Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Portmore

For one person, living costs are similar in Rio de Janeiro and in Portmore: $1,289 and $1,246 a month, rent and utilities included.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Portmore
Learn more

Portmore Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Portmore

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,246

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,246 in Portmore, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Portmore $1,246

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,073 in Portmore, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Portmore $2,073

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,900 in Portmore, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Portmore $2,900

Rio de Janeiro costs about 3% more than Portmore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Portmore are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Portmore 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$10.15 JMD 1,603

-0.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$63.3 JMD 10.0K

-36.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$8.04 JMD 1,270

6.34%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$5.43 JMD 859

-56.17%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$0.90 JMD 143

78.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.66 JMD 104

56.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$2.18 JMD 345

13.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$2.16 JMD 342

71.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$3.02 JMD 478

-60.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$3.49 JMD 551

-41.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.02 JMD 161

25.49%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$3.61 JMD 571

-36.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$11.52 JMD 1,821

-6.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$6.30 JMD 996

-30.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$9.43 JMD 1,490

4.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$5.99 JMD 946

-53.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$3.93 JMD 620

-54.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$2.96 JMD 468

-45.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$3.01 JMD 476

-40.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$3.30 JMD 521

-63.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$2.60 JMD 411

-60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$1.59 JMD 251

-51.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.26 JMD 199

-46.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$9.64 JMD 1,523

-68.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$11.24 JMD 1,776

-28.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$2.81 JMD 444

-57.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.26 JMD 356

11.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$2.29 JMD 361

-56.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$50.2 JMD 7,931

-0.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$0.96 JMD 152

27.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$3.09 JMD 488

-70.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$6.24 JMD 985

43.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.18 JMD 187

10.17%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$43.1K JMD 6.8M

-44.59%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$32.3K JMD 5.1M

1.69%

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

$133 R$676

$155 JMD 24.5K

-13.84%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$29.01 JMD 4,583

-62.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$52.7 JMD 8,322

-56.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$60.2 JMD 9,503

-48.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$13.38 JMD 2,114

-39.84%

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

$598 R$3,029

$285 JMD 45.1K

109.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$3,143 JMD 496.5K

326.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$23.25 JMD 3,674

80.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$30.94 JMD 4,889

60.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

-5.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$94.5 JMD 14.9K

-27.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$307 JMD 48.6K

193.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$216 JMD 34.1K

145.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$656 JMD 103.7K

102.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$590 JMD 93.3K

27.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$7,466 JMD 1.2M

-46.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$5,702 JMD 900.9K

-72.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$1,301 JMD 205.5K

-50.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

9.45

26.24%

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 Portmore: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Portmore

$216 17.3% 59.2% $314

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Portmore

$336 27% 56.6% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Portmore

$237 19% 41.5% $69

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Portmore

$192 15.4% 16.4% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Portmore

$102 8.2% 3.2% $3.4

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Portmore

$76 6.1% 26.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Portmore

$87 7% 85.3% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $307 in Portmore. 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 103% higher in Portmore, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $63.0 in Portmore. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $336 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇯🇲 Portmore

🕒 Local time

21:13 9:13 PM

19:13 7:13 PM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

170,000

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Portmore 5,830 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Portmore

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 Portmore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro costs about 3% more than Portmore, 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 $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,868 in Portmore. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 0% less in Portmore. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $598 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $285 in Portmore. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Portmore, where all-in costs run around $1,246, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Portmore it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Portmore costs $1,246 versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Portmore. 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.