Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Guarulhos

For one person, living is cheaper in Guarulhos: $964 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Guarulhos
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Guarulhos Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Guarulhos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$964

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,273 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $964 in Guarulhos, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Guarulhos $964

A couple spends around $1,841 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,764 in Guarulhos, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Guarulhos $1,764

A family of three spends $2,409 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,565 in Guarulhos, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Guarulhos $2,565

Rio de Janeiro costs about 32% more than Guarulhos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Guarulhos are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 6% lower, Guarulhos 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$8.69 R$44.06

7.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$40.01 R$203

-0.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$9.00 R$45.61

-7.33%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$2.46 R$12.50

-6.91%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$1.35 R$6.82

17.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$0.86 R$4.37

17.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$2.44 R$12.39

-12.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$3.88 R$19.65

-5.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.05 R$5.32

7.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$1.88 R$9.52

11.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$1.33 R$6.76

-6.02%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$2.46 R$12.47

-8.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$12.61 R$63.9

-13.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$4.79 R$24.27

-8.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$10.70 R$54.3

-10.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$2.38 R$12.07

19.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.72 R$8.71

5.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$1.53 R$7.74

3.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$1.53 R$7.76

19.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.26 R$6.40

-4.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$1.18 R$6.00

-10.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$0.98 R$4.97

-23.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$0.85 R$4.32

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$2.49 R$12.65

18.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$9.88 R$50.1

-19.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$1.50 R$7.62

-21.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$2.49 R$12.64

-2.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$1.24 R$6.30

-24.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

$105 R$532

-52.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.17 R$5.94

2.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$0.72 R$3.64

15.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$8.49 R$43.03

5.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.28 R$6.50

0.78%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$23.6K R$119.5K

-3.42%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$34.2K R$173.5K

-0.75%

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

$134 R$681

$91.6 R$465

46.57%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$14.98 R$75.9

-28.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$22.33 R$113

2.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$28.22 R$143

6.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$10.05 R$50.9

-23.08%

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

$584 R$2,960

$429 R$2,173

36.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$11.0K R$56.0K

15.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$65.1 R$330

-36.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$57.1 R$289

-13.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$92.2 R$467

-20.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$79.5 R$403

-17.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$349 R$1,770

157.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$158 R$801

233.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$995 R$5,042

33.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$768 R$3,895

-2.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$1,944 R$9,855

105.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$1,480 R$7,502

5.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

$378 R$1,914

69.63%

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 18, 2026

Last update for Guarulhos: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Guarulhos

$158 16.4% 70% $369

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Guarulhos

$227 23.5% 6.2% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Guarulhos

$129 13.4% 23.2% $39

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Guarulhos

$155 16.1% 0.7% $1

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Guarulhos

$132 13.7% 27.8% $29

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Guarulhos

$115 11.9% 92.9% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Guarulhos

$48 5% 5.9% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $349 in Guarulhos. 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 70% higher in Rio de Janeiro, 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 $40.00 in Guarulhos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $214 vs $227 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Guarulhos

🕒 Local time

15:01 3:01 PM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

1,291,771

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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 Guarulhos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro costs about 32% more than Guarulhos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,910 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,446 in Guarulhos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guarulhos, 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 $40.00 in Guarulhos. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro and $964 in Guarulhos. That's a gap of about 32%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Guarulhos, where all-in costs run around $964, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,273. In Guarulhos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Guarulhos costs $964 versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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