Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Perez Zeledon

For one person, living costs are similar in Rio de Janeiro and in Perez Zeledon: $1,273 and $1,328 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Perez Zeledon
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Perez Zeledon Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Perez Zeledon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,328

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Perez Zeledon

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

A single person spends $1,273 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,328 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Perez Zeledon $1,328

A couple spends around $1,841 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,371 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Perez Zeledon $2,371

A family of three spends $2,409 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,414 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Perez Zeledon $3,414

Rio de Janeiro is about 4% cheaper than Perez Zeledon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Perez Zeledon are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 6% lower, Perez Zeledon 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$9.34 ₡4,188

0.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$36.62 ₡16.4K

9.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$8.23 ₡3,689

1.34%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$2.70 ₡1,210

-15.19%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$1.96 ₡880

-18.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$1.71 ₡766

-40.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$1.79 ₡804

19.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$3.08 ₡1,380

18.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.64 ₡735

-31.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$3.03 ₡1,357

-31.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$2.47 ₡1,109

-49.39%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$2.48 ₡1,113

-9.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$10.62 ₡4,763

2.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$10.36 ₡4,646

-57.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$13.82 ₡6,196

-30.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$4.99 ₡2,238

-42.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.08 ₡483

67.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$4.85 ₡2,174

-67.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$3.96 ₡1,777

-53.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$3.86 ₡1,730

-68.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$3.78 ₡1,693

-71.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$0.46 ₡205

63.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$3.21 ₡1,441

-78.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$5.76 ₡2,582

-48.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$19.78 ₡8,870

-59.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$2.77 ₡1,240

-57.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$3.50 ₡1,572

-30.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$0.77 ₡344

22.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$2.51 ₡1,125

-52.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$1.61 ₡720

-48.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$8.81 ₡3,952

1.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.54 ₡689

-16.23%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$22.3K ₡10.0M

2.09%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$34.8K ₡15.6M

-2.31%

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

$134 R$681

$92.9 ₡41.7K

44.60%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$23.91 ₡10.7K

-55.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$58.7 ₡26.3K

-61.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$72.4 ₡32.5K

-58.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$7.46 ₡3,346

3.62%

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

$584 R$2,960

$508 ₡227.7K

14.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

-24.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$72.9 ₡32.7K

-43.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$56.8 ₡25.5K

-13.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$129 ₡58.0K

-43.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$130 ₡58.1K

-49.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$401 ₡180.0K

124.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$333 ₡149.4K

58.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$1,898 ₡851.1K

-29.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$1,258 ₡564.0K

-40.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

8.62

38.40%

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 Perez Zeledon: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Perez Zeledon

$333 25.1% 36.8% $194

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Perez Zeledon

$382 28.8% 78.8% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Perez Zeledon

$176 13.2% 4.5% $7.6

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Perez Zeledon

$162 12.2% 3.6% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Perez Zeledon

$175 13.2% 69% $71

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Perez Zeledon

$14 * 1% 77.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Perez Zeledon

$87 6.6% 91.4% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $401 in Perez Zeledon. 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 $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $37.00 in Perez Zeledon. Groceries tell a different story – $214 in Rio de Janeiro vs $382 in Perez Zeledon – so Rio de Janeiro wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇷 Perez Zeledon

🕒 Local time

00:15 12:15 AM

21:15 9:15 PM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

135,000

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Perez Zeledon 5,660 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Perez Zeledon

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 Perez Zeledon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Perez Zeledon is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,910 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,992 in Perez Zeledon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rio de Janeiro, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,328 in Perez Zeledon. That's a gap of about 4%.

Kindergarten costs $584 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $508 in Perez Zeledon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,273, than in Perez Zeledon at $1,328. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Perez Zeledon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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