Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Isla de Margarita

For one person, living is cheaper in Isla de Margarita: $656 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Isla de Margarita

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Isla de Margarita

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 Isla de Margarita actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $656 in Isla de Margarita, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Isla de Margarita $656

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,223 in Isla de Margarita, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Isla de Margarita $1,223

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,790 in Isla de Margarita, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Isla de Margarita $1,790

Rio de Janeiro costs about 96% more than Isla de Margarita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Isla de Margarita are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Isla de Margarita 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$10.12 VES 8,883

-0.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$80.7 VES 70.8K

-49.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$2.54 VES 2,229

-6.30%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.01 VES 890

59.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.49 VES 1,308

-30.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$1.02 VES 896

142.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$2.98 VES 2,614

24.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$2.03 VES 1,786

-41.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.92 VES 2,564

-29.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.98 VES 1,738

-35.35%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$2.33 VES 2,045

-1.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$7.93 VES 6,958

35.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$7.93 VES 6,964

-44.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$8.13 VES 7,135

21.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$4.11 VES 3,608

-31.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.48 VES 1,303

20.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$2.04 VES 1,793

-21.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$2.56 VES 2,249

-29.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.52 VES 1,337

-19.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$1.85 VES 1,627

-43.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$0.97 VES 852

-20.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$5.03 VES 4,413

60.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.03 VES 904

15.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$1.53 VES 1,342

64.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$3.08 VES 2,702

-60.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$2.96 VES 2,597

-68.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

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

$133 R$676

$30.45 VES 26.7K

338.10%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$15.02 VES 13.2K

-27.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$39.21 VES 34.4K

-41.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$49.52 VES 43.5K

-37.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$14.94 VES 13.1K

113.19%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$5.01 VES 4,402

60.68%

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

$598 R$3,029

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$79.8 VES 70.1K

-47.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$98.3 VES 86.3K

-24.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$102 VES 89.2K

-32.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$294 VES 258.2K

207.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$506 VES 444.1K

162.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$602 VES 528.6K

565.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Last update for Isla de Margarita: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Isla de Margarita

–

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Isla de Margarita

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Isla de Margarita

–

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Isla de Margarita

–

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Isla de Margarita

–

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Isla de Margarita

–

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Isla de Margarita

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $294 in Isla de Margarita. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $81.0 in Isla de Margarita. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $235 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇻🇪 Isla de Margarita

🕒 Local time

10:30 10:30 AM

09:30 9:30 AM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

90,387

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 878 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 987 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Isla de Margarita 4,390 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Isla de Margarita

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 Isla de Margarita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rio de Janeiro is pricier by about 96%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $984 in Isla de Margarita. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Isla de Margarita, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro and $81.0 in Isla de Margarita. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Isla de Margarita, where all-in costs run around $656, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Isla de Margarita it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Isla de Margarita – 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 Isla de Margarita. 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.