Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Pasto

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasto: $799 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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 Pasto
Learn more

Pasto Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Pasto

🇨🇴 Colombia

$799

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $799 in Pasto.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Pasto $799

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,210 in Pasto.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Pasto $1,210

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,622 in Pasto.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Pasto $1,622

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 61% more expensive than in Pasto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Pasto 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$3.98 COP 12.6K

152.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$23.79 COP 75.4K

69.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$7.46 COP 23.7K

14.61%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$1.56 COP 4,934

52.56%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$0.86 COP 2,724

87.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.61 COP 1,943

68.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$1.16 COP 3,666

112.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$2.20 COP 6,968

68.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.09 COP 3,464

9.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$1.29 COP 4,088

58.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.18 COP 3,744

8.47%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$2.14 COP 6,771

7.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$4.61 COP 14.6K

133.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$5.26 COP 16.7K

-16.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$7.29 COP 23.1K

34.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$2.44 COP 7,748

15.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.04 COP 3,302

71.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$1.30 COP 4,108

23.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$1.07 COP 3,379

68.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.15 COP 3,648

6.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$1.13 COP 3,586

-7.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$0.80 COP 2,537

-3.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$0.64 COP 2,041

4.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$2.37 COP 7,509

27.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$9.81 COP 31.1K

-17.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.09 COP 3,443

9.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$1.77 COP 5,599

41.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.72 COP 2,271

37.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$30.39 COP 96.4K

64.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$1.43 COP 4,532

-14.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.79 COP 5,688

-48.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$5.98 COP 18.9K

50.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$0.93 COP 2,958

39.78%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$18.1K COP 57.2M

32.24%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$25.7K COP 81.6M

27.64%

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

$133 R$676

$83.4 COP 264.4K

59.97%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$8.89 COP 28.2K

21.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$22.38 COP 71.0K

2.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$23.02 COP 73.0K

33.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$3.89 COP 12.3K

106.94%

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

$598 R$3,029

$235 COP 744.6K

154.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$6,071 COP 19.2M

121.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$58.6 COP 185.6K

-28.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$32.60 COP 103.4K

52.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$82.4 COP 261.4K

-9.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$71.8 COP 227.6K

-4.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$269 COP 851.9K

236.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$237 COP 751.4K

123.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$530 COP 1.7M

150.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$415 COP 1.3M

82.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$1,429 COP 4.5M

180.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$1,069 COP 3.4M

45.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

13.06

-8.65%

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 Pasto: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Pasto

$237 29.7% 55.2% $292

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Pasto

$173 21.7% 19.3% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Pasto

$115 14.4% 31.4% $52

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Pasto

$89 11.1% 46.1% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Pasto

$110 13.8% 4.4% $4.7

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Pasto

$44 5.5% 27.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Pasto

$31 3.9% 34.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $269 in Pasto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $24.00 in Pasto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $173 per month, with Pasto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇴 Pasto

🕒 Local time

01:04 1:04 AM

23:04 11:04 PM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

392,930

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Pasto 4,560 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Pasto

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 Pasto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Pasto differ by about 61% in total monthly costs ($1,289 vs $799 including rent). Pasto is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,933 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,198 in Pasto 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: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $269 in Pasto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Rio de Janeiro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Pasto – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $799 in Pasto versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pasto but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Pasto 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.

Safety-wise, Rio de Janeiro and Pasto 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 Pasto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.