Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Pembroke

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,185 a month against $2,331 in Pembroke, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. The total is higher in Pembroke despite lower rent and utilities.

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Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Pembroke
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Pembroke Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,185

/mo nomad

Pembroke

🇧🇲 Bermuda

$2,331

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,331 in Pembroke.

Rio de Janeiro $1,185
Pembroke $2,331

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,737 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,800 in Pembroke.

Rio de Janeiro $1,737
Pembroke $3,800

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $5,269 in Pembroke.

Rio de Janeiro $2,289
Pembroke $5,269

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 49% less than in Pembroke, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 12% below, Pembroke is 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.16 R$44.89

$42.77 BMD 42.77

-80.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 R$205

$153 BMD 153

-75.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 R$41.40

$17.73 BMD 17.73

-57.59%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R$11.58

$4.44 BMD 4.44

-52.70%

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

$1.36 R$7.49

$2.96 BMD 2.96

-54.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$5.29

$3.18 BMD 3.18

-69.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R$10.88

$7.60 BMD 7.60

-73.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 R$17.94

$8.94 BMD 8.94

-63.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.97

$4.96 BMD 4.96

-78.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 R$10.27

$8.07 BMD 8.07

-76.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.19

$5.51 BMD 5.51

-79.67%

Eggs

$2.20 R$12.12

$7.08 BMD 7.08

-68.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.91 R$54.6

$23.60 BMD 23.60

-58.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 R$22.62

$21.13 BMD 21.13

-80.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 R$50.9

$19.75 BMD 19.75

-53.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 R$14.26

$9.11 BMD 9.11

-71.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R$9.28

$6.57 BMD 6.57

-74.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.08

$7.16 BMD 7.16

-79.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 R$9.45

$8.45 BMD 8.45

-79.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.36

$5.74 BMD 5.74

-79.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.50

$4.07 BMD 4.07

-75.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 R$3.61

$6.38 BMD 6.38

-89.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R$3.35

$3.52 BMD 3.52

-82.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 R$14.81

$17.81 BMD 17.81

-84.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 R$39.64

$23.75 BMD 23.75

-69.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R$5.90

$5.26 BMD 5.26

-79.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 R$12.32

$4.25 BMD 4.25

-47.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.3 R$288

$131 BMD 131

-60.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.49

$6.43 BMD 6.43

-81.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 R$3.72

$2.52 BMD 2.52

-73.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 R$47.94

$69.7 BMD 69.7

-87.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.59

$2.35 BMD 2.35

-48.94%

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

$21.9K R$120.4K

$37.0K BMD 37.0K

-40.90%

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

$31.0K R$170.7K

$42.0K BMD 42.0K

-26.22%

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

$126 R$691

$293 BMD 293

-57.09%

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

$10.14 R$55.8

$150 BMD 150

-93.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.95 R$115

$162 BMD 162

-87.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 R$157

$79.2 BMD 79.2

-64.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.87 R$159

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 R$40.75

$13.31 BMD 13.31

-44.40%

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

$537 R$2,955

$1,338 BMD 1,338

-59.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K R$87.4K

$27.0K BMD 27.0K

-41.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.68 R$213

$88.3 BMD 88.3

-56.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R$248

$68.7 BMD 68.7

-34.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 R$378

$144 BMD 144

-52.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.1 R$353

$130 BMD 130

-50.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$4,225

$3,706 BMD 3,706

-79.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 R$2,701

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 R$8,026

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R$4,088

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,325 R$18.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R$8,542

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 R$3,708

$7,856 BMD 7,856

-91.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

8.63

38.24%

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 Pembroke: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$491 41.4%

Pembroke

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$198 16.7%

Pembroke

$748 32.1% 278% $550

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$157 13.2%

Pembroke

$605 25.9% 286% $448

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$139 11.7%

Pembroke

$529 22.7% 281% $390

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$97 8.2%

Pembroke

$194 8.3% 99% $96

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 5.1%

Pembroke

$150 * 6.4% 149% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$43 3.7%

Pembroke

$106 4.5% 144% $63

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $768 in Rio de Janeiro and $3,706 in Pembroke. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pembroke pays about 12 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Rio de Janeiro vs $153 in Pembroke for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $748 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇲 Pembroke

🕒 Local time

18:10 6:10 PM

17:10 5:10 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

11,160

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Bermudian Dollar BMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

1 BMD = 1 USD

1 BMD = 0.895 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BMD, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

Bermudian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1 BMD (1 BMD = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 BMD (1 BMD = 0.895 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Pembroke 6,550 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Pembroke

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 Pembroke: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Pembroke. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Rio de Janeiro the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 91% lower in Rio de Janeiro. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $768 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,706 in Pembroke. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $537 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,338 in Pembroke. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 278% higher in Pembroke. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,331 in Pembroke, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Pembroke. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Rio de Janeiro delivers better value at $1,185 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Rio de Janeiro hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Pembroke. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.