Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Nashville, TN

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $2,837 in Nashville, TN, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Nashville, TN
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Nashville, TN Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Nashville, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Nashville, TN

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,837 in Nashville, TN.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Nashville, TN $2,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro versus $4,263 in Nashville, TN.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Nashville, TN $4,263

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro versus $5,689 in Nashville, TN.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Nashville, TN $5,689

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 55% less than in Nashville, TN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 4% below, Nashville, TN is 112% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$17.89 $17.89

-44.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$84.3 $84.3

-52.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$12.15 $12.15

-30.21%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$6.56 $6.56

-64.02%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$2.88 $2.88

-43.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$2.40 $2.40

-57.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$6.87 $6.87

-64.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$8.07 $8.07

-54.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$1.13 $1.13

1.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$3.90 $3.90

-46.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$4.01 $4.01

-67.83%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$4.20 $4.20

-45.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$12.78 $12.78

-13.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$14.44 $14.44

-70.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$18.70 $18.70

-47.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$5.70 $5.70

-50.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$1.58 $1.58

16.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$4.21 $4.21

-62.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$4.92 $4.92

-63.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$2.60 $2.60

-51.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$3.06 $3.06

-65.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$2.36 $2.36

-68.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$2.34 $2.34

-71.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$10.25 $10.25

-70.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$15.89 $15.89

-48.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$2.49 $2.49

-52.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$4.68 $4.68

-48.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

$2.05 $2.05

-50.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

$65.0 $65.0

-22.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

$4.92 $4.92

-74.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

$1.52 $1.52

-40.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

$21.09 $21.09

-55.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$1.01 $1.01

31.68%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

$37.3K $37.3K

-37.17%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$27.9K $27.9K

20.17%

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

$134 R$666

$230 $230

-41.99%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$74.3 $74.3

-83.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$75.8 $75.8

-70.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$54.3 $54.3

-41.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

$14.42 $14.42

114.08%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$14.96 $14.96

-44.99%

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

$603 R$3,011

$1,469 $1,469

-58.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

$30.8K $30.8K

-57.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$54.7 $54.7

-23.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$42.23 $42.23

18.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$93.1 $93.1

-19.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$141 $141

-51.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

$1,958 $1,958

-53.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

$1,379 $1,379

-61.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

$4,364 $4,364

-69.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

$2,427 $2,427

-68.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

$7,907 $7,907

-49.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

$2,687 $2,687

-41.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

$4,733 $4,733

-86.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.55

82.14%

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 Nashville, TN: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Nashville, TN

$1.4K 48.5% 161% $851

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Nashville, TN

$434 15.3% 102% $220

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Nashville, TN

$380 13.4% 126% $212

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Nashville, TN

$330 11.6% 101% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Nashville, TN

$149 5.2% 41% $43

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Nashville, TN

$86 3% 42.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Nashville, TN

$84 3% 75.5% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $905 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,958 in Nashville, TN. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nashville, TN pays 636% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $84.0 in Nashville, TN for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $434 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇺🇸 Nashville, TN

🕒 Local time

05:55 5:55 AM

03:55 3:55 AM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

689,447

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Nashville, TN 8,010 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Nashville, TN

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 Nashville, TN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Nashville, TN differ by about 121% in total monthly costs ($1,285 vs $2,837 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 636% lower in Nashville, TN. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,958 in Nashville, TN. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $603 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,469 in Nashville, TN. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 102% higher in Nashville, TN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,837 in Nashville, TN, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Nashville, TN. 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 121% less than in Nashville, TN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.