Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Guarapuava

For one person, living is cheaper in Guarapuava: $742 a month against $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Guarapuava
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Guarapuava Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,185

/mo nomad

Guarapuava

🇧🇷 Brazil

$742

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro versus $742 in Guarapuava.

Rio de Janeiro $1,185
Guarapuava $742

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,737 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,202 in Guarapuava.

Rio de Janeiro $1,737
Guarapuava $1,202

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,662 in Guarapuava.

Rio de Janeiro $2,289
Guarapuava $1,662

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 60% more expensive than in Guarapuava, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 12% lower, Guarapuava 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.16 R$44.54

$4.63 R$25.28

76.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 R$203

$22.39 R$122

66.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 R$41.08

$6.39 R$34.89

17.68%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R$11.49

$1.90 R$10.36

10.53%

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

$1.36 R$7.44

$1.17 R$6.40

16.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$5.25

$0.74 R$4.06

29.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R$10.79

$1.53 R$8.34

29.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 R$17.80

$2.35 R$12.83

38.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.93

$1.09 R$5.94

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 R$10.19

$1.24 R$6.80

50.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.14

$1.16 R$6.34

-3.45%

Eggs

$2.20 R$12.03

$1.63 R$8.88

34.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.91 R$54.1

$7.25 R$39.59

36.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 R$22.44

$3.56 R$19.44

15.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 R$50.5

$8.13 R$44.40

13.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 R$14.15

$1.68 R$9.17

54.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R$9.21

$0.52 R$2.85

225.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.02

$0.88 R$4.81

67.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 R$9.37

$1.26 R$6.89

36.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.31

$1.08 R$5.87

7.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.45

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 R$3.59

$0.77 R$4.22

-14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R$3.33

$0.75 R$4.11

-18.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 R$14.70

$2.44 R$13.31

10.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 R$39.33

$9.52 R$52.0

-24.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R$5.86

$2.00 R$10.91

-46.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 R$12.22

$2.27 R$12.37

-1.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.78

$0.96 R$5.24

-8.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.3 R$286

$42.04 R$230

24.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.44

$1.05 R$5.72

12.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 R$3.69

$1.05 R$5.72

-35.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 R$47.56

$2.53 R$13.84

244.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.54

$0.99 R$5.41

21.21%

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

$21.9K R$119.4K

$29.3K R$160.1K

-25.39%

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

$31.0K R$169.3K

$30.7K R$167.9K

0.85%

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

$126 R$686

$80.5 R$439

56.09%

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

$10.14 R$55.4

$8.17 R$44.62

24.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.95 R$114

$21.66 R$118

-3.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 R$156

$27.77 R$152

2.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.87 R$158

$14.15 R$77.3

104.03%

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 R$40.43

$5.47 R$29.86

35.28%

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

$537 R$2,932

$198 R$1,079

171.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K R$86.8K

$3,506 R$19.1K

353.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.68 R$211

$31.05 R$170

24.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R$246

$30.24 R$165

49.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 R$375

$111 R$604

-38.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.1 R$350

$93.6 R$511

-31.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$4,192

$219 R$1,194

251.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 R$2,680

$152 R$828

223.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 R$7,964

$526 R$2,874

177.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R$4,056

$394 R$2,150

88.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,325 R$18.2K

$1,593 R$8,701

108.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R$8,475

$552 R$3,012

181.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 R$3,679

$457 R$2,497

47.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

10.5

13.62%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: November 3, 2026

Last update for Guarapuava: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$491 41.4%

Guarapuava

$152 20.4% 69.1% $339

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$198 16.7%

Guarapuava

$171 23% 13.8% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$157 13.2%

Guarapuava

$110 14.9% 29.6% $46

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$139 11.7%

Guarapuava

$99 13.3% 28.7% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$97 8.2%

Guarapuava

$119 16.1% 22.7% $22

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 5.1%

Guarapuava

$52 7% 13.6% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$43 3.7%

Guarapuava

$39 5.2% 10.7% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $768 in Rio de Janeiro and $219 in Guarapuava. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 47% 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: $37 in Rio de Janeiro vs $22 in Guarapuava for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $171 per month, with Guarapuava cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Guarapuava

🕒 Local time

12:48 12:48 PM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

182,093

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Rio de Janeiro Guarapuava 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Rio de Janeiro
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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 Guarapuava: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guarapuava wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Rio de Janeiro. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Guarapuava the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 47% 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: $768 in Rio de Janeiro versus $219 in Guarapuava. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $537 in Rio de Janeiro versus $198 in Guarapuava. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Rio de Janeiro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Guarapuava gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.