Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Ilopango

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $1,625 in Ilopango, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ilopango outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Ilopango
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Ilopango Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Ilopango

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,625 in Ilopango.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Ilopango $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,858 in Ilopango.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Ilopango $1,858

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,090 in Ilopango.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Ilopango $2,090

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 21% less than in Ilopango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 4% below, Ilopango is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$3.16 $3.16

215.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$44.12 $44.12

-8.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$5.04 $5.04

68.25%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$2.94 $2.94

-19.73%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$0.93 $0.93

75.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$0.97 $0.97

4.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$0.91 $0.91

168.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$1.75 $1.75

110.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$3.28 $3.28

-64.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$1.44 $1.44

43.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$3.07 $3.07

-57.98%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$2.92 $2.92

-22.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$5.02 $5.02

119.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$5.86 $5.86

-26.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$9.86 $9.86

-1.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$2.92 $2.92

-3.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$2.02 $2.02

-8.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$2.03 $2.03

-21.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$1.95 $1.95

-7.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$2.02 $2.02

-37.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$1.97 $1.97

-45.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$0.93 $0.93

-19.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$0.97 $0.97

-31.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$3.95 $3.95

-22.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$12.18 $12.18

-32.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$0.98 $0.98

21.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$2.06 $2.06

16.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

$0.88 $0.88

14.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

$35.67 $35.67

40.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

$7.16 $7.16

-82.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

$2.16 $2.16

-58.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

$4.71 $4.71

100.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$0.67 $0.67

98.51%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

$19.9K $19.9K

17.50%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$26.1K $26.1K

28.79%

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

$134 R$666

$34.38 $34.38

288.31%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$9.97 $9.97

22.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$39.70 $39.70

-42.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$39.80 $39.80

-20.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

$10.04 $10.04

207.47%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$4.97 $4.97

65.59%

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

$603 R$3,011

$104 $104

477.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

$1,904 $1,904

595.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$20.18 $20.18

106.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$29.95 $29.95

66.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$75.4 $75.4

-0.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$58.9 $58.9

16.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

$677 $677

33.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

$1,038 $1,038

-49.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

$585 $585

130.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

$640 $640

20.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

$1,747 $1,747

127.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

$949 $949

64.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

$976 $976

-34.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

98.83%

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 Ilopango: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Ilopango

$1K 62.9% 96.9% $511

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Ilopango

$248 15% 15.8% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Ilopango

$84 5.1% 50.1% $84

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Ilopango

$91 5.5% 44.2% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Ilopango

$83 5% 21.5% $23

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Ilopango

$57 3.5% 4.7% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Ilopango

$50 3% 3.6% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $905 in Rio de Janeiro and $677 in Ilopango. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilopango pays 52% 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 $44.00 in Ilopango for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $248 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇸🇻 Ilopango

🕒 Local time

07:14 7:14 AM

04:14 4:14 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

38,890

💱 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

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Ilopango 6,440 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Ilopango

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 Ilopango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and utilities. The 26% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 52% lower in Ilopango. 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 $677 in Ilopango. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $603 in Rio de Janeiro versus $104 in Ilopango. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Ilopango. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,625 in Ilopango, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Ilopango. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Rio de Janeiro is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ilopango, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Ilopango. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.