Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Porlamar

For one person, living is cheaper in Porlamar: $630 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Porlamar
Learn more

Porlamar Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Porlamar

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$630

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $630 in Porlamar, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Porlamar $630

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,008 in Porlamar, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Porlamar $1,008

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,386 in Porlamar, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Porlamar $1,386

Rio de Janeiro costs about 104% more than Porlamar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Porlamar are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Porlamar 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$4.50 VES 3,950

123.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$34.98 VES 30.7K

15.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$9.06 VES 7,957

-5.63%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$1.80 VES 1,579

32.22%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.68 VES 1,477

-4.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.29 VES 1,129

-20.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$1.52 VES 1,338

62.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$3.07 VES 2,699

20.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.02 VES 891

16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$0.97 VES 853

111.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.01 VES 890

26.73%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$1.97 VES 1,729

16.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$4.08 VES 3,582

163.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$4.93 VES 4,332

-10.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$5.89 VES 5,167

67.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$3.94 VES 3,459

-28.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.53 VES 1,341

16.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$1.54 VES 1,354

3.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$1.51 VES 1,329

19.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.46 VES 1,284

-16.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$1.02 VES 895

1.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$0.98 VES 857

-31.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$2.02 VES 1,777

49.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$5.89 VES 5,171

37.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.02 VES 1,774

24.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.47 VES 414

110.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$14.81 VES 13.0K

238.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.27 VES 1,113

-27.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$0.52 VES 455

150.00%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$20.4K VES 17.9M

17.07%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$34.4K VES 30.2M

-4.58%

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

$133 R$676

$11.97 VES 10.5K

1014.45%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$7.55 VES 6,630

43.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$22.65 VES 19.9K

1.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$39.68 VES 34.8K

-22.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$12.73 VES 11.2K

150.20%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$3.55 VES 3,118

126.76%

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

$598 R$3,029

$29.99 VES 26.3K

1892.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$29.54 VES 25.9K

42.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$45.30 VES 39.8K

9.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$61.1 VES 53.7K

21.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$74.1 VES 65.1K

-7.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$199 VES 174.4K

354.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$151 VES 132.2K

251.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$332 VES 291.4K

299.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$200 VES 175.6K

277.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$399 VES 350.5K

904.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$152 VES 133.1K

929.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$216 VES 189.4K

196.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

-40.35%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Last update for Porlamar: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Porlamar

$151 23.9% 71.6% $379

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Porlamar

$163 * 25.9% 24.1% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Porlamar

$42 6.7% 74.8% $125

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Porlamar

$110 17.5% 33.1% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Porlamar

$95 15% 10.6% $11

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Porlamar

$23 * 3.7% 61.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Porlamar

$47 7.4% 0.2% $0.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $199 in Porlamar. 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 196% 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 $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $35.00 in Porlamar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $163 – making Porlamar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇻🇪 Porlamar

🕒 Local time

11:19 11:19 AM

10:19 10:19 AM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

103,496

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 878 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 987 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Porlamar 4,390 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Porlamar

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 Porlamar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rio de Janeiro is pricier by about 104%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $946 in Porlamar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 32% more in Rio de Janeiro, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro and $35.00 in Porlamar. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Porlamar, where all-in costs run around $630, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Porlamar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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