Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Ibarra

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibarra: $681 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Ibarra
Learn more

Ibarra Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Ibarra

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$681

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $681 in Ibarra.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Ibarra $681

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,128 in Ibarra.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Ibarra $1,128

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,576 in Ibarra.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Ibarra $1,576

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 87% more expensive than in Ibarra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 6% lower, Ibarra 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$2.55 $2.55

267.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$25.47 $25.47

57.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$5.77 $5.77

44.54%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$2.19 $2.19

4.57%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$1.08 $1.08

47.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$0.54 $0.54

87.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$1.98 $1.98

8.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$2.19 $2.19

67.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.00 $1.00

13.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$1.01 $1.01

106.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$1.49 $1.49

-16.11%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$2.08 $2.08

8.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$3.83 $3.83

185.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$5.59 $5.59

-22.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$7.69 $7.69

24.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$2.03 $2.03

40.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.24 $1.24

45.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$1.27 $1.27

24.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$0.86 $0.86

112.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$0.52 $0.52

130.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$1.03 $1.03

2.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$0.69 $0.69

8.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$0.99 $0.99

-31.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$2.91 $2.91

1.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$9.84 $9.84

-18.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$1.58 $1.58

-25.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$3.19 $3.19

-24.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$0.36 $0.36

161.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

$17.86 $17.86

181.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.47 $1.47

-18.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$1.54 $1.54

-46.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$9.90 $9.90

-9.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$0.68 $0.68

89.71%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$20.7K $20.7K

10.09%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$28.8K $28.8K

18.06%

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

$134 R$681

$28.49 $28.49

371.46%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$15.03 $15.03

-28.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$18.15 $18.15

25.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$30.39 $30.39

-0.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

$16.34 $16.34

92.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$6.21 $6.21

24.48%

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

$584 R$2,960

$112 $112

421.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$8,951 $8,951

43.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$59.1 $59.1

-30.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$44.78 $44.78

10.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$91.5 $91.5

-19.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$49.31 $49.31

33.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$223 $223

304.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$177 $177

198.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$733 $733

81.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$409 $409

82.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$1,199 $1,199

232.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$770 $770

102.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

$612 $612

4.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

10.12

17.89%

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 Ibarra: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Ibarra

$177 26% 66.5% $351

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Ibarra

$176 25.9% 17.6% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Ibarra

$62 9.1% 63.3% $106

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Ibarra

$85 12.5% 45.6% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Ibarra

$110 16.2% 6.4% $6.6

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Ibarra

$29 4.2% 52% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Ibarra

$43 6.3% 6.1% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $900 in Rio de Janeiro and $223 in Ibarra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 5% 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 $25.00 in Ibarra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $176 per month, with Ibarra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇪🇨 Ibarra

🕒 Local time

19:59 7:59 PM

17:59 5:59 PM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

108,666

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Ibarra 4,580 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Ibarra

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 Ibarra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ibarra wins on cost – living expenses run 87% lower than in Rio de Janeiro. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ibarra the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 5% 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: $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $223 in Ibarra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Rio de Janeiro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Ibarra – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $681 in Ibarra versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ibarra but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Ibarra the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ibarra delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $681 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ibarra hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Ibarra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 87% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.