Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Marabella

For one person, living is cheaper in Marabella: $766 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Marabella
Learn more

Marabella Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Marabella

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$766

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $766 in Marabella.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Marabella $766

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,313 in Marabella.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Marabella $1,313

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,860 in Marabella.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Marabella $1,860

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 68% more expensive than in Marabella, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Marabella 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$10.15 TTD 68.3

-0.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$58.8 TTD 395

-31.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$8.24 TTD 55.4

3.76%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.77 TTD 25.36

-36.87%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.01 TTD 6.77

59.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.71 TTD 4.78

45.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$1.80 TTD 12.10

37.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$2.61 TTD 17.57

41.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$2.05 TTD 13.77

-41.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.34 TTD 15.72

-12.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$2.92 TTD 19.62

-56.16%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$3.81 TTD 25.61

-39.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$6.74 TTD 45.36

59.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$10.22 TTD 68.8

-56.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$8.91 TTD 59.9

10.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$5.60 TTD 37.66

-49.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$2.50 TTD 16.81

-28.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$3.67 TTD 24.69

-56.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$4.17 TTD 28.03

-56.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$0.75 TTD 5.06

62.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$0.77 TTD 5.15

35.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$1.44 TTD 9.70

-46.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.17 TTD 7.85

-42.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$5.46 TTD 36.76

-44.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$17.68 TTD 119

-54.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.48 TTD 9.93

-19.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.93 TTD 19.74

-14.33%

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

$0.87 TTD 5.87

40.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$0.87 TTD 5.83

5.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$14.57 TTD 98.0

-38.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.15 TTD 7.74

13.04%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$37.3K TTD 250.6K

-35.91%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$42.0K TTD 282.2K

-21.67%

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

$133 R$676

$43.38 TTD 292

207.51%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$41.83 TTD 281

-74.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$45.32 TTD 305

-49.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$8.76 TTD 58.9

-8.11%

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

$598 R$3,029

$405 TTD 2,724

47.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$10.7K TTD 71.9K

25.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$53.7 TTD 361

-21.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$36.47 TTD 245

36.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$89.7 TTD 603

-16.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$90.0 TTD 606

-23.69%

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

5.75

107.48%

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 Marabella: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Marabella

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Marabella

$319 41.7% 48.9% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Marabella

$131 17% 21.9% $37

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Marabella

$172 22.5% 4.4% $7.3

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Marabella

$121 15.9% 14.9% $16

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Marabella

$5.2 * 0.7% 91.3% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Marabella

$18 * 2.3% 62.6% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $59.0 in Marabella for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $319 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇹🇹 Marabella

🕒 Local time

10:28 10:28 AM

09:28 9:28 AM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

26,700

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.132 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, 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).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.73 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.56 TTD (1 TTD = 0.132 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Marabella 4,190 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Marabella

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 Marabella: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Marabella differ by about 68% in total monthly costs ($1,289 vs $766 including rent). Marabella is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,933 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,150 in Marabella 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.

Shoppers in Rio de Janeiro pay roughly 49% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $766 in Marabella – a 68% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $766 in Marabella versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Marabella but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Marabella 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.

Expats usually find Marabella gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.