Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Itajai

For one person, living is cheaper in Itajai: $937 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Itajai
Learn more

Itajai Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Itajai

🇧🇷 Brazil

$937

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,182 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $937 in Itajai, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Itajai $937

A couple spends around $1,750 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,142 in Itajai, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Itajai $1,142

A family of three spends $2,318 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,347 in Itajai, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Itajai $1,347

Rio de Janeiro costs about 26% more than Itajai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Itajai are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 13% lower, Itajai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$48.86

$5.57 R$29.97

63.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$200

$36.95 R$199

0.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$43.15

$8.17 R$43.99

-1.84%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.78

$2.26 R$12.18

-3.10%

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

$1.46 R$7.87

$1.07 R$5.76

36.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.31

$0.84 R$4.51

17.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.91

$2.54 R$13.69

-20.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.55

$2.80 R$15.09

23.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.70

$0.93 R$5.03

13.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.68

$1.51 R$8.12

31.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.32

$0.89 R$4.80

31.46%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.88

$1.94 R$10.42

13.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$54.4

$9.10 R$48.99

11.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.15

$4.25 R$22.86

-3.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.36

$7.34 R$39.53

24.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.63

$1.70 R$9.13

60.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.21

$0.93 R$5.02

83.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.23

$0.98 R$5.29

56.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$8.94

$1.26 R$6.80

31.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.13

$0.75 R$4.02

52.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.35

$0.58 R$3.10

70.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.48

$0.74 R$4.00

-12.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.22

$0.76 R$4.09

-21.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$15.04

$2.76 R$14.86

1.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$40.25

$6.68 R$35.97

11.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.87

$0.76 R$4.11

43.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.56

$1.78 R$9.56

30.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.82

$0.82 R$4.39

9.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$285

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.28

$1.23 R$6.60

-4.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.20

$0.73 R$3.91

6.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$45.05

$5.59 R$30.06

49.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.53

$1.24 R$6.69

-2.42%

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

$21.5K R$115.5K

$22.2K R$119.7K

-3.47%

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

$31.1K R$167.6K

$32.0K R$172.3K

-2.73%

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

$124 R$670

$98.6 R$531

26.20%

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

$10.03 R$54.0

$10.42 R$56.1

-3.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$112

$21.39 R$115

-2.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$153

$25.46 R$137

11.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$158

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$40.99

$7.28 R$39.16

4.67%

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

$563 R$3,029

$257 R$1,382

119.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$64.8K

$4,861 R$26.2K

147.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$211

$68.6 R$369

-42.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$250

$66.9 R$360

-30.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$368

$88.2 R$475

-22.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$341

$76.4 R$411

-16.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,177

$470 R$2,530

65.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,547

$334 R$1,797

41.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,485

$1,295 R$6,970

7.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$3,977

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.3K

$2,127 R$11.4K

59.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,450

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,212

$591 R$3,180

1.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

10.68

11.70%

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 Itajai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Itajai

$334 35.7% 29.4% $139

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Itajai

$167 17.8% 16.9% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Itajai

$130 13.9% 16.1% $25

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Itajai

$122 13.1% 18.4% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Itajai

$135 14.4% 38% $37

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Itajai

$8.1 * 0.9% 86.8% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Itajai

$40 4.3% 8.2% $3.6

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $776 in Rio de Janeiro versus $470 in Itajai. 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 $37 in Rio de Janeiro versus $37 in Itajai. Groceries tell a different story – $201 in Rio de Janeiro vs $167 in Itajai – so Itajai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Itajai

🕒 Local time

12:18 12:18 PM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

264,054

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Itajai 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Itajai

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 Itajai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, $937 in Itajai – Itajai comes out roughly 21% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,774 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,405 in Itajai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Itajai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $470 there versus $776 in Rio de Janeiro.

Kindergarten costs $563 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $257 in Itajai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro and $937 in Itajai. That makes Itajai about 21% cheaper.

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