Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Petrolina

For one person, living is cheaper in Petrolina: $736 a month against $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Petrolina
Learn more

Petrolina Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,185

/mo nomad

Petrolina

🇧🇷 Brazil

$736

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $736 in Petrolina, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,185
Petrolina $736

A couple spends around $1,737 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,155 in Petrolina, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,737
Petrolina $1,155

A family of three spends $2,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,574 in Petrolina, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,289
Petrolina $1,574

Rio de Janeiro costs about 61% more than Petrolina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Petrolina are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 12% lower, Petrolina 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.16 R$44.75

$5.42 R$29.74

50.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 R$204

$29.35 R$161

26.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 R$41.27

$7.30 R$40.07

3.01%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R$11.54

$1.86 R$10.20

12.90%

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

$1.36 R$7.47

$1.23 R$6.75

10.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$5.27

$0.70 R$3.85

37.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R$10.84

$1.81 R$9.94

9.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 R$17.89

$2.85 R$15.65

14.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.96

$1.04 R$5.71

4.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 R$10.24

$0.85 R$4.66

120.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.17

$1.11 R$6.06

0.90%

Eggs

$2.20 R$12.08

$1.54 R$8.47

42.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.91 R$54.4

$8.60 R$47.17

15.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 R$22.55

$3.48 R$19.10

18.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 R$50.7

$7.45 R$40.90

24.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 R$14.22

$2.26 R$12.39

14.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R$9.26

$0.84 R$4.62

101.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.05

$1.07 R$5.89

37.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 R$9.42

$1.44 R$7.92

19.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.34

$1.12 R$6.16

3.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.48

$0.73 R$3.99

36.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 R$3.60

$0.72 R$3.93

-8.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R$3.34

$0.45 R$2.45

35.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 R$14.77

$2.34 R$12.81

14.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 R$39.52

$6.48 R$35.56

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R$5.88

$1.23 R$6.78

-13.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 R$12.28

$1.95 R$10.68

14.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.81

$1.00 R$5.48

-12.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.3 R$287

$42.15 R$231

24.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.47

$1.23 R$6.76

-4.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 R$3.71

$0.86 R$4.72

-20.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 R$47.79

$7.43 R$40.75

17.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.57

$1.23 R$6.77

-2.44%

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

$21.9K R$120.0K

$19.5K R$107.0K

12.12%

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

$31.0K R$170.1K

$24.6K R$134.9K

26.14%

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

$126 R$689

$62.7 R$344

100.51%

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

$10.14 R$55.6

$8.18 R$44.86

23.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.95 R$115

$11.37 R$62.4

84.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 R$156

$17.51 R$96.1

62.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.87 R$158

$25.72 R$141

12.25%

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 R$40.62

$3.76 R$20.63

96.81%

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

$537 R$2,946

$226 R$1,241

137.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K R$87.2K

$6,623 R$36.3K

139.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.68 R$212

$18.43 R$101

109.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R$247

$46.58 R$256

-3.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 R$376

$50.9 R$279

34.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.1 R$352

$78.2 R$429

-18.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$4,212

$256 R$1,405

199.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 R$2,692

$221 R$1,213

122.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 R$8,002

$556 R$3,048

162.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R$4,076

$379 R$2,081

95.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,325 R$18.2K

$1,587 R$8,710

109.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R$8,516

$1,139 R$6,248

36.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 R$3,697

$558 R$3,061

20.79%

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 Petrolina: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$491 41.4%

Petrolina

$221 30% 55% $270

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$198 16.7%

Petrolina

$159 21.6% 19.7% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$157 13.2%

Petrolina

$82 11.2% 47.5% $75

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$139 11.7%

Petrolina

$110 15% 20.7% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$97 8.2%

Petrolina

$87 11.9% 10.3% $10

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 5.1%

Petrolina

$52 7% 14.4% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$43 3.7%

Petrolina

$25 3.4% 42.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $768 in Rio de Janeiro versus $256 in Petrolina. 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 21% 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 $29 in Petrolina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $159 – making Petrolina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Petrolina

🕒 Local time

09:54 9:54 AM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

386,791

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Petrolina 1,530 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Petrolina

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 Petrolina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro costs about 61% more than Petrolina, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,104 in Petrolina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Petrolina, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $256 there versus $768 in Rio de Janeiro.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $226 in Petrolina. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Rio de Janeiro, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Petrolina – 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 Petrolina. 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.