Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Ilheus

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilheus: $786 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Ilheus
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Ilheus Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Ilheus

🇧🇷 Brazil

$786

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,182 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $786 in Ilheus, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Ilheus $786

A couple spends around $1,750 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,283 in Ilheus, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Ilheus $1,283

A family of three spends $2,318 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,779 in Ilheus, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Ilheus $1,779

Rio de Janeiro costs about 50% more than Ilheus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Ilheus are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 13% lower, Ilheus 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$48.54

$3.91 R$20.90

132.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$199

$29.88 R$160

24.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$42.87

$7.47 R$39.93

7.36%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.71

$1.86 R$9.92

17.74%

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

$1.46 R$7.82

$1.16 R$6.19

25.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.27

$0.84 R$4.47

17.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.84

$1.73 R$9.25

17.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.43

$3.16 R$16.88

9.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.66

$1.05 R$5.61

0.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.61

$1.61 R$8.61

22.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.27

$1.22 R$6.52

-4.10%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.80

$2.00 R$10.71

10.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$54.1

$17.98 R$96.1

-43.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.00

$3.92 R$20.98

5.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.04

$7.37 R$39.41

24.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.54

$2.10 R$11.24

29.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.15

$1.18 R$6.31

44.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.18

$1.14 R$6.09

34.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$8.89

$1.50 R$8.00

10.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.09

$1.18 R$6.32

-3.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.32

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.46

$0.77 R$4.10

-15.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.20

$0.65 R$3.45

-7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$14.94

$2.30 R$12.28

21.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$39.99

$6.96 R$37.19

7.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.83

$1.10 R$5.89

-0.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.48

$1.97 R$10.51

18.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.79

$0.95 R$5.06

-5.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$283

$41.11 R$220

28.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.24

$1.08 R$5.79

8.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.17

$0.94 R$5.01

-17.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$44.75

$6.78 R$36.23

23.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.48

$1.13 R$6.06

7.08%

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

$21.5K R$114.8K

$20.8K R$111.2K

3.20%

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

$31.1K R$166.5K

$32.7K R$174.7K

-4.73%

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

$124 R$665

$70.8 R$379

75.79%

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

$10.03 R$53.7

$11.71 R$62.6

-14.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$112

$19.59 R$105

6.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$152

$24.68 R$132

14.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$157

$23.71 R$127

23.70%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$40.72

$6.50 R$34.73

17.23%

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

$563 R$3,010

$273 R$1,460

106.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$64.4K

$6,926 R$37.0K

73.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$210

$51.2 R$274

-23.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$248

$40.88 R$219

13.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$366

$86.8 R$464

-21.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$339

$64.4 R$344

-1.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,150

$209 R$1,118

271.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,530

$183 R$980

158.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,437

$530 R$2,834

162.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$3,951

$407 R$2,178

81.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.1K

$1,468 R$7,851

131.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,396

$1,234 R$6,600

27.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,192

$564 R$3,018

5.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

8.45%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ilheus: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Ilheus

$183 23.3% 61.3% $290

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Ilheus

$204 26% 1.8% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Ilheus

$102 13% 34.3% $53

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Ilheus

$99 12.6% 34% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Ilheus

$109 13.9% 11.8% $12

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Ilheus

$51 6.4% 17.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Ilheus

$38 4.8% 13.6% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $776 in Rio de Janeiro versus $209 in Ilheus. 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 6% 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 $37 in Rio de Janeiro versus $30 in Ilheus. Groceries tell a different story – $201 in Rio de Janeiro vs $204 in Ilheus – so Rio de Janeiro wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Ilheus

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

178,649

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Ilheus 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Ilheus

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 Ilheus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, $786 in Ilheus – roughly 50% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,774 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,180 in Ilheus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ilheus, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $209 there versus $776 in Rio de Janeiro.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Rio de Janeiro and $30 in Ilheus. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 22% less in Ilheus. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Families tend to lean toward Ilheus – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Ilheus. 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.