Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Latacunga

For one person, living is cheaper in Latacunga: $844 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Latacunga
Learn more

Latacunga Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Latacunga

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,182 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $844 in Latacunga, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Latacunga $844

A couple spends around $1,750 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,324 in Latacunga, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Latacunga $1,324

A family of three spends $2,318 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,803 in Latacunga, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Latacunga $1,803

Rio de Janeiro costs about 40% more than Latacunga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Latacunga are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 13% lower, Latacunga 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$49.39

$2.56 $2.56

254.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$203

$27.74 $27.74

34.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$43.62

$9.04 $9.04

-11.28%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.91

$2.83 $2.83

-22.61%

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

$1.46 R$7.96

$0.92 $0.92

58.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.37

$0.48 $0.48

106.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$11.03

$3.06 $3.06

-33.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.75

$4.29 $4.29

-19.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.76

$1.17 $1.17

-9.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.79

$1.99 $1.99

-0.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.38

$1.02 $1.02

14.71%

Eggs

$2.21 R$12.01

$1.76 $1.76

25.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$55.0

$5.08 $5.08

99.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.39

$5.02 $5.02

-17.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.89

$9.27 $9.27

-1.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.79

$1.46 $1.46

86.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.31

$1.14 $1.14

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.32

$0.97 $0.97

57.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$9.04

$0.90 $0.90

84.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.19

$1.01 $1.01

12.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.41

$0.98 $0.98

1.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.52

$0.48 $0.48

35.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.26

$1.00 $1.00

-40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$15.20

$5.97 $5.97

-53.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$40.69

$10.18 $10.18

-26.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.93

$1.48 $1.48

-26.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.69

$2.22 $2.22

4.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.87

$0.34 $0.34

164.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$288

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.35

$1.51 $1.51

-22.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.24

$1.79 $1.79

-56.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$45.53

$12.11 $12.11

-30.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.60

$0.63 $0.63

92.06%

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

$21.5K R$116.8K

$22.6K $22.6K

-5.00%

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

$31.1K R$169.4K

$31.1K $31.1K

0.02%

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

$124 R$677

$34.48 $34.48

260.96%

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

$10.03 R$54.6

$14.78 $14.78

-32.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$114

$25.63 $25.63

-18.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$154

$29.18 $29.18

-2.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$160

$16.01 $16.01

83.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$41.43

$7.54 $7.54

1.06%

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

$563 R$3,062

$371 $371

51.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$65.5K

$5,698 $5,698

111.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$213

$65.1 $65.1

-39.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$252

$41.22 $41.22

12.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$372

$123 $123

-44.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$345

$91.5 $91.5

-30.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,222

$427 $427

81.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,574

$273 $273

73.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,566

$804 $804

73.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$4,020

$499 $499

48.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,541

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,247

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

19.30%

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 Latacunga: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Latacunga

$273 32.4% 42.2% $200

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Latacunga

$185 21.9% 8.2% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Latacunga

$75 8.9% 51.8% $80

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Latacunga

$111 13.2% 25.9% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Latacunga

$144 17.1% 47.6% $47

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Latacunga

$12 * 1.4% 80.9% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Latacunga

$44 5.2% 1.6% $0.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $776 in Rio de Janeiro versus $427 in Latacunga. 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 $37 in Rio de Janeiro versus $28 in Latacunga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $201 vs $185 – making Latacunga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇪🇨 Latacunga

🕒 Local time

02:20 2:20 AM

00:20 12:20 AM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

57,127

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.165 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Latacunga 4,540 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Latacunga

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 Latacunga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, $844 in Latacunga – Latacunga comes out roughly 29% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,774 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,267 in Latacunga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Latacunga, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $427 there versus $776 in Rio de Janeiro.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro and $844 in Latacunga. That makes Latacunga about 29% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $563 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $371 in Latacunga. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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