Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Nakhon Ratchasima

For one person, living is cheaper in Nakhon Ratchasima: $776 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Nakhon Ratchasima
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Nakhon Ratchasima Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Nakhon Ratchasima

🇹🇭 Thailand

$776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Nakhon Ratchasima

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro versus $776 in Nakhon Ratchasima.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Nakhon Ratchasima $776

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,277 in Nakhon Ratchasima.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Nakhon Ratchasima $1,277

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,778 in Nakhon Ratchasima.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Nakhon Ratchasima $1,778

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 52% more expensive than in Nakhon Ratchasima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 13% lower, Nakhon Ratchasima 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$48.54

$2.93 ฿98.9

209.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$199

$25.99 ฿876

43.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$42.87

$6.20 ฿209

29.35%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.70

$1.97 ฿66.5

11.17%

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

$1.46 R$7.82

$0.52 ฿17.67

180.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.27

$0.31 ฿10.47

219.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.84

$1.73 ฿58.4

17.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.43

$2.69 ฿90.7

28.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.66

$1.59 ฿53.7

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.61

$1.26 ฿42.41

57.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.27

$1.22 ฿41.15

-4.10%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.80

$1.44 ฿48.60

53.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$54.1

$15.42 ฿520

-34.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.00

$2.65 ฿89.4

55.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.04

$9.93 ฿335

-7.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.54

$3.12 ฿105

-12.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.15

$1.21 ฿40.84

41.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.18

$1.92 ฿64.8

-20.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$8.88

$1.87 ฿63.1

-11.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.09

$1.24 ฿41.80

-8.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.32

$1.02 ฿34.38

-2.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.46

$1.22 ฿41.23

-46.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.20

$0.38 ฿12.68

57.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$14.94

$2.79 ฿94.2

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$39.99

$17.54 ฿591

-57.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.83

$1.67 ฿56.2

-34.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.48

$2.90 ฿97.8

-19.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.79

$0.46 ฿15.55

95.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$283

$19.30 ฿650

174.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.24

$1.05 ฿35.47

11.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.17

$1.12 ฿37.87

-30.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$44.75

$7.34 ฿248

14.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.48

$1.40 ฿47.08

-13.57%

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

$21.5K R$114.8K

$44.6K ฿1.5M

-51.92%

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

$31.1K R$166.4K

$26.7K ฿899.3K

16.66%

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

$124 R$665

$87.2 ฿2,937

42.79%

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

$10.03 R$53.6

$11.55 ฿389

-13.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$112

$19.04 ฿642

9.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$152

$46.52 ฿1,568

-39.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$157

$14.78 ฿498

98.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$40.72

$4.72 ฿159

61.44%

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

$563 R$3,009

$178 ฿5,996

216.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$64.4K

$14.4K ฿486.9K

-16.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$210

$51.3 ฿1,728

-23.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$248

$28.82 ฿971

60.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$366

$76.4 ฿2,576

-10.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$339

$67.6 ฿2,279

-6.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,149

$222 ฿7,464

250.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,530

$158 ฿5,329

199.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,436

$481 ฿16.2K

189.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$3,951

$429 ฿14.5K

72.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.1K

$3,407 ฿114.8K

-0.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,394

$1,712 ฿57.7K

-8.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,191

$602 ฿20.3K

-0.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

5.1

133.92%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nakhon Ratchasima: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$158 20.4% 66.6% $315

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$233 30% 15.9% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$118 15.2% 24.2% $38

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$83 10.7% 44.5% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$101 13% 3.1% $3

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$28 3.6% 54.9% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$56 7.2% 28.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $776 in Rio de Janeiro and $222 in Nakhon Ratchasima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37 in Rio de Janeiro vs $26 in Nakhon Ratchasima. Groceries flip the comparison at $201 vs $233, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇹🇭 Nakhon Ratchasima

🕒 Local time

00:28 12:28 AM

10:28 10:28 AM

10 h ahead of Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

126,391

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Nakhon Ratchasima 16,270 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Nakhon Ratchasima

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 Nakhon Ratchasima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro and $776 in Nakhon Ratchasima, so Nakhon Ratchasima is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,774 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,165 in Nakhon Ratchasima 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: $776 in Rio de Janeiro versus $222 in Nakhon Ratchasima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Rio de Janeiro pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Nakhon Ratchasima – a meal for two runs $26 versus $37 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.