Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Mandeville

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandeville: $804 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Mandeville
Learn more

Mandeville Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Mandeville

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $804 in Mandeville.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Mandeville $804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,386 in Mandeville.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Mandeville $1,386

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,969 in Mandeville.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Mandeville $1,969

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 60% more expensive than in Mandeville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Mandeville 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$6.40 JMD 1,011

57.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$73.5 JMD 11.6K

-44.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$8.22 JMD 1,298

4.01%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$2.25 JMD 355

5.78%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.08 JMD 171

49.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.73 JMD 115

41.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$2.17 JMD 344

13.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$2.77 JMD 437

33.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$4.11 JMD 649

-71.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$1.85 JMD 292

10.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.57 JMD 248

-18.47%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$3.59 JMD 568

-36.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$11.32 JMD 1,788

-4.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$6.38 JMD 1,007

-30.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$10.10 JMD 1,596

-2.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$5.87 JMD 927

-52.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$3.80 JMD 600

-53.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$7.25 JMD 1,146

-77.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$3.10 JMD 490

-41.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$3.28 JMD 519

-62.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$2.63 JMD 415

-60.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$3.08 JMD 487

-75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.44 JMD 228

-53.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$9.35 JMD 1,477

-67.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$11.47 JMD 1,811

-29.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$2.87 JMD 453

-58.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$3.95 JMD 625

-36.46%

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

$1.16 JMD 183

5.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$3.07 JMD 484

-70.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$6.33 JMD 1,001

41.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.46 JMD 230

-10.96%

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

$32.4K JMD 5.1M

1.51%

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

$133 R$676

$93.3 JMD 14.7K

42.98%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$21.72 JMD 3,432

-50.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$50.5 JMD 7,983

-54.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$13.35 JMD 2,109

-39.70%

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

$598 R$3,029

$356 JMD 56.3K

67.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$8,288 JMD 1.3M

61.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$23.13 JMD 3,655

81.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$31.52 JMD 4,981

57.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$77.4 JMD 12.2K

-3.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$103 JMD 16.3K

-33.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$473 JMD 74.7K

90.95%

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 Mandeville: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Mandeville

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Mandeville

$363 45.2% 69.1% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Mandeville

$166 20.6% 0.9% $1.6

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Mandeville

$126 15.7% 23.3% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Mandeville

$106 13.2% 0% $0

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Mandeville

$16 * 2.1% 72.5% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Mandeville

$27 * 3.3% 43.1% $20

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 $473 in Mandeville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $73.0 in Mandeville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $363 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇯🇲 Mandeville

🕒 Local time

23:36 11:36 PM

21:36 9:36 PM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

47,115

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Mandeville 5,880 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Mandeville

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 Mandeville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mandeville is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. The 60% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,933 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,206 in Mandeville to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $473 in Mandeville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $598 in Rio de Janeiro versus $356 in Mandeville. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mandeville – a meal for two runs $73.0 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $804 in Mandeville versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mandeville but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Mandeville the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Mandeville is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Rio de Janeiro, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Rio de Janeiro and Mandeville are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mandeville gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.