Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Imbituba

For one person, living is cheaper in Imbituba: $852 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Imbituba
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Imbituba Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Imbituba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $852 in Imbituba.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Imbituba $852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,353 in Imbituba.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Imbituba $1,353

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,854 in Imbituba.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Imbituba $1,854

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 50% more expensive than in Imbituba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 6% lower, Imbituba 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$4.96 R$25.13

89.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$30.58 R$155

30.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$6.93 R$35.11

20.35%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$2.01 R$10.18

13.93%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$1.13 R$5.71

40.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$0.49 R$2.48

106.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$2.44 R$12.39

-12.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$2.38 R$12.07

53.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$0.96 R$4.86

17.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$1.23 R$6.26

69.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$0.86 R$4.37

45.35%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$2.23 R$11.33

0.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$8.47 R$42.95

28.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$3.16 R$16.00

37.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$6.60 R$33.47

45.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$1.62 R$8.22

75.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$0.79 R$4.00

129.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$1.23 R$6.25

28.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$0.78 R$3.96

134.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$0.82 R$4.15

46.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$1.22 R$6.16

-13.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$1.53 R$7.77

-50.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$0.94 R$4.79

-27.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$3.12 R$15.82

-5.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$9.76 R$49.48

-18.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$1.18 R$5.96

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$3.18 R$16.10

-23.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$1.04 R$5.26

-9.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

$44.00 R$223

14.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$2.02 R$10.26

-40.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$1.62 R$8.23

-48.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$10.13 R$51.3

-11.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.27 R$6.42

1.57%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$25.3K R$128.4K

-10.07%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$34.1K R$173.0K

-0.49%

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

$134 R$681

$61.5 R$312

118.34%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$11.31 R$57.4

-5.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$20.89 R$106

9.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$26.13 R$132

15.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

$28.12 R$143

11.98%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$8.68 R$43.98

-10.94%

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

$584 R$2,960

$318 R$1,614

83.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$6,577 R$33.3K

94.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$45.74 R$232

-10.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$95.3 R$483

-48.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$89.9 R$456

-18.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$70.1 R$355

-5.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$361 R$1,830

149.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$242 R$1,225

118.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$677 R$3,431

96.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$466 R$2,363

60.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$1,704 R$8,639

134.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$1,201 R$6,089

29.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

10.5

13.62%

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 Imbituba: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Imbituba

$242 28.4% 54.2% $286

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Imbituba

$171 20.1% 19.9% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Imbituba

$94 11% 44.2% $74

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Imbituba

$108 12.7% 30.8% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Imbituba

$135 15.9% 30.9% $32

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Imbituba

$58 6.8% 1.9% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Imbituba

$43 5.1% 4.7% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $900 in Rio de Janeiro and $361 in Imbituba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $31.00 in Imbituba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $171 per month, with Imbituba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Imbituba

🕒 Local time

18:03 6:03 PM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

52,579

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Imbituba 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Imbituba

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 Imbituba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Imbituba is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 50% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,910 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,278 in Imbituba to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $361 in Imbituba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Rio de Janeiro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Imbituba – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $852 in Imbituba versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Imbituba but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Imbituba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Imbituba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.