Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Maracay

For one person, living is cheaper in Maracay: $729 a month against $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Maracay
Learn more

Maracay Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Maracay

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$729

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,285 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $729 in Maracay, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Maracay $729

A couple spends around $1,888 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,242 in Maracay, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Maracay $1,242

A family of three spends $2,491 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,755 in Maracay, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Maracay $1,755

Rio de Janeiro costs about 76% more than Maracay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Maracay are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 4% lower, Maracay 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.78

$4.85 VES 4,245

105.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$33.14 VES 29.0K

21.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.31

$7.63 VES 6,669

11.14%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.79

$1.68 VES 1,472

40.48%

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

$1.63 R$8.12

$1.17 VES 1,023

39.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$1.20 VES 1,054

-15.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.17

$1.23 VES 1,075

98.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.41

$3.02 VES 2,641

22.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.71

$2.68 VES 2,346

-57.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.33

$2.29 VES 2,006

-9.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.41

$1.03 VES 900

25.24%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.31

$2.62 VES 2,294

-13.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.8

$6.53 VES 5,709

68.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.48

$5.74 VES 5,016

-24.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.58

$8.54 VES 7,467

14.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.10

$4.28 VES 3,739

-33.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.16

$1.97 VES 1,722

-6.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.95

$2.22 VES 1,937

-27.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$8.99

$2.37 VES 2,069

-24.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.27

$2.32 VES 2,027

-45.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.33

$2.20 VES 1,921

-51.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$1.58 VES 1,386

-52.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$2.30 VES 2,013

-71.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.19

$2.48 VES 2,173

22.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.79

$10.15 VES 8,877

-19.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.91

$1.16 VES 1,018

2.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.91

$1.70 VES 1,487

40.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.05

$0.48 VES 419

110.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

$19.78 VES 17.3K

153.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

$2.94 VES 2,575

-56.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.50

$2.71 VES 2,368

-66.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.08

$10.01 VES 8,759

-5.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.64

$0.69 VES 603

92.75%

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

$23.4K R$116.8K

$25.2K VES 22.0M

-6.92%

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

$33.6K R$167.4K

$38.5K VES 33.7M

-12.88%

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

$134 R$666

$12.43 VES 10.9K

974.01%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$11.57 VES 10.1K

5.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$38.31 VES 33.5K

-40.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$157

$29.71 VES 26.0K

6.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

$14.89 VES 13.0K

107.32%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.03

$4.08 VES 3,569

101.72%

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

$603 R$3,007

$74.6 VES 65.2K

708.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.0K

$5,979 VES 5.2M

121.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$52.4 VES 45.8K

-20.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$37.16 VES 32.5K

34.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$374

$83.0 VES 72.6K

-9.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$93.6 VES 81.8K

-27.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,514

$228 VES 199.5K

296.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,630

$108 VES 94.7K

386.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,712

$569 VES 497.5K

136.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,861

$278 VES 243.0K

178.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.8K

$448 VES 391.8K

788.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,789

$198 VES 172.8K

690.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,206

$210 VES 183.3K

206.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

21.5

-44.51%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026

Last update for Maracay: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Maracay

$108 14.7% 79.5% $419

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Maracay

$267 36.2% 24.4% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Maracay

$62 8.5% 63% $106

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Maracay

$104 14.1% 36.8% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Maracay

$120 16.3% 13.3% $14

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Maracay

$38 5.2% 36.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Maracay

$38 5.1% 21.1% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $228 in Maracay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 207% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $33.00 in Maracay. Groceries tell a different story – $215 in Rio de Janeiro vs $267 in Maracay – so Rio de Janeiro wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇻🇪 Maracay

🕒 Local time

01:37 1:37 AM

00:37 12:37 AM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

425,606

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.201 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.201 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 875 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 980 VES (1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Maracay

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 Maracay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro costs about 76% more than Maracay, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,927 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,093 in Maracay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Maracay, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 24% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro and $33.00 in Maracay. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Maracay, where all-in costs run around $729, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,285. In Maracay 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. Maracay costs $729 versus $1,285 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 Maracay. 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.