Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Mount Pleasant, SC

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $2,569 in Mount Pleasant, SC, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 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
127

Cost of Living Index in Mount Pleasant, SC
Learn more

Mount Pleasant, SC Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Mount Pleasant, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,569

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Mount Pleasant, SC

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 Mount Pleasant, SC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,569 in Mount Pleasant, SC.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Mount Pleasant, SC $2,569

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,832 in Mount Pleasant, SC.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Mount Pleasant, SC $3,832

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro versus $5,095 in Mount Pleasant, SC.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Mount Pleasant, SC $5,095

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 50% less than in Mount Pleasant, SC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 4% below, Mount Pleasant, SC is 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.69

$20.23 $20.23

-50.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$80.4 $80.4

-49.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.23

$10.93 $10.93

-22.42%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.77

$5.65 $5.65

-58.23%

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

$1.63 R$8.11

$2.74 $2.74

-40.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.05

$2.24 $2.24

-54.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.15

$6.16 $6.16

-60.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.38

$8.20 $8.20

-55.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.70

$1.01 $1.01

13.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.31

$4.19 $4.19

-50.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.40

$3.29 $3.29

-60.79%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.29

$4.26 $4.26

-46.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.7

$16.77 $16.77

-34.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.44

$14.49 $14.49

-70.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.49

$18.00 $18.00

-45.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.07

$5.18 $5.18

-45.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.14

$1.50 $1.50

22.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.94

$4.66 $4.66

-65.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$8.97

$4.70 $4.70

-61.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.26

$3.72 $3.72

-66.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.32

$3.18 $3.18

-66.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.74

$1.98 $1.98

-62.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.28

$2.26 $2.26

-70.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.16

$10.12 $10.12

-69.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.72

$15.73 $15.73

-48.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.90

$2.42 $2.42

-50.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.88

$3.03 $3.03

-21.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.04

$2.20 $2.20

-54.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.31

$2.94 $2.94

-56.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.50

$1.21 $1.21

-25.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$46.99

$29.68 $29.68

-68.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.63

$0.98 $0.98

35.71%

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

$23.4K R$116.6K

$34.6K $34.6K

-32.28%

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

$33.6K R$167.1K

$25.0K $25.0K

34.29%

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

$134 R$664

$173 $173

-22.66%

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

$12.23 R$60.9

$66.3 $66.3

-81.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$81.3 $81.3

-72.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$157

$41.67 $41.67

-24.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$40.95

$14.25 $14.25

-42.25%

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

$603 R$3,002

$1,277 $1,277

-52.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$65.9K

$24.7K $24.7K

-46.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$207

$50.8 $50.8

-18.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$36.74 $36.74

35.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$373

$96.2 $96.2

-21.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$340

$138 $138

-50.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,506

$1,574 $1,574

-42.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,625

$1,177 $1,177

-55.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,700

$2,731 $2,731

-50.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,854

$2,095 $2,095

-63.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.8K

$2,793 $2,793

42.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,775

$2,657 $2,657

-41.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,200

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.48

84.10%

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 Mount Pleasant, SC: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Mount Pleasant, SC

$1.2K 47.1% 123% $650

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Mount Pleasant, SC

$438 17.6% 104% $224

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Mount Pleasant, SC

$320 12.8% 90.2% $152

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Mount Pleasant, SC

$330 13.2% 101% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Mount Pleasant, SC

$145 5.8% 36.8% $39

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Mount Pleasant, SC

$18 * 0.7% 70.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Mount Pleasant, SC

$70 2.8% 46.1% $22

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 $905 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,574 in Mount Pleasant, SC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $80.0 in Mount Pleasant, SC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $438 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇺🇸 Mount Pleasant, SC

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

17:47 5:47 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

15,202

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.201 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 USD = 4.98 BRL (1 BRL = 0.201 USD). 1 EUR = 5.58 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Mount Pleasant, SC 7,310 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Mount Pleasant, SC

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 Mount Pleasant, SC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Mount Pleasant, SC differ by about 100% in total monthly costs ($1,285 vs $2,569 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,927 in Rio de Janeiro and $3,854 in Mount Pleasant, SC 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: $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,574 in Mount Pleasant, SC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 104% higher in Mount Pleasant, SC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,285 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,569 in Mount Pleasant, SC – a 100% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,569 in Mount Pleasant, SC, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Mount Pleasant, SC. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro 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 Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 100% less than in Mount Pleasant, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.