Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Porto Alegre Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Porto Alegre

🙂 Solo nomad: Rio de Janeiro is 6% cheaper than Porto Alegre without rent, and 5.6% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Rio de Janeiro is 2.5% cheaper than Porto Alegre without rent, and 2.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rio de Janeiro
Porto Alegre
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.1 R$39.4
$6.22 R$34.52
14.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.72 R$198
$27.2 R$151
31.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.47 R$35.9
$6.46 R$35.84
0.15%
Cappuccino
$1.98 R$10.97
$1.97 R$10.91
0.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 R$7.28
$1.13 R$6.3
15.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.9 R$4.97
$0.78 R$4.34
15.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.82 R$10.08
$2.2 R$12.23
-17.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.72 R$15.11
$3.66 R$20.33
-25.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rio de Janeiro
Porto Alegre
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 R$6.19
$0.84 R$4.67
33.33%
White Bread (500g)
$1.71 R$9.48
$1.38 R$7.68
23.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.41 R$7.82
$1.05 R$5.83
34.29%
Eggs
$2.04 R$11.32
$2.06 R$11.41
-0.97%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.84 R$43.53
$10.89 R$60.5
-28.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.63 R$20.17
$4.55 R$25.24
-20.22%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.25 R$45.78
$9.23 R$51.3
-10.62%
Apples (1kg)
$2.39 R$13.25
$1.96 R$10.89
21.94%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 R$8.58
$1.27 R$7.05
22.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.47 R$8.15
$1.28 R$7.08
14.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.52 R$8.43
$1.51 R$8.37
0.66%
Potato (1kg)
$1.29 R$7.17
$1.14 R$6.3
13.16%
Onion (1kg)
$1.16 R$6.45
$1.04 R$5.75
11.54%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.63 R$3.5
$0.77 R$4.28
-18.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 R$3.41
$0.61 R$3.4
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.95 R$10.8
$1.89 R$10.48
3.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.34 R$40.77
$6.64 R$36.88
10.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 R$7
$0.99 R$5.48
27.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.1 R$11.67
$1.79 R$9.92
17.32%
🚌 Getting Around
Rio de Janeiro
Porto Alegre
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.3 R$7.2
$0.84 R$4.65
54.76%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.57 R$214
$64.9 R$360
-40.55%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.13 R$6.28
$1.65 R$9.16
-31.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.69 R$3.85
$1.01 R$5.63
-31.68%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.8 R$43.29
$5.38 R$29.84
44.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.06 R$5.87
$1.07 R$5.92
-0.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.5K R$113.5K
$24.1K R$133.5K
-14.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.6K R$153.4K
$27.3K R$151.7K
1.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rio de Janeiro
Porto Alegre
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$103 R$574
$60.5 R$336
71.01%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.89 R$66
$14.39 R$79.9
-17.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.63 R$103
$20.08 R$111
-7.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rio de Janeiro
Porto Alegre
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.89 R$144
$26.66 R$148
-2.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.74 R$132
$20.44 R$113
16.14%
Cinema Ticket
$6.57 R$36.47
$6.36 R$35.3
3.30%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rio de Janeiro
Porto Alegre
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$540 R$2,995
$312 R$1,730
73.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.8K R$65.3K
$7,299 R$40.5K
61.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rio de Janeiro
Porto Alegre
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.33 R$252
$48.81 R$271
-7.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.71 R$231
$58 R$322
-28.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.9 R$415
$81.4 R$452
-7.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.1 R$334
$62.8 R$349
-4.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rio de Janeiro
Porto Alegre
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$446 R$2,475
$303 R$1,679
47.39%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$333 R$1,846
$270 R$1,499
23.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$861 R$4,780
$615 R$3,412
40.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$573 R$3,182
$571 R$3,172
0.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,021 R$11.2K
$1,426 R$7,914
41.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,183 R$6,568
$1,498 R$8,314
-21.01%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rio de Janeiro
Porto Alegre
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$452 R$2,509
$515 R$2,858
-12.20%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.33
10
13.30%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 29, 2025

Last update for Porto Alegre: October 27, 2025

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