Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Helena, MT

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $3,107 in Helena, MT, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
153

Cost of Living Index in Helena, MT
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Helena, MT Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Helena, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$3,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Helena, MT

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,107 in Helena, MT.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Helena, MT $3,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro versus $4,494 in Helena, MT.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Helena, MT $4,494

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro versus $5,882 in Helena, MT.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Helena, MT $5,882

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 59% less than in Helena, MT, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 4% below, Helena, MT is 132% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$21.52 $21.52

-53.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$101 $101

-60.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$17.96 $17.96

-52.78%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$4.99 $4.99

-52.71%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$2.21 $2.21

-26.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$1.72 $1.72

-41.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$4.92 $4.92

-50.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$6.83 $6.83

-45.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$1.07 $1.07

7.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$3.71 $3.71

-44.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$4.45 $4.45

-71.01%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$3.76 $3.76

-39.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$17.68 $17.68

-37.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$8.78 $8.78

-50.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$20.13 $20.13

-51.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$4.58 $4.58

-38.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$1.82 $1.82

1.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$4.62 $4.62

-65.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$3.98 $3.98

-54.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$2.15 $2.15

-41.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$1.54 $1.54

-30.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$1.65 $1.65

-54.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$1.56 $1.56

-57.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$10.39 $10.39

-70.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$12.78 $12.78

-35.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$1.69 $1.69

-29.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$2.49 $2.49

-4.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

$3.58 $3.58

-71.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

$59.2 $59.2

-15.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

$10.03 $10.03

-87.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

$3.33 $3.33

-72.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

$44.80 $44.80

-78.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$0.99 $0.99

34.34%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

$36.1K $36.1K

-35.03%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$31.1K $31.1K

7.98%

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

$134 R$666

$369 $369

-63.84%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$68.1 $68.1

-82.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$93.0 $93.0

-75.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$52.0 $52.0

-39.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

$14.90 $14.90

107.18%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$12.19 $12.19

-32.49%

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

$603 R$3,011

$1,962 $1,962

-69.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

$27.6K $27.6K

-52.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$65.4 $65.4

-36.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$120 $120

-58.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$81.0 $81.0

-7.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$121 $121

-43.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

$1,756 $1,756

-48.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

$1,547 $1,547

-65.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

$2,940 $2,940

-54.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

$2,450 $2,450

-68.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

$3,548 $3,548

12.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

$2,944 $2,944

-46.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

$6,710 $6,710

-90.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.56

81.86%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026

Last update for Helena, MT: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Helena, MT

$1.5K 49.1% 193% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Helena, MT

$384 12.2% 78.9% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Helena, MT

$530 16.8% 215% $362

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Helena, MT

$340 10.8% 107% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Helena, MT

$175 5.5% 65.1% $69

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Helena, MT

$100 3.2% 67% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Helena, MT

$76 2.4% 59.1% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $905 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,756 in Helena, MT. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Helena, MT pays 944% 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: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $101 in Helena, MT for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $384 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇺🇸 Helena, MT

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

08:04 8:04 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

32,091

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Helena, MT 10,350 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Helena, MT

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 Helena, MT: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Helena, MT differ by about 142% in total monthly costs ($1,285 vs $3,107 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 944% lower in Helena, MT. 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: $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,756 in Helena, MT. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $603 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,962 in Helena, MT. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 79% higher in Helena, MT. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,107 in Helena, MT, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Helena, MT. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro 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.

Safety-wise, Rio de Janeiro and Helena, MT are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 142% less than in Helena, MT. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.