Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Pelotas

For one person, living is cheaper in Pelotas: $699 a month against $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Pelotas
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Pelotas Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,185

/mo nomad

Pelotas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$699

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $699 in Pelotas, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,185
Pelotas $699

A couple spends around $1,737 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,085 in Pelotas, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,737
Pelotas $1,085

A family of three spends $2,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,470 in Pelotas, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,289
Pelotas $1,470

Rio de Janeiro costs about 70% more than Pelotas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Pelotas are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 12% lower, Pelotas 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.16 R$44.54

$5.64 R$30.81

44.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 R$203

$16.66 R$91.0

123.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 R$41.08

$6.23 R$34.04

20.71%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R$11.49

$2.38 R$13.02

-11.76%

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

$1.36 R$7.44

$1.24 R$6.77

9.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$5.25

$0.69 R$3.79

39.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R$10.79

$1.35 R$7.36

46.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 R$17.80

$1.51 R$8.24

115.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.93

$0.87 R$4.73

25.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 R$10.19

$1.05 R$5.75

78.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.14

$0.81 R$4.40

38.27%

Eggs

$2.20 R$12.03

$2.11 R$11.55

4.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.91 R$54.1

$9.13 R$49.83

8.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 R$22.44

$4.40 R$24.01

-6.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 R$50.5

$9.35 R$51.1

-1.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 R$14.15

$2.23 R$12.20

16.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R$9.21

$1.07 R$5.87

57.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.02

$1.25 R$6.81

17.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 R$9.37

$1.09 R$5.94

57.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.31

$1.15 R$6.30

0.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.45

$0.95 R$5.17

5.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 R$3.59

$0.83 R$4.54

-20.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R$3.33

$0.48 R$2.63

27.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 R$14.70

$2.16 R$11.82

24.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 R$39.33

$6.83 R$37.29

5.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R$5.86

$0.63 R$3.43

69.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 R$12.22

$0.91 R$4.96

146.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.78

$1.09 R$5.93

-19.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.3 R$286

$48.56 R$265

7.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.44

$1.35 R$7.37

-12.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 R$3.69

$0.77 R$4.21

-11.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 R$47.56

$7.71 R$42.11

12.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.54

$1.22 R$6.68

-1.64%

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

$21.9K R$119.4K

$21.8K R$118.9K

0.47%

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

$31.0K R$169.3K

$31.1K R$169.8K

-0.29%

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

$126 R$686

$71.3 R$389

76.14%

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

$10.14 R$55.4

$7.04 R$38.46

44.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.95 R$114

$18.33 R$100

14.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 R$156

$18.63 R$102

53.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.87 R$158

$18.10 R$98.8

59.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 R$40.43

$4.39 R$24.00

68.56%

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

$537 R$2,932

$510 R$2,784

5.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K R$86.8K

$22.8K R$124.4K

-30.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.68 R$211

$32.10 R$175

20.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R$246

$28.07 R$153

60.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 R$375

$54.3 R$296

26.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.1 R$350

$72.5 R$396

-11.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$4,192

$215 R$1,175

256.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 R$2,680

$153 R$838

219.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 R$7,964

$368 R$2,008

296.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R$4,056

$288 R$1,575

157.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,325 R$18.2K

$1,429 R$7,801

132.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R$8,475

$731 R$3,994

112.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 R$3,679

$413 R$2,257

63.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.5

3.74%

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 Pelotas: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$491 41.4%

Pelotas

$153 21.9% 68.7% $337

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$198 16.7%

Pelotas

$169 24.2% 14.4% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$157 13.2%

Pelotas

$97 13.8% 38.3% $60

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$139 11.7%

Pelotas

$110 15.7% 20.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$97 8.2%

Pelotas

$84 12% 13.6% $13

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 5.1%

Pelotas

$58 8.3% 3.8% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$43 3.7%

Pelotas

$27 3.9% 36.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $768 in Rio de Janeiro versus $215 in Pelotas. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 63% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Rio de Janeiro versus $17 in Pelotas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $169 – making Pelotas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Pelotas

🕒 Local time

14:52 2:52 PM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

325,685

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Pelotas 1,330 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
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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 Pelotas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, $699 in Pelotas – Pelotas comes out roughly 41% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,778 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,049 in Pelotas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pelotas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $215 there versus $768 in Rio de Janeiro.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $510 in Pelotas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Rio de Janeiro, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Pelotas – 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 Pelotas. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rio de Janeiro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.