Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Pétion-Ville

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $2,183 in Pétion-Ville, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Pétion-Ville
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Pétion-Ville Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Pétion-Ville

🇭🇹 Haiti

$2,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Pétion-Ville

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 Pétion-Ville actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,285 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,183 in Pétion-Ville, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Pétion-Ville $2,183

A couple spends around $1,888 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,549 in Pétion-Ville, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Pétion-Ville $3,549

A family of three spends $2,491 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $4,914 in Pétion-Ville, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Pétion-Ville $4,914

Rio de Janeiro is about 41% cheaper than Pétion-Ville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Rio de Janeiro sits 4% below the global median, while Pétion-Ville is 63% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$14.74 HTG 1,923

-32.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$91.8 HTG 12.0K

-56.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$11.65 HTG 1,521

-27.21%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$3.77 HTG 492

-37.40%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$3.02 HTG 394

-46.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$1.51 HTG 197

-33.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$7.76 HTG 1,012

-68.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$9.24 HTG 1,206

-60.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$2.18 HTG 285

-47.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$2.52 HTG 329

-17.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$2.98 HTG 389

-56.71%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$3.73 HTG 487

-39.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$7.07 HTG 922

55.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$6.25 HTG 815

-31.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$8.90 HTG 1,161

9.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$3.84 HTG 501

-26.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$0.88 HTG 115

109.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$0.78 HTG 102

105.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$2.22 HTG 290

-18.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$7.10 HTG 926

-82.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$2.33 HTG 304

-54.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$1.16 HTG 152

-35.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$1.03 HTG 134

-35.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$4.44 HTG 580

-31.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$11.26 HTG 1,469

-27.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$1.48 HTG 193

-19.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$2.24 HTG 293

6.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

$0.37 HTG 47.75

172.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

$37.51 HTG 4,894

33.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

$0.39 HTG 51.3

225.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

$0.36 HTG 47.17

150.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

$13.68 HTG 1,785

-30.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$1.40 HTG 182

-5.00%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

$34.8K HTG 4.5M

-32.58%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$25.3K HTG 3.3M

32.60%

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

$134 R$666

$166 HTG 21.6K

-19.43%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$45.27 HTG 5,907

-72.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$232 HTG 30.3K

-90.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

$15.16 HTG 1,978

103.63%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

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

$603 R$3,011

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$92.4 HTG 12.1K

-54.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$77.6 HTG 10.1K

-35.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$153 HTG 20.0K

-51.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$193 HTG 25.2K

-64.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

$1,140 HTG 148.7K

-20.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

$922 HTG 120.2K

-42.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

$3,204 HTG 418.0K

-57.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

$2,305 HTG 300.8K

-66.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

$2,464 HTG 321.5K

61.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

$1,855 HTG 242.0K

-15.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

$773 HTG 100.9K

-16.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

-33.72%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026

Last update for Pétion-Ville: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Pétion-Ville

$922 42.3% 74.7% $394

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Pétion-Ville

$269 12.3% 25.4% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Pétion-Ville

$443 20.3% 163% $275

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Pétion-Ville

$273 12.5% 66.9% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Pétion-Ville

$232 10.7% 120% $127

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Pétion-Ville

$41 1.9% 31.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Pétion-Ville

- * 0% 100%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,140 in Pétion-Ville. 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 20% higher in Pétion-Ville, 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 $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $92.0 in Pétion-Ville. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $269 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇭🇹 Pétion-Ville

🕒 Local time

07:53 7:53 AM

06:53 6:53 AM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

342,400

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Haitian Gourde HTG G

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1,000 HTG = 7.66 USD

1,000 HTG = 6.84 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HTG, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Haitian Gourde exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 130 HTG (1,000 HTG = 7.66 USD). 1 EUR = 146 HTG (1,000 HTG = 6.84 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Pétion-Ville 5,580 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Pétion-Ville

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 Pétion-Ville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, $2,183 in Pétion-Ville – roughly 70% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,927 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $3,275 in Pétion-Ville. 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.

Public transport costs about 34% less in Rio de Janeiro. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Pétion-Ville, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,285, than in Pétion-Ville at $2,183. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pétion-Ville it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Rio de Janeiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro to $2,183 in Pétion-Ville. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Rio de Janeiro. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Pétion-Ville makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.