Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Moca

For one person, living is cheaper in Moca: $595 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Moca
Learn more

Moca Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Moca

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$595

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $595 in Moca, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Moca $595

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $962 in Moca, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Moca $962

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,329 in Moca, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Moca $1,329

Rio de Janeiro costs about 117% more than Moca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Moca are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Moca 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$50.6

$8.39 DOP 512

19.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$203

$40.42 DOP 2,468

0.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$42.99

$6.93 DOP 423

23.38%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$11.95

$1.73 DOP 106

37.57%

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

$1.61 R$8.11

$0.67 DOP 40.90

140.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.18

$0.38 DOP 23.14

171.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.44

$2.54 DOP 155

-2.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.62

$3.17 DOP 194

16.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.00

$1.20 DOP 73.5

-0.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.30

$1.52 DOP 92.7

34.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.44

$1.49 DOP 91.0

-14.09%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.50

$1.44 DOP 88.1

59.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.1

$6.09 DOP 372

76.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.18

$3.53 DOP 216

24.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.46

$4.84 DOP 296

103.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.14

$3.26 DOP 199

-13.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$8.96

$0.83 DOP 50.8

114.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.07

$2.63 DOP 160

-39.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.03

$1.78 DOP 109

1.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.12

$1.97 DOP 120

-38.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.22

$2.21 DOP 135

-52.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.88

$0.87 DOP 53.1

-11.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.35

$0.94 DOP 57.4

-28.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.15

$4.80 DOP 293

-37.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.61

$10.12 DOP 618

-20.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.98

$2.59 DOP 158

-54.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.62

$2.95 DOP 180

-14.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$4.96

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$252

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.15

$2.52 DOP 154

-51.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.62

$2.23 DOP 136

-58.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.08

$5.93 DOP 362

51.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.52

$1.44 DOP 87.9

-9.72%

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

$23.9K R$120.0K

$14.8K DOP 904.2K

61.26%

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

$32.9K R$165.2K

$25.4K DOP 1.6M

29.25%

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

$133 R$671

$92.2 DOP 5,630

44.70%

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

$10.82 R$54.4

$26.65 DOP 1,627

-59.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$115

$35.83 DOP 2,188

-36.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$155

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.50

$5.08 DOP 310

58.46%

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

$598 R$3,005

$149 DOP 9,108

300.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$67.5K

$5,389 DOP 329.1K

148.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$211

$26.76 DOP 1,635

57.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$250

$44.44 DOP 2,714

11.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$375

$62.1 DOP 3,794

19.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$345

$66.7 DOP 4,071

3.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,541

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,662

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,669

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,800

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,845

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,216

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

8.45%

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 Moca: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Moca

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Moca

$194 32.7% 9.5% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Moca

$155 26% 7.5% $12

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Moca

$132 22.2% 20.1% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Moca

$90 15.1% 14.9% $16

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Moca

$14 * 2.3% 77.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Moca

$10 * 1.7% 78.3% $37

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 $40.00 in Moca. Groceries tell a different story – $215 in Rio de Janeiro vs $194 in Moca – so Moca wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇩🇴 Moca

🕒 Local time

17:39 5:39 PM

16:39 4:39 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

172,294

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

100 DOP = 1.64 USD

100 DOP = 1.46 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 5.03 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.63 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 61.07 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.39 DOP (100 DOP = 1.46 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Moca 5,560 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Moca

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 Moca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, $595 in Moca – roughly 117% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $892 in Moca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro and $595 in Moca. That's a gap of about 117%.

Kindergarten costs $598 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $149 in Moca. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Moca, where all-in costs run around $595, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Moca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Rio de Janeiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $595 in Moca to $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Moca. 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.