Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Juiz de Fora

For one person, living is cheaper in Juiz de Fora: $714 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Juiz de Fora
Learn more

Juiz de Fora Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Juiz de Fora

🇧🇷 Brazil

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Juiz de Fora

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 Juiz de Fora actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro versus $714 in Juiz de Fora.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Juiz de Fora $714

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,128 in Juiz de Fora.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Juiz de Fora $1,128

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,543 in Juiz de Fora.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Juiz de Fora $1,543

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 66% more expensive than in Juiz de Fora, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 13% lower, Juiz de Fora 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$49.39

$5.42 R$29.47

67.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$203

$28.21 R$153

32.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$43.62

$6.56 R$35.70

22.26%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.91

$1.62 R$8.81

35.19%

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

$1.46 R$7.96

$1.33 R$7.22

9.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.37

$0.59 R$3.19

67.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$11.03

$1.13 R$6.17

79.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.75

$2.25 R$12.23

53.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.76

$0.94 R$5.11

12.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.79

$1.47 R$7.98

34.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.38

$1.33 R$7.23

-12.03%

Eggs

$2.21 R$12.01

$1.87 R$10.18

18.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$55.0

$8.33 R$45.34

21.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.39

$3.29 R$17.87

25.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.89

$8.92 R$48.52

2.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.79

$1.72 R$9.35

58.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.31

$1.08 R$5.87

58.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.32

$0.91 R$4.97

68.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$9.04

$1.13 R$6.15

46.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.19

$0.65 R$3.54

75.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.41

$0.77 R$4.16

28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.52

$0.49 R$2.67

32.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.26

$0.77 R$4.22

-22.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$15.20

$1.51 R$8.22

84.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$40.69

$5.60 R$30.47

33.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.93

$0.95 R$5.18

14.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.69

$1.27 R$6.90

83.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.87

$0.67 R$3.63

34.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$288

$30.78 R$167

72.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.35

$1.28 R$6.94

-8.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.24

$0.68 R$3.72

14.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$45.53

$7.57 R$41.20

10.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.60

$1.24 R$6.75

-2.42%

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

$21.5K R$116.8K

$19.8K R$107.6K

8.52%

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

$31.1K R$169.4K

$29.2K R$158.9K

6.56%

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

$124 R$677

$55.7 R$303

123.53%

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

$10.03 R$54.6

$9.43 R$51.3

6.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$114

$17.95 R$97.6

16.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$154

$22.72 R$124

24.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$160

$26.06 R$142

12.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$41.43

$6.05 R$32.92

25.95%

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

$563 R$3,062

$135 R$736

316.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$65.5K

$2,493 R$13.6K

383.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$213

$65.2 R$355

-39.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$252

$77.6 R$422

-40.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$372

$63.6 R$346

7.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$345

$45.33 R$247

39.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,222

$289 R$1,570

168.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,574

$182 R$991

159.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,566

$496 R$2,698

180.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$4,020

$308 R$1,678

139.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.5K

$930 R$5,061

264.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,541

$565 R$3,074

177.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,247

$434 R$2,360

37.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

10.67

11.81%

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 Juiz de Fora: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Juiz de Fora

$182 25.5% 61.5% $291

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Juiz de Fora

$163 22.8% 19% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Juiz de Fora

$83 11.6% 46.5% $72

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Juiz de Fora

$100 14% 33% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Juiz de Fora

$113 15.9% 15.7% $15

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Juiz de Fora

$38 5.3% 38.1% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Juiz de Fora

$35 4.9% 20.1% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $776 in Rio de Janeiro and $289 in Juiz de Fora. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 38% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $37 in Rio de Janeiro vs $28 in Juiz de Fora for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $163 per month, with Juiz de Fora cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Juiz de Fora

🕒 Local time

14:29 2:29 PM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

540,756

💱 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

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Rio de Janeiro Juiz de Fora 130 km

From you

Rio de Janeiro
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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 Juiz de Fora: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Juiz de Fora wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Rio de Janeiro. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Juiz de Fora the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 38% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $776 in Rio de Janeiro versus $289 in Juiz de Fora. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Juiz de Fora – a meal for two runs $28 versus $37 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,182 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $714 in Juiz de Fora – Juiz de Fora is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $714 in Juiz de Fora versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, a $800 budget is realistic in Juiz de Fora but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Juiz de Fora the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Juiz de Fora gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.