Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Las Terrenas

For one person, living is cheaper in Las Terrenas: $873 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Las Terrenas
Learn more

Las Terrenas Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Las Terrenas

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$873

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Las Terrenas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $873 in Las Terrenas.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Las Terrenas $873

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,843 in Las Terrenas.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Las Terrenas $1,843

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,813 in Las Terrenas.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Las Terrenas $2,813

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 48% more expensive than in Las Terrenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Las Terrenas 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$8.27 DOP 506

21.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$41.34 DOP 2,532

-2.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$5.09 DOP 312

67.98%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$1.02 DOP 62.7

133.33%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$0.67 DOP 40.74

140.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.40 DOP 24.74

157.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$2.52 DOP 154

-1.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$3.86 DOP 237

-4.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$0.99 DOP 60.5

20.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$1.13 DOP 69.1

81.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.07 DOP 65.7

19.63%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$1.19 DOP 72.7

92.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$6.09 DOP 373

76.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$3.50 DOP 215

26.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$4.66 DOP 286

111.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$2.25 DOP 138

24.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$0.63 DOP 38.64

182.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$2.17 DOP 133

-26.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$2.23 DOP 137

-19.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$2.18 DOP 134

-44.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$1.07 DOP 65.4

-2.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$0.94 DOP 57.3

-18.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$0.98 DOP 59.9

-31.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$4.71 DOP 289

-36.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$7.04 DOP 431

14.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$2.35 DOP 144

-49.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$1.96 DOP 120

28.06%

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

$2.51 DOP 154

-51.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$3.27 DOP 200

-71.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.14 DOP 70.0

14.04%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$19.7K DOP 1.2M

21.21%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$24.2K DOP 1.5M

35.61%

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

$133 R$676

$50.4 DOP 3,084

164.95%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$9.94 DOP 609

8.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$19.91 DOP 1,220

15.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$5.00 DOP 306

61.00%

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

$598 R$3,029

$100 DOP 6,143

495.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$5,338 DOP 327.0K

151.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$27.30 DOP 1,672

53.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$44.76 DOP 2,742

10.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$62.9 DOP 3,856

18.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$66.6 DOP 4,079

3.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$770 DOP 47.2K

17.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$386 DOP 23.7K

37.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$1,654 DOP 101.3K

-19.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$1,641 DOP 100.5K

-53.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$1,789 DOP 109.6K

124.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$408 DOP 25.0K

56.91%

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 Las Terrenas: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Las Terrenas

$386 44.3% 27% $143

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Las Terrenas

$169 19.3% 21.4% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Las Terrenas

$80 9.2% 52% $87

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Las Terrenas

$118 13.6% 28.3% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Las Terrenas

$91 10.4% 14.2% $15

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Las Terrenas

$19 * 2.2% 68.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Las Terrenas

$10 * 1.1% 78.7% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $770 in Las Terrenas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 57% 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: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $41.00 in Las Terrenas. Groceries flip the comparison at $215 vs $169, with Las Terrenas cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇩🇴 Las Terrenas

🕒 Local time

13:48 1:48 PM

12:48 12:48 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

7,713

💱 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 Las Terrenas 5,500 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Las Terrenas

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 Las Terrenas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Las Terrenas wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Rio de Janeiro. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Las Terrenas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 57% 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: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $770 in Las Terrenas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $598 in Rio de Janeiro versus $100 in Las Terrenas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Las Terrenas – a meal for two runs $41.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $873 in Las Terrenas versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Las Terrenas but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Las Terrenas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Las Terrenas delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $873 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Las Terrenas hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Las Terrenas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.