Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Guadalupe

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $1,594 in Guadalupe, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Guadalupe
Learn more

Guadalupe Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Guadalupe

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,594 in Guadalupe, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Guadalupe $1,594

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,489 in Guadalupe, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Guadalupe $2,489

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,383 in Guadalupe, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Guadalupe $3,383

Rio de Janeiro is about 19% cheaper than Guadalupe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Rio de Janeiro sits 5% below the global median, while Guadalupe is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$10.85 ₡4,865

-7.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$33.22 ₡14.9K

21.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$8.74 ₡3,919

-2.17%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.30 ₡1,481

-27.88%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$2.24 ₡1,005

-28.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.92 ₡862

-46.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$3.36 ₡1,505

-26.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$4.48 ₡2,009

-17.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$2.23 ₡1,000

-46.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$3.07 ₡1,379

-33.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$2.41 ₡1,079

-46.89%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$3.54 ₡1,588

-35.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$9.62 ₡4,316

11.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$10.09 ₡4,527

-56.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$13.77 ₡6,177

-28.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$5.24 ₡2,350

-46.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.62 ₡729

9.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$4.74 ₡2,126

-66.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$3.85 ₡1,727

-53.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$3.86 ₡1,730

-68.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$3.58 ₡1,606

-70.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$1.13 ₡507

-31.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$3.22 ₡1,446

-79.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$4.29 ₡1,922

-29.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$19.92 ₡8,935

-59.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$2.77 ₡1,241

-57.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$3.70 ₡1,661

-32.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$1.27 ₡568

-22.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.03 ₡911

-39.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.64 ₡733

-43.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$8.75 ₡3,923

2.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.46 ₡656

-10.96%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$22.2K ₡10.0M

7.41%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$35.1K ₡15.8M

-6.45%

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

$133 R$676

$36.06 ₡16.2K

269.94%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$26.07 ₡11.7K

-58.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$54.7 ₡24.5K

-58.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-57.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$7.82 ₡3,506

2.94%

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

$598 R$3,029

$982 ₡440.4K

-39.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$17.2K ₡7.7M

-21.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$70.7 ₡31.7K

-40.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$44.20 ₡19.8K

12.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$129 ₡57.9K

-42.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$99.8 ₡44.7K

-31.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$795 ₡356.5K

13.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$630 ₡282.6K

-15.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$1,902 ₡853.1K

-30.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$1,243 ₡557.7K

-39.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$1,209 ₡542.1K

-47.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

8.62

38.40%

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 Guadalupe: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Guadalupe

$630 39.5% 19% $101

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Guadalupe

$395 24.8% 83.9% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Guadalupe

$117 7.3% 30.1% $50

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Guadalupe

$195 12.2% 18.2% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Guadalupe

$155 9.7% 46.4% $49

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Guadalupe

$15 * 1% 74.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Guadalupe

$87 5.5% 86% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $795 in Guadalupe. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 89% higher in Guadalupe, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $33.00 in Guadalupe. Groceries tell a different story – $215 in Rio de Janeiro vs $395 in Guadalupe – so Rio de Janeiro wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇷 Guadalupe

🕒 Local time

11:47 11:47 AM

08:47 8:47 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

23,000

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Guadalupe 5,750 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Guadalupe

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 Guadalupe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, $1,594 in Guadalupe – roughly 24% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $2,391 in Guadalupe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rio de Janeiro, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro and $33.00 in Guadalupe. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 84% more in Guadalupe, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,289, than in Guadalupe at $1,594. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guadalupe it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Rio de Janeiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro to $1,594 in Guadalupe. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Rio de Janeiro. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Guadalupe makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.