Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Passos

For one person, living is cheaper in Passos: $956 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Passos
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Passos Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Passos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $956 in Passos.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Passos $956

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,537 in Passos.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Passos $1,537

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,119 in Passos.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Passos $2,119

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 33% more expensive than in Passos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 6% lower, Passos 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$10.06 R$51.0

-6.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$35.57 R$180

12.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$8.86 R$44.91

-5.87%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$2.28 R$11.54

0.44%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$1.34 R$6.80

18.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$0.95 R$4.80

6.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$2.44 R$12.39

-12.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$4.05 R$20.51

-9.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.06 R$5.40

6.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$2.05 R$10.40

1.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$1.37 R$6.95

-8.76%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$2.61 R$13.22

-13.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$10.74 R$54.4

1.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$4.97 R$25.18

-12.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$10.75 R$54.5

-10.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$2.34 R$11.87

21.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.66 R$8.42

9.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$1.53 R$7.76

3.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$1.37 R$6.94

33.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.30 R$6.60

-7.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$1.24 R$6.29

-14.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$0.99 R$5.01

-24.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$0.85 R$4.31

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$2.43 R$12.34

20.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$8.08 R$40.96

-1.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$1.56 R$7.89

-24.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$2.51 R$12.74

-3.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$1.00 R$5.05

-6.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

$43.39 R$220

15.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.17 R$5.93

2.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$0.72 R$3.66

15.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$8.38 R$42.46

7.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.28 R$6.48

0.78%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$24.0K R$121.6K

-5.05%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$32.0K R$162.0K

6.24%

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

$134 R$681

$67.4 R$342

99.20%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$15.00 R$76.1

-28.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$22.66 R$115

0.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$25.76 R$131

17.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

$27.49 R$139

14.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$8.17 R$41.40

-5.39%

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

$584 R$2,960

$443 R$2,246

31.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$10.8K R$54.8K

18.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$64.4 R$326

-36.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$57.0 R$289

-13.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$88.5 R$449

-16.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$79.4 R$402

-16.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$354 R$1,797

153.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$242 R$1,225

118.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$687 R$3,485

93.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$475 R$2,410

57.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$1,693 R$8,582

135.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$1,181 R$5,984

32.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

$419 R$2,122

52.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

10.81

10.36%

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 Passos: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Passos

$242 25.3% 54.2% $286

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Passos

$221 23.1% 3.2% $6.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Passos

$105 11% 37.4% $63

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Passos

$164 17.2% 5.1% $7.9

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Passos

$130 13.6% 25.8% $27

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Passos

$52 5.5% 12.3% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Passos

$42 4.4% 7.7% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $900 in Rio de Janeiro and $354 in Passos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 53% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $36.00 in Passos. Groceries flip the comparison at $214 vs $221, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Passos

🕒 Local time

00:39 12:39 AM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

111,939

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Rio de Janeiro Passos 430 km

From you

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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 Passos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Passos differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($1,273 vs $956 including rent). Passos is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 53% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $354 in Passos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Rio de Janeiro pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Passos – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $956 in Passos versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Passos but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Passos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Passos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.