Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and North Brunswick, NJ

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,641 in North Brunswick, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 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
121

Cost of Living Index in North Brunswick, NJ
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North Brunswick, NJ Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

North Brunswick, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in North Brunswick, NJ

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 North Brunswick, NJ actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,641 in North Brunswick, NJ.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
North Brunswick, NJ $2,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,632 in North Brunswick, NJ.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
North Brunswick, NJ $3,632

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $4,623 in North Brunswick, NJ.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
North Brunswick, NJ $4,623

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 52% less than in North Brunswick, NJ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 6% below, North Brunswick, NJ is 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$20.38 $20.38

-53.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$60.4 $60.4

-33.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$12.05 $12.05

-30.79%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$3.04 $3.04

-24.67%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$2.68 $2.68

-40.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$1.18 $1.18

-14.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$6.64 $6.64

-67.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$5.94 $5.94

-38.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.11 $1.11

1.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$1.60 $1.60

30.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$5.62 $5.62

-77.76%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$4.59 $4.59

-50.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$13.21 $13.21

-17.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$17.20 $17.20

-74.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$15.96 $15.96

-39.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$3.96 $3.96

-28.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.86 $1.86

-2.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$4.27 $4.27

-63.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$6.02 $6.02

-69.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$3.23 $3.23

-62.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$3.37 $3.37

-68.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$2.32 $2.32

-67.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$2.04 $2.04

-66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$14.66 $14.66

-79.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$18.04 $18.04

-55.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$2.60 $2.60

-54.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$4.11 $4.11

-41.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$1.99 $1.99

-52.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$2.81 $2.81

-57.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$3.67 $3.67

-77.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$49.62 $49.62

-81.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$0.99 $0.99

30.30%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$27.4K $27.4K

-16.85%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$26.5K $26.5K

28.22%

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

$134 R$681

$127 $127

5.80%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$47.32 $47.32

-77.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$56.7 $56.7

-59.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$47.51 $47.51

-36.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$13.03 $13.03

-40.68%

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

$584 R$2,960

$1,418 $1,418

-58.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$23.3K $23.3K

-44.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$54.1 $54.1

-23.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$50.5 $50.5

-2.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$122 $122

-39.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$132 $132

-49.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$1,430 $1,430

-37.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$1,423 $1,423

-62.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$2,221 $2,221

-40.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$1,902 $1,902

-60.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$2,715 $2,715

46.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$2,046 $2,046

-23.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

7.01

70.19%

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 North Brunswick, NJ: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

North Brunswick, NJ

$1.4K 53.9% 170% $896

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

North Brunswick, NJ

$427 16.2% 99.9% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

North Brunswick, NJ

$231 8.8% 37.6% $63

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

North Brunswick, NJ

$296 11.2% 89.9% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

North Brunswick, NJ

$161 6.1% 55.9% $58

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

North Brunswick, NJ

$29 * 1.1% 51% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

North Brunswick, NJ

$74 2.8% 61.3% $28

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 $1,430 in North Brunswick, NJ. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $60.0 in North Brunswick, NJ for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $427 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇺🇸 North Brunswick, NJ

🕒 Local time

02:59 2:59 AM

01:59 1:59 AM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

43,905

💱 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

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro North Brunswick, NJ 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
North Brunswick, NJ

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 North Brunswick, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 107% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,910 in Rio de Janeiro and $3,962 in North Brunswick, NJ 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 $1,430 in North Brunswick, NJ. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $584 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,418 in North Brunswick, NJ. 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 $60.0 in North Brunswick, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,641 in North Brunswick, NJ, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in North Brunswick, NJ. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Rio de Janeiro is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in North Brunswick, NJ, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Rio de Janeiro and North Brunswick, NJ are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 107% less than in North Brunswick, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.