Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and La Romana

For one person, living is cheaper in La Romana: $631 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
41

Cost of Living Index in La Romana
Learn more

La Romana Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

La Romana

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$631

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in La Romana

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $631 in La Romana, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
La Romana $631

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,014 in La Romana, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
La Romana $1,014

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,398 in La Romana, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
La Romana $1,398

Rio de Janeiro costs about 104% more than La Romana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Rio de Janeiro and La Romana are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, La Romana 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$8.43 DOP 516

19.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$40.80 DOP 2,499

-0.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$7.16 DOP 439

19.41%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$1.75 DOP 107

36.00%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$0.71 DOP 43.32

126.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.32 DOP 19.33

221.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$2.43 DOP 149

1.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$3.97 DOP 244

-6.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.05 DOP 64.1

13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$1.80 DOP 110

13.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.51 DOP 92.3

-15.23%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$1.48 DOP 91.0

54.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$6.28 DOP 384

71.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$3.53 DOP 216

24.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$4.62 DOP 283

112.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$3.61 DOP 221

-22.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.38 DOP 84.3

28.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$3.23 DOP 198

-50.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$2.13 DOP 131

-15.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$3.58 DOP 220

-65.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$2.87 DOP 176

-63.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$0.88 DOP 53.9

-12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.60 DOP 98.2

-58.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$4.66 DOP 285

-35.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$16.45 DOP 1,007

-50.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$3.00 DOP 184

-60.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$3.48 DOP 213

-27.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.49 DOP 153

-51.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$3.23 DOP 198

-71.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.39 DOP 85.1

-6.47%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$15.1K DOP 922.4K

58.56%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$25.5K DOP 1.6M

28.95%

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

$133 R$676

$95.3 DOP 5,837

40.01%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$9.68 DOP 593

11.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$39.12 DOP 2,397

-41.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$4.97 DOP 305

61.97%

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

$598 R$3,029

$146 DOP 8,946

309.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$5,480 DOP 335.7K

144.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$26.84 DOP 1,644

56.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$45.24 DOP 2,772

9.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$60.6 DOP 3,713

22.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$67.0 DOP 4,104

2.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

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

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

8.45%

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 La Romana: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

La Romana

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

La Romana

$235 37.2% 9.4% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

La Romana

$144 22.8% 13.8% $23

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

La Romana

$134 21.2% 18.8% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

La Romana

$90 14.2% 15% $16

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

La Romana

$19 * 3% 68.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

La Romana

$9.9 * 1.6% 78.8% $37

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 $41.00 in La Romana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $235 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇩🇴 La Romana

🕒 Local time

13:03 1:03 PM

12:03 12:03 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

567,431

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro La Romana 5,380 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
La Romana

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 La Romana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rio de Janeiro is pricier by about 104%, 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 $947 in La Romana. 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 $631 in La Romana. That's a gap of about 104%.

Kindergarten costs $598 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $146 in La Romana. 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 La Romana, where all-in costs run around $631, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In La Romana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with La Romana. 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.