Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Joinville

For one person, living is cheaper in Joinville: $976 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Joinville
Learn more

Joinville Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Joinville

🇧🇷 Brazil

$976

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,182 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $976 in Joinville, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Joinville $976

A couple spends around $1,750 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,496 in Joinville, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Joinville $1,496

A family of three spends $2,318 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,016 in Joinville, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Joinville $2,016

Rio de Janeiro costs about 21% more than Joinville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Joinville are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 13% lower, Joinville 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$49.39

$7.73 R$42.03

17.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$203

$46.97 R$255

-20.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$43.62

$6.59 R$35.83

21.70%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.91

$1.85 R$10.07

18.38%

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

$1.46 R$7.96

$1.04 R$5.66

40.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.37

$0.46 R$2.50

115.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$11.03

$3.24 R$17.64

-37.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.75

$2.25 R$12.26

53.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.76

$0.95 R$5.14

11.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.79

$1.22 R$6.65

62.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.38

$0.97 R$5.25

20.62%

Eggs

$2.21 R$12.01

$2.74 R$14.88

-19.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$55.0

$7.89 R$42.91

28.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.39

$3.07 R$16.68

34.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.89

$6.22 R$33.81

47.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.79

$1.71 R$9.30

59.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.31

$1.09 R$5.92

56.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.32

$1.32 R$7.16

15.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$9.04

$1.61 R$8.74

3.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.19

$1.19 R$6.45

-4.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.41

$1.18 R$6.42

-16.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.52

$1.41 R$7.68

-53.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.26

$0.92 R$5.03

-34.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$15.20

$3.03 R$16.50

-7.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$40.69

$8.64 R$47.00

-13.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.93

$1.03 R$5.60

5.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.69

$2.89 R$15.71

-19.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.87

$1.25 R$6.78

-28.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$288

$56.0 R$305

-5.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.35

$1.87 R$10.20

-37.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.24

$1.45 R$7.88

-46.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$45.53

$9.51 R$51.7

-11.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.60

$1.23 R$6.70

-1.63%

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

$21.5K R$116.8K

$22.0K R$119.8K

-2.54%

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

$31.1K R$169.4K

$32.0K R$173.8K

-2.58%

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

$124 R$677

$55.6 R$302

123.97%

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

$10.03 R$54.6

$10.78 R$58.6

-6.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$114

$19.35 R$105

7.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$154

$25.09 R$136

12.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$160

$26.31 R$143

11.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$41.43

$8.03 R$43.66

-5.11%

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

$563 R$3,062

$294 R$1,601

91.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$65.5K

$6,147 R$33.4K

95.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$213

$43.66 R$238

-10.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$252

$85.2 R$464

-45.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$372

$85.6 R$466

-20.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$345

$64.8 R$352

-2.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,222

$383 R$2,085

102.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,574

$349 R$1,899

35.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,566

$997 R$5,424

39.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$4,020

$500 R$2,718

47.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.5K

$1,845 R$10.0K

83.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,541

$1,261 R$6,862

24.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,247

$655 R$3,560

-8.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

10.5

13.62%

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 Joinville: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Joinville

$349 35.8% 26.2% $124

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Joinville

$173 17.8% 13.7% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Joinville

$86 8.8% 44.8% $70

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Joinville

$131 13.4% 12.9% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Joinville

$126 12.9% 28.4% $28

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Joinville

$70 7.2% 13.7% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Joinville

$41 4.2% 5.6% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $776 in Rio de Janeiro versus $383 in Joinville. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 10% higher in Joinville, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Rio de Janeiro versus $47 in Joinville. Groceries tell a different story – $201 in Rio de Janeiro vs $173 in Joinville – so Joinville wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Joinville

🕒 Local time

04:40 4:40 AM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

616,317

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Joinville 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Joinville

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 Joinville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro costs about 21% more than Joinville, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,774 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,463 in Joinville. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Joinville, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $383 there versus $776 in Rio de Janeiro.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Rio de Janeiro, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Rio de Janeiro and $47 in Joinville. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro and $976 in Joinville. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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