Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Hefei

For one person, living is cheaper in Hefei: $768 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Hefei
Learn more

Hefei Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Hefei

🇨🇳 China

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $768 in Hefei.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Hefei $768

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,225 in Hefei.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Hefei $1,225

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,681 in Hefei.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Hefei $1,681

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 66% more expensive than in Hefei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 6% lower, Hefei 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$2.58 ¥17.28

263.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$22.44 ¥150

78.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$4.36 ¥29.18

91.28%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$2.75 ¥18.39

-16.73%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$0.49 ¥3.26

224.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$0.27 ¥1.80

274.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$1.06 ¥7.09

101.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$2.00 ¥13.35

83.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.62 ¥10.84

-30.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$2.06 ¥13.75

1.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$0.81 ¥5.42

54.32%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$1.92 ¥12.84

17.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$14.10 ¥94.3

-22.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$4.90 ¥32.76

-11.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$11.57 ¥77.3

-17.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$2.31 ¥15.45

23.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.72 ¥11.52

5.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$1.64 ¥10.95

-3.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$1.61 ¥10.79

13.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$0.80 ¥5.37

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$0.94 ¥6.26

12.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$0.79 ¥5.26

-5.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$0.70 ¥4.70

-2.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$3.08 ¥20.59

-4.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$12.16 ¥81.3

-34.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$0.93 ¥6.21

26.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$1.99 ¥13.28

21.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$0.31 ¥2.09

203.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

$45.22 ¥302

11.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.23 ¥8.21

-2.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$0.33 ¥2.20

151.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$3.51 ¥23.48

155.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.33 ¥8.91

-3.01%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$19.0K ¥127.2K

19.71%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$16.9K ¥112.9K

101.04%

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

$134 R$681

$48.54 ¥325

176.72%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$9.54 ¥63.8

12.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$12.08 ¥80.8

89.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$15.66 ¥105

92.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

$15.31 ¥102

105.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$6.41 ¥42.85

20.59%

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

$584 R$2,960

$236 ¥1,581

146.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$8,656 ¥57.9K

47.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$89.7 ¥600

-54.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$32.76 ¥219

50.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$62.7 ¥419

17.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$96.9 ¥648

-31.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$241 ¥1,609

273.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$179 ¥1,197

194.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$532 ¥3,558

150.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$340 ¥2,270

120.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$3,573 ¥23.9K

11.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$1,975 ¥13.2K

-21.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

$1,011 ¥6,763

-36.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

3.15

278.73%

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 Hefei: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Hefei

$179 23.3% 66.1% $348

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Hefei

$235 30.6% 9.7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Hefei

$70 9.1% 58.2% $98

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Hefei

$79 10.3% 49.3% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Hefei

$127 16.5% 22.6% $23

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Hefei

$49 6.4% 17% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Hefei

$28 3.7% 37.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $900 in Rio de Janeiro and $241 in Hefei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hefei pays 58% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $22.00 in Hefei. Groceries flip the comparison at $214 vs $235, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇳 Hefei

🕒 Local time

07:51 7:51 AM

18:51 6:51 PM

11 h ahead of Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

9,369,881

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Hefei 17,850 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Hefei

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 Hefei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hefei wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Rio de Janeiro. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hefei the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 58% lower in Hefei. 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: $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $241 in Hefei. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Hefei – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,273 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $768 in Hefei – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $768 in Hefei versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hefei but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Hefei the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Hefei delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $768 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Hefei hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Hefei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.