Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Paulo Afonso

For one person, living is cheaper in Paulo Afonso: $823 a month against $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Paulo Afonso
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Paulo Afonso Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,185

/mo nomad

Paulo Afonso

🇧🇷 Brazil

$823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Paulo Afonso

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

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $823 in Paulo Afonso, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,185
Paulo Afonso $823

A couple spends around $1,737 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,313 in Paulo Afonso, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,737
Paulo Afonso $1,313

A family of three spends $2,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,804 in Paulo Afonso, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,289
Paulo Afonso $1,804

Rio de Janeiro costs about 44% more than Paulo Afonso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Paulo Afonso are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 12% lower, Paulo Afonso 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.16 R$44.76

$5.61 R$30.77

45.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 R$204

$30.09 R$165

23.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 R$41.28

$7.32 R$40.18

2.73%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R$11.55

$1.84 R$10.08

14.13%

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

$1.36 R$7.47

$1.19 R$6.52

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$5.27

$0.71 R$3.87

35.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R$10.84

$1.89 R$10.39

4.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 R$17.89

$2.77 R$15.19

17.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.96

$0.94 R$5.14

15.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 R$10.24

$1.59 R$8.75

17.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.17

$1.16 R$6.38

-3.45%

Eggs

$2.20 R$12.09

$2.06 R$11.32

6.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.91 R$54.4

$8.75 R$48.03

13.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 R$22.56

$3.95 R$21.70

4.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 R$50.7

$7.76 R$42.60

19.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 R$14.22

$2.05 R$11.26

26.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R$9.26

$1.19 R$6.53

42.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.06

$1.13 R$6.20

30.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 R$9.42

$1.46 R$8.02

17.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.34

$1.12 R$6.14

3.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.48

$1.00 R$5.47

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 R$3.60

$0.73 R$3.98

-9.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R$3.34

$0.78 R$4.26

-21.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 R$14.77

$2.27 R$12.47

18.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 R$39.53

$7.31 R$40.09

-1.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R$5.89

$1.17 R$6.43

-8.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 R$12.29

$1.99 R$10.90

12.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.81

$0.98 R$5.36

-10.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.3 R$287

$41.38 R$227

26.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.47

$1.24 R$6.80

-4.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 R$3.71

$0.78 R$4.31

-12.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 R$47.80

$7.58 R$41.58

14.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.58

$1.16 R$6.38

3.45%

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

$21.9K R$120.0K

$22.2K R$121.9K

-1.50%

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

$31.0K R$170.2K

$31.7K R$173.8K

-2.05%

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

$126 R$689

$72.3 R$397

73.70%

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

$10.14 R$55.6

$11.46 R$62.9

-11.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.95 R$115

$19.41 R$107

7.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 R$156

$24.60 R$135

15.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.87 R$158

$25.69 R$141

12.38%

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 R$40.63

$6.59 R$36.19

12.29%

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

$537 R$2,947

$263 R$1,442

104.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K R$87.2K

$6,731 R$36.9K

136.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.68 R$212

$51.1 R$281

-24.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R$247

$45.74 R$251

-1.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 R$376

$84.7 R$465

-19.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.1 R$352

$66.1 R$363

-3.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$4,213

$338 R$1,853

127.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 R$2,693

$230 R$1,262

113.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 R$8,004

$629 R$3,452

131.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R$4,077

$457 R$2,510

62.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,325 R$18.3K

$1,562 R$8,571

112.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R$8,518

$1,155 R$6,340

34.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 R$3,698

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

8.45%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: November 3, 2026

Last update for Paulo Afonso: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$491 41.4%

Paulo Afonso

$230 27.9% 53.1% $261

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$198 16.7%

Paulo Afonso

$179 21.7% 9.7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$157 13.2%

Paulo Afonso

$103 12.5% 34.2% $54

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$139 11.7%

Paulo Afonso

$111 13.5% 19.7% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$97 8.2%

Paulo Afonso

$111 13.5% 14.4% $14

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 5.1%

Paulo Afonso

$50 6.1% 16.5% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$43 3.7%

Paulo Afonso

$38 4.6% 12.8% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $768 in Rio de Janeiro versus $338 in Paulo Afonso. 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 $37 in Rio de Janeiro versus $30 in Paulo Afonso. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $179 – making Paulo Afonso the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Paulo Afonso

🕒 Local time

07:30 7:30 AM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

112,870

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Paulo Afonso 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Paulo Afonso

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 Paulo Afonso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro costs about 44% more than Paulo Afonso, 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 $1,778 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,234 in Paulo Afonso. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Paulo Afonso, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $338 there versus $768 in Rio de Janeiro.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro and $823 in Paulo Afonso. That makes Paulo Afonso about 31% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 21% less in Paulo Afonso. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro and $823 in Paulo Afonso. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Paulo Afonso – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Paulo Afonso is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 31% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.