Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and North Little Rock, AR

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $2,560 in North Little Rock, AR, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 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
125

Cost of Living Index in North Little Rock, AR
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North Little Rock, AR Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

North Little Rock, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,560

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in North Little Rock, AR

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 Little Rock, AR actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,560 in North Little Rock, AR, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
North Little Rock, AR $2,560

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,762 in North Little Rock, AR, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
North Little Rock, AR $3,762

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $4,964 in North Little Rock, AR, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
North Little Rock, AR $4,964

Rio de Janeiro is about 50% cheaper than North Little Rock, AR, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Rio de Janeiro sits 5% below the global median, while North Little Rock, AR is 90% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$50.2

$19.13 $19.13

-47.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$202

$74.8 $74.8

-45.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$42.66

$11.17 $11.17

-23.46%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$11.85

$5.10 $5.10

-53.33%

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

$1.61 R$8.05

$2.59 $2.59

-37.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.14

$2.05 $2.05

-49.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.34

$6.15 $6.15

-59.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.47

$7.02 $7.02

-47.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$5.96

$1.01 $1.01

17.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.22

$3.42 $3.42

-40.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.39

$4.41 $4.41

-70.98%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.41

$4.09 $4.09

-44.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$53.7

$12.50 $12.50

-13.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.00

$11.62 $11.62

-62.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.07

$15.58 $15.58

-36.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.03

$4.81 $4.81

-41.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$8.89

$1.59 $1.59

11.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.00

$4.32 $4.32

-62.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$8.96

$4.62 $4.62

-61.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.07

$2.91 $2.91

-58.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.18

$2.81 $2.81

-62.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.85

$2.11 $2.11

-63.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.33

$2.19 $2.19

-69.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.03

$9.69 $9.69

-68.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.29

$14.22 $14.22

-43.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.93

$1.80 $1.80

-33.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.52

$3.30 $3.30

-23.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$4.92

$2.05 $2.05

-51.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.10

$3.47 $3.47

-64.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.59

$1.66 $1.66

-44.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$44.72

$29.36 $29.36

-69.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.47

$0.89 $0.89

46.07%

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

$23.9K R$119.1K

$29.1K $29.1K

-17.89%

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

$32.9K R$163.9K

$25.6K $25.6K

28.61%

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

$133 R$665

$188 $188

-28.87%

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

$10.82 R$54.0

$52.3 $52.3

-79.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$114

$68.0 $68.0

-66.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$154

$43.86 $43.86

-29.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$159

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.18

$13.29 $13.29

-39.43%

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

$598 R$2,981

$1,315 $1,315

-54.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$66.9K

$23.2K $23.2K

-42.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$210

$50.3 $50.3

-16.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$248

$40.56 $40.56

22.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$372

$87.0 $87.0

-14.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$343

$113 $113

-39.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,505

$1,618 $1,618

-44.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,641

$1,332 $1,332

-60.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,617

$2,603 $2,603

-49.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,770

$2,238 $2,238

-66.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.0K

$2,791 $2,791

43.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,783

$2,474 $2,474

-36.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,190

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 10, 2026

Last update for North Little Rock, AR: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

North Little Rock, AR

$1.3K 52% 152% $802

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

North Little Rock, AR

$388 15.2% 80.7% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

North Little Rock, AR

$308 12% 84.2% $141

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

North Little Rock, AR

$311 12.2% 88.6% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

North Little Rock, AR

$131 5.1% 24% $25

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

North Little Rock, AR

$20 * 0.8% 66.7% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

North Little Rock, AR

$70 2.8% 50.2% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,618 in North Little Rock, AR. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $75.0 in North Little Rock, AR. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $388 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇺🇸 North Little Rock, AR

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

09:16 9:16 AM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

64,591

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.18 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.57 BRL (1 BRL = 0.18 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro North Little Rock, AR 8,240 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
North Little Rock, AR

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 Little Rock, AR: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – North Little Rock, AR is pricier by about 99%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $3,840 in North Little Rock, AR. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro and $75.0 in North Little Rock, AR. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 81% more in North Little Rock, AR, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,289, than in North Little Rock, AR at $2,560. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in North Little Rock, AR 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, North Little Rock, AR makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.