Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Itu

For one person, living is cheaper in Itu: $719 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Itu
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Itu Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Itu

🇧🇷 Brazil

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,182 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $719 in Itu, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Itu $719

A couple spends around $1,750 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,300 in Itu, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Itu $1,300

A family of three spends $2,318 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,882 in Itu, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Itu $1,882

Rio de Janeiro costs about 64% more than Itu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Itu are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 13% lower, Itu 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$48.54

$5.36 R$28.67

69.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$199

$38.63 R$207

-3.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$42.87

$5.99 R$32.04

33.89%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.71

$1.63 R$8.70

34.36%

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

$1.46 R$7.82

$0.72 R$3.85

102.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.27

$0.49 R$2.62

102.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.84

$1.14 R$6.09

78.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.43

$1.88 R$10.03

83.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.66

$0.85 R$4.55

24.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.61

$1.44 R$7.69

37.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.27

$1.18 R$6.29

-0.85%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.80

$2.16 R$11.55

2.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$54.1

$9.33 R$49.88

8.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.00

$3.64 R$19.46

13.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.04

$5.62 R$30.04

63.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.54

$1.62 R$8.68

67.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.15

$1.26 R$6.73

35.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.18

$0.76 R$4.08

101.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$8.89

$1.95 R$10.45

-14.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.09

$0.97 R$5.21

17.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.32

$0.99 R$5.27

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.46

$0.73 R$3.90

-10.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.20

$0.45 R$2.40

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$14.94

$2.32 R$12.43

20.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$39.99

$5.50 R$29.40

36.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.83

$1.19 R$6.34

-8.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.48

$1.88 R$10.07

23.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.79

$1.01 R$5.38

-10.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$283

$42.39 R$227

25.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.24

$0.90 R$4.82

30.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.17

$0.90 R$4.80

-13.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$44.75

$7.24 R$38.69

15.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.48

$0.91 R$4.85

32.97%

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

$21.5K R$114.8K

$22.0K R$117.4K

-2.25%

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

$31.1K R$166.5K

$26.5K R$141.9K

17.35%

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

$124 R$665

$78.1 R$418

59.40%

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

$10.03 R$53.7

$11.00 R$58.8

-8.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$112

$15.94 R$85.2

30.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$152

$24.10 R$129

17.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$157

$26.43 R$141

10.97%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$40.72

$4.52 R$24.18

68.58%

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

$563 R$3,010

$198 R$1,060

184.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$64.4K

$7,502 R$40.1K

60.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$210

$46.56 R$249

-15.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$248

$36.52 R$195

26.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$366

$64.2 R$343

6.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$339

$47.18 R$252

34.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,150

$301 R$1,609

157.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,530

$185 R$991

155.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,437

$735 R$3,931

89.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$3,951

$617 R$3,299

19.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.1K

$1,600 R$8,554

112.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,396

$1,135 R$6,068

38.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,192

$275 R$1,469

117.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

12.38

-3.63%

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 Itu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Itu

$185 25.8% 60.8% $288

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Itu

$162 22.5% 19.5% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Itu

$105 14.6% 32.4% $50

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Itu

$95 13.2% 36.8% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Itu

$88 12.2% 10.6% $10

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Itu

$52 7.2% 16% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Itu

$33 4.6% 24% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $776 in Rio de Janeiro versus $301 in Itu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Rio de Janeiro are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Rio de Janeiro versus $39 in Itu. Groceries tell a different story – $201 in Rio de Janeiro vs $162 in Itu – so Itu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Itu

🕒 Local time

15:44 3:44 PM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

168,240

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Rio de Janeiro Itu 420 km

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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 Itu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, $719 in Itu – roughly 64% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,774 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,079 in Itu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Itu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $301 there versus $776 in Rio de Janeiro.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Rio de Janeiro and $39 in Itu. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro and $719 in Itu. That’s a gap of about 64%.

Families tend to lean toward Itu – 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 Itu. 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.