Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Portoviejo

For one person, living is cheaper in Portoviejo: $807 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Portoviejo
Learn more

Portoviejo Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Portoviejo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$807

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $807 in Portoviejo.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Portoviejo $807

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,347 in Portoviejo.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Portoviejo $1,347

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,888 in Portoviejo.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Portoviejo $1,888

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 60% more expensive than in Portoviejo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Portoviejo 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$4.07 $4.07

147.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$51.8 $51.8

-21.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$9.19 $9.19

-6.96%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$2.91 $2.91

-18.21%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$0.89 $0.89

80.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.75 $0.75

37.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$3.04 $3.04

-18.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$4.19 $4.19

-11.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.22 $1.22

-2.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$1.98 $1.98

3.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.42 $1.42

-9.86%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$2.04 $2.04

12.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$6.85 $6.85

57.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$5.11 $5.11

-13.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$9.35 $9.35

5.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$1.53 $1.53

83.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.15 $1.15

54.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$0.99 $0.99

61.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$0.95 $0.95

89.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.23 $1.23

-0.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$0.97 $0.97

7.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$0.82 $0.82

-6.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$0.99 $0.99

-32.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$5.87 $5.87

-48.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$11.77 $11.77

-31.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.58 $1.58

-24.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.20 $2.20

14.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.36 $0.36

175.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$17.65 $17.65

183.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$1.37 $1.37

-10.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.72 $1.72

-46.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$11.82 $11.82

-24.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$0.83 $0.83

56.63%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$20.6K $20.6K

15.87%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$31.0K $31.0K

6.06%

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

$133 R$676

$39.37 $39.37

238.84%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$14.63 $14.63

-26.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$25.63 $25.63

-10.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$26.86 $26.86

14.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$17.76 $17.76

79.34%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$7.46 $7.46

7.91%

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

$598 R$3,029

$378 $378

57.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$5,653 $5,653

137.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$65.3 $65.3

-35.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$39.77 $39.77

24.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$125 $125

-40.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$94.0 $94.0

-26.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$296 $296

204.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$185 $185

185.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$719 $719

84.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$362 $362

109.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$1,183 $1,183

238.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$769 $769

103.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$327 $327

95.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

10.05

18.71%

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 Portoviejo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Portoviejo

$185 23% 65% $344

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Portoviejo

$200 24.8% 6.9% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Portoviejo

$80 9.9% 52.4% $87

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Portoviejo

$125 15.5% 24.2% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Portoviejo

$146 18.1% 38.1% $40

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Portoviejo

$29 3.6% 51.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Portoviejo

$42 5.2% 10.9% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $296 in Portoviejo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 95% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $52.0 in Portoviejo. Groceries flip the comparison at $215 vs $200, with Portoviejo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇪🇨 Portoviejo

🕒 Local time

05:21 5:21 AM

03:21 3:21 AM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

180,641

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Portoviejo 4,700 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Portoviejo

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 Portoviejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portoviejo wins on cost – living expenses run 60% lower than in Rio de Janeiro. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Portoviejo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 95% 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: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $296 in Portoviejo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Rio de Janeiro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Portoviejo – a meal for two runs $52.0 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $807 in Portoviejo versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Portoviejo but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Portoviejo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Portoviejo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $807 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Portoviejo hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Portoviejo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.