Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Lucea

For one person, living is cheaper in Lucea: $1,002 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lucea
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Lucea Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Lucea

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,002

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,002 in Lucea, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Lucea $1,002

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,661 in Lucea, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Lucea $1,661

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,320 in Lucea, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Lucea $2,320

Rio de Janeiro costs about 29% more than Lucea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Lucea are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Lucea 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$13.45 JMD 2,126

-25.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$75.5 JMD 11.9K

-46.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$7.98 JMD 1,261

7.14%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$5.38 JMD 850

-55.76%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.19 JMD 188

35.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.72 JMD 114

43.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$2.24 JMD 354

10.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$3.08 JMD 486

20.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$4.18 JMD 661

-71.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$3.83 JMD 605

-46.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.63 JMD 258

-21.47%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$3.56 JMD 563

-35.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$11.47 JMD 1,811

-6.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$6.22 JMD 983

-29.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$10.42 JMD 1,646

-5.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$6.11 JMD 965

-54.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$3.81 JMD 602

-53.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$7.16 JMD 1,132

-77.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$2.99 JMD 472

-39.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$3.17 JMD 501

-61.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$2.67 JMD 422

-61.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$2.96 JMD 467

-73.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.51 JMD 238

-55.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$9.35 JMD 1,477

-67.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$11.36 JMD 1,795

-28.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$2.81 JMD 443

-57.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$4.03 JMD 637

-37.72%

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

$1.21 JMD 192

0.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$3.19 JMD 505

-71.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$6.19 JMD 978

44.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.41 JMD 223

-7.80%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$44.1K JMD 7.0M

-45.88%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$32.2K JMD 5.1M

2.09%

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

$133 R$676

$165 JMD 26.0K

-19.03%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$29.78 JMD 4,704

-63.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$53.5 JMD 8,451

-57.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$13.42 JMD 2,121

-40.01%

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

$598 R$3,029

$355 JMD 56.1K

68.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$8,075 JMD 1.3M

66.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$23.09 JMD 3,648

82.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$31.58 JMD 4,989

57.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$78.2 JMD 12.3K

-4.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$101 JMD 15.9K

-31.67%

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

9.45

26.24%

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 Lucea: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Lucea

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Lucea

$384 38.3% 79% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Lucea

$248 24.7% 48.4% $81

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Lucea

$221 22.1% 34% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Lucea

$105 10.5% 0.7% $0.7

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Lucea

$17 * 1.7% 71.3% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Lucea

$27 * 2.7% 42.7% $20

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 $75.0 in Lucea. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $384 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇯🇲 Lucea

🕒 Local time

04:21 4:21 AM

02:21 2:21 AM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

7,377

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, 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).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Lucea 5,960 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Lucea

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 Lucea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro costs about 29% more than Lucea, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,504 in Lucea. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro and $75.0 in Lucea. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 79% cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Lucea, where all-in costs run around $1,002, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Lucea it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lucea costs $1,002 versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Lucea. 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.