Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Imperatriz

For one person, living is cheaper in Imperatriz: $854 a month against $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Imperatriz
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Imperatriz Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,185

/mo nomad

Imperatriz

🇧🇷 Brazil

$854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro versus $854 in Imperatriz.

Rio de Janeiro $1,185
Imperatriz $854

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,737 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,356 in Imperatriz.

Rio de Janeiro $1,737
Imperatriz $1,356

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,859 in Imperatriz.

Rio de Janeiro $2,289
Imperatriz $1,859

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 39% more expensive than in Imperatriz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 12% lower, Imperatriz 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.16 R$44.53

$5.59 R$30.51

45.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 R$203

$32.30 R$176

15.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 R$41.07

$7.75 R$42.33

-2.97%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R$11.48

$1.85 R$10.08

13.51%

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

$1.36 R$7.43

$1.35 R$7.38

0.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$5.25

$0.45 R$2.45

113.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R$10.79

$2.01 R$11.00

-1.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 R$17.80

$3.03 R$16.54

7.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.93

$1.14 R$6.24

-4.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 R$10.19

$1.44 R$7.88

29.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.14

$1.27 R$6.92

-11.81%

Eggs

$2.20 R$12.02

$2.32 R$12.64

-5.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.91 R$54.1

$7.41 R$40.43

33.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 R$22.44

$3.52 R$19.23

16.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 R$50.5

$8.81 R$48.09

4.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 R$14.15

$2.30 R$12.54

12.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R$9.21

$1.21 R$6.63

39.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.01

$0.93 R$5.06

58.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 R$9.37

$1.42 R$7.75

21.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.31

$1.11 R$6.09

4.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.45

$1.14 R$6.25

-12.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 R$3.59

$0.76 R$4.16

-13.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R$3.33

$0.72 R$3.95

-15.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 R$14.70

$1.96 R$10.72

37.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 R$39.32

$6.48 R$35.38

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R$5.86

$1.08 R$5.87

-0.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 R$12.22

$1.90 R$10.39

17.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.78

$0.83 R$4.52

6.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.3 R$286

$43.87 R$240

19.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.44

$1.23 R$6.71

-4.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 R$3.69

$0.74 R$4.05

-8.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 R$47.55

$7.59 R$41.45

14.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.54

$1.14 R$6.22

5.26%

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

$21.9K R$119.4K

$22.8K R$124.6K

-4.17%

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

$31.0K R$169.3K

$30.2K R$164.9K

2.69%

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

$126 R$686

$65.1 R$355

93.08%

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

$10.14 R$55.4

$12.79 R$69.8

-20.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.95 R$114

$19.61 R$107

6.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 R$156

$23.65 R$129

20.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.87 R$158

$24.82 R$136

16.32%

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 R$40.42

$6.04 R$33.00

22.52%

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

$537 R$2,931

$266 R$1,452

101.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K R$86.7K

$5,987 R$32.7K

165.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.68 R$211

$45.69 R$249

-15.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R$246

$46.81 R$256

-3.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 R$374

$88.5 R$483

-22.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.1 R$350

$68.6 R$374

-6.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$4,191

$288 R$1,575

166.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 R$2,679

$268 R$1,460

83.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 R$7,962

$612 R$3,340

138.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R$4,056

$505 R$2,756

47.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,325 R$18.2K

$1,613 R$8,809

106.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R$8,473

$1,168 R$6,379

32.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 R$3,678

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: November 3, 2026

Last update for Imperatriz: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$491 41.4%

Imperatriz

$268 31.3% 45.5% $223

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$198 16.7%

Imperatriz

$176 20.6% 11.4% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$157 13.2%

Imperatriz

$97 11.4% 37.8% $59

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$139 11.7%

Imperatriz

$113 13.3% 18.2% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$97 8.2%

Imperatriz

$112 13.2% 15.3% $15

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 5.1%

Imperatriz

$52 6.1% 13.7% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$43 3.7%

Imperatriz

$36 4.2% 17.5% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $768 in Rio de Janeiro and $288 in Imperatriz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37 in Rio de Janeiro vs $32 in Imperatriz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $176 per month, with Imperatriz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Imperatriz

🕒 Local time

06:48 6:48 AM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

273,110

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Imperatriz 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Imperatriz

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 Imperatriz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Imperatriz is about 28% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,778 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,281 in Imperatriz 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: $768 in Rio de Janeiro versus $288 in Imperatriz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Rio de Janeiro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Imperatriz – a meal for two runs $32 versus $37 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $854 in Imperatriz versus $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Imperatriz but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Imperatriz 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.

Expats usually find Imperatriz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.