Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and New Castle, DE

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,608 in New Castle, DE, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in New Castle, DE
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New Castle, DE Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

New Castle, DE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in New Castle, DE

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,608 in New Castle, DE.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
New Castle, DE $2,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,741 in New Castle, DE.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
New Castle, DE $3,741

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $4,873 in New Castle, DE.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
New Castle, DE $4,873

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 51% less than in New Castle, DE, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 6% below, New Castle, DE is 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$17.86 $17.86

-47.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$90.6 $90.6

-55.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$10.62 $10.62

-21.47%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$5.39 $5.39

-57.51%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$3.05 $3.05

-47.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$1.99 $1.99

-49.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$7.19 $7.19

-70.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$7.96 $7.96

-54.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.11 $1.11

1.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$4.10 $4.10

-49.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$4.04 $4.04

-69.06%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$4.94 $4.94

-54.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$13.05 $13.05

-16.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$13.04 $13.04

-66.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$18.16 $18.16

-47.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$6.07 $6.07

-53.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.50 $1.50

20.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$5.79 $5.79

-72.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$4.84 $4.84

-62.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$2.72 $2.72

-55.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$2.90 $2.90

-63.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$2.45 $2.45

-69.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$2.25 $2.25

-69.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$13.22 $13.22

-77.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$15.69 $15.69

-49.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$2.64 $2.64

-55.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$3.83 $3.83

-36.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$1.73 $1.73

-45.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.77 $1.77

-32.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$1.39 $1.39

-40.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$23.57 $23.57

-61.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.07 $1.07

20.56%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$33.6K $33.6K

-32.21%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$26.2K $26.2K

29.53%

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

$134 R$681

$215 $215

-37.63%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$66.6 $66.6

-83.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$70.6 $70.6

-67.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$41.62 $41.62

-27.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$14.72 $14.72

-47.49%

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

$584 R$2,960

$1,982 $1,982

-70.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$34.8K $34.8K

-63.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$51.8 $51.8

-20.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$64.2 $64.2

-23.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$91.8 $91.8

-19.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$110 $110

-39.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$1,418 $1,418

-36.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$1,278 $1,278

-58.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$2,133 $2,133

-37.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$1,881 $1,881

-60.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$2,808 $2,808

42.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$2,311 $2,311

-32.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.72

77.53%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Last update for New Castle, DE: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

New Castle, DE

$1.3K 49% 142% $751

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

New Castle, DE

$437 16.7% 104% $223

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

New Castle, DE

$353 13.5% 110% $185

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

New Castle, DE

$311 11.9% 99.7% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

New Castle, DE

$143 5.5% 38.1% $39

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

New Castle, DE

$16 * 0.6% 73.7% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

New Castle, DE

$71 2.7% 55.8% $25

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 $900 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,418 in New Castle, DE. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $91.0 in New Castle, DE for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $437 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇺🇸 New Castle, DE

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

04:06 4:06 AM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

21,926

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro New Castle, DE 7,730 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
New Castle, DE

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 Castle, DE: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro wins on cost – living expenses run 105% lower than in New Castle, DE. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rio de Janeiro the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,910 in Rio de Janeiro and $3,913 in New Castle, DE 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: $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,418 in New Castle, DE. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $584 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,982 in New Castle, DE. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $91.0 in New Castle, DE. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,608 in New Castle, DE, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in New Castle, DE. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Rio de Janeiro delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,273 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Rio de Janeiro hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 105% less than in New Castle, DE. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.