Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Jarabacoa

For one person, living is cheaper in Jarabacoa: $696 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Jarabacoa
Learn more

Jarabacoa Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Jarabacoa

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$696

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $696 in Jarabacoa, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Jarabacoa $696

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,148 in Jarabacoa, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Jarabacoa $1,148

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,600 in Jarabacoa, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Jarabacoa $1,600

Rio de Janeiro costs about 85% more than Jarabacoa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Jarabacoa are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Jarabacoa 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$50.6

$9.68 DOP 591

3.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$203

$49.28 DOP 3,010

-17.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$42.99

$7.51 DOP 459

13.85%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$11.95

$2.24 DOP 137

6.25%

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

$1.61 R$8.11

$1.05 DOP 64.2

53.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.18

$0.55 DOP 33.87

87.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.44

$2.50 DOP 153

-1.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.62

$3.22 DOP 197

14.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.00

$1.35 DOP 82.2

-11.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.30

$1.48 DOP 90.4

38.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.44

$1.62 DOP 98.9

-20.99%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.50

$2.39 DOP 146

-4.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.1

$7.07 DOP 432

52.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.18

$5.64 DOP 345

-21.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.46

$6.68 DOP 408

47.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.14

$3.21 DOP 196

-12.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$8.96

$0.77 DOP 47.00

131.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.07

$2.74 DOP 167

-41.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.03

$1.77 DOP 108

1.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.12

$2.02 DOP 124

-39.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.22

$2.25 DOP 137

-53.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.88

$0.99 DOP 60.7

-22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.35

$0.93 DOP 57.0

-27.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.15

$5.18 DOP 316

-41.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.61

$10.28 DOP 628

-21.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.98

$2.51 DOP 153

-52.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.62

$2.91 DOP 178

-13.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$4.96

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$252

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.15

$3.21 DOP 196

-61.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.62

$2.26 DOP 138

-59.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.08

$5.82 DOP 356

54.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.52

$1.42 DOP 86.9

-8.45%

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

$23.9K R$120.0K

$23.2K DOP 1.4M

2.93%

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

$32.9K R$165.2K

$33.6K DOP 2.1M

-2.17%

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

$133 R$671

$91.9 DOP 5,614

45.13%

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

$10.82 R$54.4

$30.89 DOP 1,886

-64.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$115

$36.01 DOP 2,199

-36.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$155

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.50

$7.52 DOP 459

7.05%

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

$598 R$3,005

$251 DOP 15.3K

137.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$67.5K

$7,351 DOP 448.9K

82.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$211

$46.18 DOP 2,820

-8.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$250

$47.17 DOP 2,880

5.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$375

$84.9 DOP 5,187

-12.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$345

$124 DOP 7,592

-44.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,541

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,662

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,669

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,800

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,845

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,216

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

13.56

-12.02%

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 Jarabacoa: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Jarabacoa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Jarabacoa

$219 31.5% 2% $4.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Jarabacoa

$159 22.8% 5% $8.3

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Jarabacoa

$152 21.9% 7.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Jarabacoa

$136 19.6% 28.8% $30

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Jarabacoa

$14 * 2.1% 75.8% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Jarabacoa

$15 * 2.2% 67.9% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $49.00 in Jarabacoa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $219 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇩🇴 Jarabacoa

🕒 Local time

16:18 4:18 PM

15:18 3:18 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

69,855

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

100 DOP = 1.64 USD

100 DOP = 1.46 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 5.03 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.63 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 61.07 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.39 DOP (100 DOP = 1.46 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Jarabacoa 5,540 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Jarabacoa

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 Jarabacoa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rio de Janeiro is pricier by about 85%, 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 $1,043 in Jarabacoa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro and $696 in Jarabacoa. That's a gap of about 85%.

Kindergarten costs $598 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $251 in Jarabacoa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Jarabacoa, where all-in costs run around $696, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Jarabacoa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Jarabacoa. 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.