Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Maceio - Alagoas

For one person, living is cheaper in Maceio - Alagoas: $790 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Maceio - Alagoas
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Maceio - Alagoas Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Maceio - Alagoas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$790

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Maceio - Alagoas

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 Maceio - Alagoas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro versus $790 in Maceio - Alagoas.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Maceio - Alagoas $790

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,239 in Maceio - Alagoas.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Maceio - Alagoas $1,239

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,689 in Maceio - Alagoas.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Maceio - Alagoas $1,689

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 50% more expensive than in Maceio - Alagoas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 13% lower, Maceio - Alagoas 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$48.86

$5.70 R$30.65

59.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$200

$27.39 R$147

36.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$43.15

$5.43 R$29.20

47.70%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.78

$1.67 R$8.96

31.14%

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

$1.46 R$7.87

$1.03 R$5.56

41.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.31

$0.48 R$2.61

106.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.91

$1.50 R$8.10

35.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.55

$3.89 R$20.94

-11.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.70

$1.01 R$5.45

4.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.68

$1.86 R$10.03

6.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.32

$0.99 R$5.35

18.18%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.88

$1.81 R$9.77

22.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$54.4

$8.63 R$46.42

17.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.15

$4.19 R$22.55

-1.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.36

$6.96 R$37.47

31.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.63

$2.66 R$14.30

2.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.21

$1.06 R$5.68

61.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.23

$1.27 R$6.84

20.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$8.94

$1.29 R$6.92

28.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.13

$1.37 R$7.35

-16.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.35

$1.18 R$6.37

-16.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.48

$0.51 R$2.75

27.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.22

$0.71 R$3.83

-15.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$15.04

$1.93 R$10.41

44.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$40.25

$6.66 R$35.85

12.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.87

$1.43 R$7.68

-23.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.56

$1.34 R$7.23

73.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.82

$0.73 R$3.92

23.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$285

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.28

$0.38 R$2.06

207.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.20

$0.39 R$2.07

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$45.05

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.53

$1.13 R$6.06

7.08%

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

$21.5K R$115.5K

$20.5K R$110.3K

4.76%

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

$31.1K R$167.6K

$29.5K R$158.6K

5.64%

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

$124 R$670

$75.0 R$403

66.01%

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

$10.03 R$54.0

$15.20 R$81.8

-34.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$112

$16.66 R$89.6

25.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$153

$22.39 R$120

26.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$158

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$40.99

$5.74 R$30.87

32.75%

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

$563 R$3,029

$204 R$1,100

175.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$64.8K

$6,698 R$36.0K

79.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$211

$50.7 R$273

-22.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$250

$72.2 R$389

-35.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$368

$89.0 R$479

-23.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$341

$73.8 R$397

-14.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,177

$272 R$1,461

185.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,547

$233 R$1,253

103.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,485

$459 R$2,472

202.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$3,977

$447 R$2,404

65.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.3K

$1,407 R$7,573

141.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,450

$659 R$3,546

138.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,212

$552 R$2,973

8.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

10.17

17.31%

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 Maceio - Alagoas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Maceio - Alagoas

$233 29.5% 50.8% $240

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Maceio - Alagoas

$179 22.7% 10.9% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Maceio - Alagoas

$107 13.5% 31.2% $49

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Maceio - Alagoas

$103 13.1% 31.1% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Maceio - Alagoas

$129 16.3% 31.4% $31

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Maceio - Alagoas

$5.2 * 0.7% 91.5% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Maceio - Alagoas

$34 4.3% 22.3% $9.7

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 $776 in Rio de Janeiro and $272 in Maceio - Alagoas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 8% 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: $37 in Rio de Janeiro vs $27 in Maceio - Alagoas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $179 per month, with Maceio - Alagoas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Maceio - Alagoas

🕒 Local time

22:55 10:55 PM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

1,031,597

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.166 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.166 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Maceio - Alagoas 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Maceio - Alagoas

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 Maceio - Alagoas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maceio - Alagoas is about 33% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 8% 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: $776 in Rio de Janeiro versus $272 in Maceio - Alagoas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Rio de Janeiro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,182 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $790 in Maceio - Alagoas – Maceio - Alagoas is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $790 in Maceio - Alagoas versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Maceio - Alagoas but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Maceio - Alagoas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Maceio - Alagoas wins on affordability, Rio de Janeiro on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.