Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Kursk

For one person, living is cheaper in Kursk: $909 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Rio de Janeiro
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,289
/mo nomad
Kursk
🇷🇺 Russia
$909
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $909 in Kursk, rent included.

  • Rio de Janeiro $1,289
  • Kursk $909

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,259 in Kursk, rent included.

  • Rio de Janeiro $1,868
  • Kursk $1,259

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,610 in Kursk, rent included.

  • Rio de Janeiro $2,448
  • Kursk $1,610

Rio de Janeiro costs about 42% more than Kursk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Kursk are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Kursk 33% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rio de Janeiro
Kursk
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.06 R$51.0
$9.66 ₽806
4.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.44 R$205
$44.65 ₽3,727
-9.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.55 R$43.35
$4.99 ₽417
71.34%
Cappuccino
$2.38 R$12.04
$2.15 ₽179
10.70%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 R$8.18
$1.16 ₽96.6
38.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 R$5.22
$0.49 ₽41.10
110.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.47 R$12.54
$1.82 ₽152
35.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.70 R$18.77
$2.86 ₽238
29.37%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rio de Janeiro
Kursk
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.19 R$6.05
$0.72 ₽60.0
65.28%
White Bread (500g)
$2.05 R$10.38
$0.29 ₽24.11
606.90%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.28 R$6.49
$1.03 ₽85.7
24.27%
Eggs
$2.29 R$11.60
$1.17 ₽97.9
95.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.76 R$54.5
$4.98 ₽416
116.06%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.41 R$22.36
$5.12 ₽427
-13.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.84 R$49.86
$7.15 ₽597
37.62%
Apples (1kg)
$2.81 R$14.25
$1.60 ₽133
75.63%
Banana (1kg)
$1.78 R$9.03
$0.98 ₽82.1
81.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 R$8.13
$0.98 ₽81.9
63.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 R$9.11
$2.03 ₽169
-11.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.22 R$6.17
$0.90 ₽75.4
35.56%
Onion (1kg)
$1.04 R$5.26
$0.29 ₽23.97
258.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.77 R$3.92
$1.01 ₽84.5
-23.76%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.67 R$3.38
$0.84 ₽70.2
-20.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.01 R$15.27
$2.67 ₽223
12.73%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.08 R$40.94
$7.94 ₽662
1.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.19 R$6.03
$1.39 ₽116
-14.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.51 R$12.73
$3.28 ₽273
-23.48%
🚌 Getting Around
Rio de Janeiro
Kursk
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.99 R$5.00
$0.39 ₽32.59
153.85%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$50.1 R$254
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.22 R$6.20
$1.17 ₽97.8
4.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.92 R$4.66
$0.46 ₽38.23
100.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.97 R$45.45
$4.96 ₽414
80.85%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 R$6.57
$0.81 ₽67.3
60.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.9K R$121.0K
$27.8K ₽2.3M
-14.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.9K R$166.6K
$36.3K ₽3.0M
-9.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rio de Janeiro
Kursk
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$133 R$676
$110 ₽9,155
21.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.82 R$54.8
$5.80 ₽484
86.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.90 R$116
$5.80 ₽484
294.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rio de Janeiro
Kursk
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.79 R$156
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$31.85 R$161
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.05 R$40.83
$6.46 ₽539
24.61%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rio de Janeiro
Kursk
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$598 R$3,029
$481 ₽40.2K
24.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.4K R$68.0K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rio de Janeiro
Kursk
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.04 R$213
$160 ₽13.4K
-73.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.68 R$252
$130 ₽10.9K
-61.88%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.5 R$378
$225 ₽18.8K
-66.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$68.7 R$348
$72.1 ₽6,018
-4.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rio de Janeiro
Kursk
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$903 R$4,578
$359 ₽30.0K
151.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$529 R$2,684
$210 ₽17.6K
151.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,326 R$6,724
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$756 R$3,831
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,010 R$20.3K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,560 R$7,910
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rio de Janeiro
Kursk
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$640 R$3,242
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.93
15
-20.47%

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 Kursk: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Rio de Janeiro
$529
Kursk
$210 60.2% $319
Groceries & Markets
Rio de Janeiro
$215
Kursk
$156 27.5% $59
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rio de Janeiro
$167
Kursk
$121 27.4% $46
Eating Out
Rio de Janeiro
$165
Kursk
$139 15.5% $26
Clothing & Footwear
Rio de Janeiro
$106
Kursk
$264 150% $159
Getting Around
Rio de Janeiro
$60
Kursk
$5 * 91.6% $55
Sport & Entertainment
Rio de Janeiro
$47
Kursk
$13 * 72.5% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $359 in Kursk. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $45.00 in Kursk. Groceries tell a different story – $215 in Rio de Janeiro vs $156 in Kursk – so Kursk wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro
🇷🇺 Kursk
🕒 Local time
01:26 1:26 AM
07:26 7:26 AM
6 h ahead of Rio de Janeiro
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
6,211,223
450,977
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Rio de Janeiro Kursk 11,300 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Rio de Janeiro
  • Kursk

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 Kursk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Rio de Janeiro and in Kursk compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, $909 in Kursk – roughly 42% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.
What salary covers living expenses in Rio de Janeiro compared to Kursk?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,364 in Kursk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Rio de Janeiro and Kursk?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kursk, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Rio de Janeiro or Kursk?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro and $909 in Kursk. That's a gap of about 42%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Rio de Janeiro and Kursk?
Kindergarten costs $598 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $481 in Kursk. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kursk, where all-in costs run around $909, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Kursk it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Rio de Janeiro and Kursk?
It depends on your priorities. Rio de Janeiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $909 in Kursk to $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Rio de Janeiro and Kursk?
If budget matters most, go with Kursk. 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.

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