Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Jacareí

For one person, living is cheaper in Jacareí: $821 a month against $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Jacareí
Learn more

Jacareí Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,185

/mo nomad

Jacareí

🇧🇷 Brazil

$821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro versus $821 in Jacareí.

Rio de Janeiro $1,185
Jacareí $821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,737 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,326 in Jacareí.

Rio de Janeiro $1,737
Jacareí $1,326

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,832 in Jacareí.

Rio de Janeiro $2,289
Jacareí $1,832

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 44% more expensive than in Jacareí, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 12% lower, Jacareí 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.16 R$44.54

$6.54 R$35.73

24.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 R$203

$30.31 R$166

22.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 R$41.08

$6.60 R$36.01

13.94%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R$11.49

$2.11 R$11.53

-0.47%

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

$1.36 R$7.44

$1.46 R$7.97

-6.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$5.25

$0.91 R$4.97

5.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R$10.79

$2.46 R$13.43

-19.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 R$17.80

$2.87 R$15.68

13.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.93

$1.12 R$6.14

-2.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 R$10.19

$1.72 R$9.38

8.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.14

$1.08 R$5.91

3.70%

Eggs

$2.20 R$12.03

$2.35 R$12.86

-6.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.91 R$54.1

$8.18 R$44.66

21.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 R$22.44

$4.11 R$22.42

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 R$50.5

$9.45 R$51.6

-2.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 R$14.15

$2.33 R$12.75

11.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R$9.21

$1.75 R$9.56

-3.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.02

$1.73 R$9.47

-15.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 R$9.37

$1.66 R$9.06

3.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.31

$1.25 R$6.80

-7.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.45

$1.22 R$6.65

-18.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 R$3.59

$0.91 R$4.97

-27.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R$3.33

$0.73 R$4.00

-16.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 R$14.70

$2.27 R$12.40

18.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 R$39.33

$7.46 R$40.71

-3.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R$5.86

$1.62 R$8.83

-33.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 R$12.22

$2.74 R$14.94

-18.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.78

$0.97 R$5.31

-9.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.3 R$286

$41.91 R$229

24.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.44

$1.24 R$6.79

-4.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 R$3.69

$1.28 R$7.01

-46.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 R$47.56

$8.84 R$48.30

-1.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.54

$1.22 R$6.64

-1.64%

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

$21.9K R$119.4K

$22.5K R$123.0K

-2.92%

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

$31.0K R$169.3K

$31.2K R$170.2K

-0.50%

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

$126 R$686

$40.18 R$219

212.64%

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

$10.14 R$55.4

$11.33 R$61.9

-10.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.95 R$114

$20.60 R$112

1.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 R$156

$23.77 R$130

19.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.87 R$158

$25.53 R$139

13.08%

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 R$40.43

$7.25 R$39.60

2.07%

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

$537 R$2,932

$259 R$1,415

107.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K R$86.8K

$7,158 R$39.1K

121.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.68 R$211

$50.5 R$276

-23.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R$246

$34.25 R$187

31.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 R$375

$91.2 R$498

-24.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.1 R$350

$56.3 R$308

13.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$4,192

$333 R$1,818

130.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 R$2,680

$227 R$1,242

115.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 R$7,964

$637 R$3,476

129.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R$4,056

$445 R$2,429

66.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,325 R$18.2K

$1,604 R$8,760

107.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R$8,475

$1,153 R$6,297

34.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 R$3,679

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.12

7.28%

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 Jacareí: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$491 41.4%

Jacareí

$227 27.7% 53.6% $263

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$198 16.7%

Jacareí

$200 24.4% 1% $2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$157 13.2%

Jacareí

$72 8.8% 54% $85

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$139 11.7%

Jacareí

$125 15.2% 9.9% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$97 8.2%

Jacareí

$105 12.7% 7.3% $7.1

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 5.1%

Jacareí

$53 6.5% 11.5% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$43 3.7%

Jacareí

$38 4.7% 11.7% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $768 in Rio de Janeiro and $333 in Jacareí. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37 in Rio de Janeiro vs $30 in Jacareí. Groceries flip the comparison at $198 vs $200, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Jacareí

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

240,275

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Jacareí 290 km

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Jacareí

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 Jacareí: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jacareí wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Rio de Janeiro. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Jacareí the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,778 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,231 in Jacareí 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 $333 in Jacareí. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $537 in Rio de Janeiro versus $259 in Jacareí. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Jacareí – a meal for two runs $30 versus $37 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Jacareí is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.