Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Pasaje

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasaje: $825 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Pasaje
Learn more

Pasaje Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Pasaje

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$825

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Pasaje

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $825 in Pasaje, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Pasaje $825

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,351 in Pasaje, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Pasaje $1,351

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,877 in Pasaje, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Pasaje $1,877

Rio de Janeiro costs about 56% more than Pasaje, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Pasaje are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Pasaje 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$3.99 $3.99

152.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$52.3 $52.3

-22.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$8.77 $8.77

-2.51%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$2.82 $2.82

-15.60%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$0.93 $0.93

73.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.75 $0.75

37.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$3.02 $3.02

-18.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$4.23 $4.23

-12.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.22 $1.22

-2.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$1.98 $1.98

3.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.40 $1.40

-8.57%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$2.10 $2.10

9.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$6.87 $6.87

56.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$5.18 $5.18

-14.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$9.36 $9.36

5.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$1.52 $1.52

84.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.19 $1.19

49.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$1.01 $1.01

58.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$0.96 $0.96

87.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.27 $1.27

-3.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$0.91 $0.91

14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$0.83 $0.83

-7.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$0.94 $0.94

-28.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$6.12 $6.12

-50.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$11.92 $11.92

-32.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.49 $1.49

-20.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.23 $2.23

12.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.38 $0.38

160.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$16.15 $16.15

210.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$1.39 $1.39

-12.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.72 $1.72

-46.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$12.17 $12.17

-26.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$0.90 $0.90

44.44%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$21.3K $21.3K

12.19%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$31.3K $31.3K

4.95%

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

$133 R$676

$40.37 $40.37

230.44%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$14.73 $14.73

-26.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$26.14 $26.14

-12.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$29.55 $29.55

4.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$14.84 $14.84

114.62%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$7.60 $7.60

5.92%

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

$598 R$3,029

$374 $374

59.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$5,765 $5,765

132.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$66.1 $66.1

-36.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$40.42 $40.42

22.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$124 $124

-39.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$91.9 $91.9

-25.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$308 $308

193.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$204 $204

159.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$652 $652

103.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$352 $352

114.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$1,184 $1,184

238.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$736 $736

112.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

10.05

18.71%

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 Pasaje: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Pasaje

$204 24.8% 61.4% $325

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Pasaje

$200 24.2% 6.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Pasaje

$81 9.8% 51.4% $86

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Pasaje

$122 14.8% 25.9% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Pasaje

$145 17.6% 37.2% $39

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Pasaje

$28 3.4% 53.8% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Pasaje

$45 5.4% 4.6% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $308 in Pasaje. 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 $52.0 in Pasaje. Groceries tell a different story – $215 in Rio de Janeiro vs $200 in Pasaje – so Pasaje wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇪🇨 Pasaje

🕒 Local time

02:54 2:54 AM

00:54 12:54 AM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

44,860

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Pasaje 4,500 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Pasaje

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 Pasaje: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro costs about 56% more than Pasaje, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,238 in Pasaje. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pasaje, 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 $52.0 in Pasaje. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro and $825 in Pasaje. That's a gap of about 56%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Pasaje, where all-in costs run around $825, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Pasaje it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Pasaje costs $825 versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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