Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Porto Velho

For one person, living is cheaper in Porto Velho: $851 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Porto Velho
Learn more

Porto Velho Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Porto Velho

🇧🇷 Brazil

$851

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Porto Velho

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro versus $851 in Porto Velho.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Porto Velho $851

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,347 in Porto Velho.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Porto Velho $1,347

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,844 in Porto Velho.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Porto Velho $1,844

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 39% more expensive than in Porto Velho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 13% lower, Porto Velho 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$48.54

$5.47 R$29.23

66.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$199

$37.80 R$202

-1.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$42.87

$6.15 R$32.86

30.41%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.71

$1.78 R$9.53

23.03%

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

$1.46 R$7.82

$1.52 R$8.13

-3.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.27

$0.49 R$2.60

102.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.84

$1.85 R$9.87

9.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.43

$2.06 R$11.03

67.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.66

$0.99 R$5.29

7.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.61

$1.41 R$7.51

40.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.27

$1.08 R$5.78

8.33%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.80

$1.97 R$10.53

12.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$54.1

$8.70 R$46.51

16.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.00

$4.08 R$21.82

0.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.04

$8.61 R$46.03

6.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.54

$2.03 R$10.87

33.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.15

$1.24 R$6.65

37.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.18

$1.03 R$5.50

48.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$8.89

$1.55 R$8.29

7.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.09

$1.27 R$6.80

-10.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.32

$1.10 R$5.89

-10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.46

$0.63 R$3.39

3.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.20

$0.82 R$4.39

-26.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$14.94

$2.17 R$11.61

28.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$39.99

$6.34 R$33.89

17.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.83

$1.23 R$6.58

-11.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.48

$1.88 R$10.06

23.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.79

$0.92 R$4.93

-2.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$283

$41.03 R$219

29.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.24

$1.29 R$6.89

-9.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.17

$0.90 R$4.80

-13.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$44.75

$7.50 R$40.09

11.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.48

$1.22 R$6.52

-0.82%

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

$21.5K R$114.8K

$20.8K R$111.4K

3.05%

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

$31.1K R$166.5K

$33.7K R$180.1K

-7.56%

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

$124 R$665

$79.3 R$424

56.91%

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

$10.03 R$53.7

$12.36 R$66.1

-18.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$112

$19.71 R$105

5.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$152

$24.42 R$131

16.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$157

$25.57 R$137

14.70%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$40.72

$6.69 R$35.77

13.90%

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

$563 R$3,010

$227 R$1,215

147.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$64.4K

$7,657 R$40.9K

57.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$210

$46.37 R$248

-15.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$248

$46.33 R$248

0.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$366

$84.1 R$450

-18.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$339

$66.5 R$356

-4.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,150

$355 R$1,901

118.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,530

$257 R$1,376

83.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,437

$629 R$3,366

120.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$3,951

$463 R$2,477

59.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.1K

$1,810 R$9,676

87.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,396

$1,256 R$6,718

24.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,192

$388 R$2,075

53.81%

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Porto Velho: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Porto Velho

$257 30.3% 45.6% $216

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Porto Velho

$179 21% 10.9% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Porto Velho

$111 13.1% 28.3% $44

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Porto Velho

$105 12.3% 29.9% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Porto Velho

$110 12.9% 11.9% $12

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Porto Velho

$51 5.9% 18.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Porto Velho

$38 4.4% 13.3% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $776 in Rio de Janeiro and $355 in Porto Velho. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 54% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Rio de Janeiro vs $38 in Porto Velho. Groceries flip the comparison at $201 vs $179, with Porto Velho cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Porto Velho

🕒 Local time

16:49 4:49 PM

15:49 3:49 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

460,434

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Porto Velho 2,710 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Porto Velho

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 Porto Velho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Porto Velho wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Rio de Janeiro. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Porto Velho the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 54% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $776 in Rio de Janeiro versus $355 in Porto Velho. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $37 versus $38 in Porto Velho. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,182 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $851 in Porto Velho – Porto Velho is about 28% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Porto Velho is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Porto Velho wins on affordability, Rio de Janeiro on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.