Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and New Bern, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $2,072 in New Bern, NC, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in New Bern, NC
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New Bern, NC Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

New Bern, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,072

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in New Bern, NC

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 New Bern, NC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,285 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,072 in New Bern, NC, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
New Bern, NC $2,072

A couple spends around $1,888 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,290 in New Bern, NC, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
New Bern, NC $3,290

A family of three spends $2,491 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $4,507 in New Bern, NC, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
New Bern, NC $4,507

Rio de Janeiro is about 38% cheaper than New Bern, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Rio de Janeiro sits 4% below the global median, while New Bern, NC is 55% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.69

$18.21 $18.21

-45.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$84.0 $84.0

-51.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.23

$12.02 $12.02

-29.45%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.77

$5.28 $5.28

-55.30%

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

$1.63 R$8.11

$2.93 $2.93

-44.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.05

$2.42 $2.42

-58.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.15

$5.93 $5.93

-58.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.38

$7.03 $7.03

-47.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.70

$0.89 $0.89

29.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.31

$3.33 $3.33

-37.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.40

$5.13 $5.13

-74.85%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.29

$3.48 $3.48

-34.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.7

$12.99 $12.99

-15.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.44

$10.75 $10.75

-59.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.49

$15.38 $15.38

-36.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.07

$5.30 $5.30

-46.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.14

$1.25 $1.25

47.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.94

$2.77 $2.77

-42.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$8.97

$5.63 $5.63

-68.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.26

$2.81 $2.81

-55.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.32

$2.86 $2.86

-62.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.74

$1.91 $1.91

-60.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.28

$2.29 $2.29

-71.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.16

$7.47 $7.47

-59.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.72

$12.94 $12.94

-36.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.90

$1.80 $1.80

-33.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.88

$2.09 $2.09

14.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.04

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.31

$3.43 $3.43

-62.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.50

$2.19 $2.19

-58.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$46.99

$32.13 $32.13

-70.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.63

$0.82 $0.82

62.20%

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

$23.4K R$116.6K

$27.9K $27.9K

-16.17%

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

$33.6K R$167.1K

$23.2K $23.2K

44.46%

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

$134 R$664

$158 $158

-15.70%

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

$12.23 R$60.9

$73.5 $73.5

-83.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$69.8 $69.8

-67.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$157

$55.5 $55.5

-43.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$40.95

$11.43 $11.43

-28.00%

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

$603 R$3,002

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$65.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$207

$59.9 $59.9

-30.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$35.16 $35.16

42.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$373

$83.8 $83.8

-10.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$340

$87.0 $87.0

-21.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,506

$1,180 $1,180

-23.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,625

$887 $887

-40.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,700

$2,178 $2,178

-38.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,854

$1,877 $1,877

-58.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.8K

$2,058 $2,058

93.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,775

$2,043 $2,043

-23.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,200

$3,738 $3,738

-82.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.51

83.26%

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 New Bern, NC: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

New Bern, NC

$887 42.5% 68.1% $359

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

New Bern, NC

$377 18.1% 75.7% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

New Bern, NC

$302 14.5% 79.2% $133

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

New Bern, NC

$310 14.9% 89.3% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

New Bern, NC

$120 5.7% 13.2% $14

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

New Bern, NC

$14 * 0.7% 76% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

New Bern, NC

$78 3.8% 63.2% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,180 in New Bern, NC. 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 481% higher in New Bern, NC, 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 $84.0 in New Bern, NC. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $377 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇺🇸 New Bern, NC

🕒 Local time

15:38 3:38 PM

14:38 2:38 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

31,291

💱 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

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro New Bern, NC 7,370 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
New Bern, NC

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 New Bern, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – New Bern, NC is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,927 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $3,108 in New Bern, NC. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 76% more in New Bern, NC, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro and $84.0 in New Bern, NC. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,285, than in New Bern, NC at $2,072. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in New Bern, NC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rio de Janeiro – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Rio de Janeiro. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, New Bern, NC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.