador Valadares Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Governador Valadares

🇧🇷 Brazil

$672

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Governador Valadares

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro versus $672 in Governador Valadares.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Governador Valadares $672

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,092 in Governador Valadares.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Governador Valadares $1,092

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,511 in Governador Valadares.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Governador Valadares $1,511

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 76% more expensive than in Governador Valadares, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 13% lower, Governador Valadares 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$48.86

$4.56 R$24.54

99.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$200

$25.77 R$139

44.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$43.15

$8.40 R$45.23

-4.52%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.78

$2.02 R$10.90

8.42%

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

$1.46 R$7.87

$1.02 R$5.49

43.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.31

$0.36 R$1.92

175.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.91

$1.50 R$8.10

35.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.55

$2.18 R$11.76

58.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.70

$0.84 R$4.54

26.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.68

$1.42 R$7.63

39.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.32

$1.70 R$9.14

-31.18%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.88

$2.02 R$10.86

9.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$54.4

$7.46 R$40.13

35.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.15

$3.64 R$19.57

13.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.36

$5.92 R$31.85

54.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.63

$1.81 R$9.75

50.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.21

$1.13 R$6.10

51.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.23

$1.17 R$6.30

30.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$8.94

$1.49 R$8.00

11.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.13

$1.01 R$5.44

12.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.35

$0.88 R$4.76

12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.48

$0.76 R$4.06

-14.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.22

$0.76 R$4.10

-21.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$15.04

$1.11 R$5.95

151.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$40.25

$6.22 R$33.45

20.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.87

$1.25 R$6.70

-12.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.56

$2.51 R$13.49

-7.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.82

$0.88 R$4.73

2.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$285

$27.86 R$150

90.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.28

$0.89 R$4.78

31.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.20

$0.68 R$3.64

14.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$45.05

$5.85 R$31.47

43.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.53

$1.08 R$5.82

12.04%

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

$21.5K R$115.5K

$21.8K R$117.1K

-1.37%

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

$31.1K R$167.6K

$25.4K R$136.7K

22.55%

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

$124 R$670

$47.30 R$255

163.13%

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

$10.03 R$54.0

$7.27 R$39.13

37.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$112

$19.63 R$106

6.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$153

$22.36 R$120

26.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$158

$28.27 R$152

3.75%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$40.99

$7.60 R$40.92

0.26%

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

$563 R$3,029

$113 R$607

398.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$64.8K

$13.0K R$69.8K

-7.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$211

$20.98 R$113

87.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$250

$37.76 R$203

22.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$368

$91.2 R$491

-24.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$341

$66.2 R$356

-4.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,177

$225 R$1,210

245.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,547

$160 R$860

196.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,485

$410 R$2,205

239.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$3,977

$332 R$1,788

122.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.3K

$1,281 R$6,893

164.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,450

$1,410 R$7,586

11.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,212

$334 R$1,798

78.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.25

6.04%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 25, 2026

Last update for Governador Valadares: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Governador Valadares

$160 23.8% 66.2% $313

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Governador Valadares

$164 24.5% 18.2% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Governador Valadares

$74 11% 52.2% $81

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Governador Valadares

$103 15.4% 31% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Governador Valadares

$97 14.5% 0.6% $0.6

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Governador Valadares

$36 5.3% 42.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Governador Valadares

$38 5.6% 13.8% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $776 in Rio de Janeiro and $225 in Governador Valadares. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 79% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Rio de Janeiro vs $26 in Governador Valadares for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $164 per month, with Governador Valadares cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Governador Valadares

🕒 Local time

10:24 10:24 AM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

257,171

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Governador Valadares: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Governador Valadares is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 79% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $776 in Rio de Janeiro versus $225 in Governador Valadares. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Rio de Janeiro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Governador Valadares – a meal for two runs $26 versus $37 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $672 in Governador Valadares versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Governador Valadares but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Governador Valadares 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 Governador Valadares gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.