Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Portsmouth, OH

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $1,800 in Portsmouth, OH, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Portsmouth, OH
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Portsmouth, OH Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Portsmouth, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$1,800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Portsmouth, OH

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,800 in Portsmouth, OH.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Portsmouth, OH $1,800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,508 in Portsmouth, OH.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Portsmouth, OH $2,508

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,216 in Portsmouth, OH.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Portsmouth, OH $3,216

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 29% less than in Portsmouth, OH, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 6% below, Portsmouth, OH is 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$14.41 $14.41

-34.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$39.96 $39.96

0.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$7.80 $7.80

6.92%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$4.05 $4.05

-43.46%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$2.10 $2.10

-24.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$1.64 $1.64

-38.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$9.96 $9.96

-78.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$11.96 $11.96

-69.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$0.78 $0.78

44.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$2.78 $2.78

-24.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$3.83 $3.83

-67.36%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$2.28 $2.28

-1.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$10.78 $10.78

1.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$24.24 $24.24

-82.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$9.41 $9.41

2.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$6.00 $6.00

-52.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.86 $1.86

-2.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$6.91 $6.91

-77.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$5.46 $5.46

-66.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$2.58 $2.58

-53.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$1.77 $1.77

-40.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$1.53 $1.53

-50.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$2.74 $2.74

-75.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$9.80 $9.80

-70.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$19.88 $19.88

-59.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$1.78 $1.78

-33.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$3.41 $3.41

-29.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$1.81 $1.81

-48.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$3.23 $3.23

-62.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$2.00 $2.00

-58.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$27.25 $27.25

-67.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$0.72 $0.72

79.17%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$27.7K $27.7K

-17.80%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$26.6K $26.6K

27.55%

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

$134 R$681

$206 $206

-34.84%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$52.0 $52.0

-79.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$57.5 $57.5

-60.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$41.82 $41.82

-27.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$14.07 $14.07

-45.06%

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

$584 R$2,960

$537 $537

8.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$6,374 $6,374

100.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$29.83 $29.83

37.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$25.48 $25.48

93.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$56.3 $56.3

30.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$123 $123

-46.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$587 $587

53.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$569 $569

-7.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$746 $746

78.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$679 $679

10.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$2,603 $2,603

53.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$2,478 $2,478

-37.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

$1,585 $1,585

-59.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.74

77.00%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Last update for Portsmouth, OH: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Portsmouth, OH

$569 31.6% 7.9% $42

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Portsmouth, OH

$444 24.7% 108% $230

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Portsmouth, OH

$316 17.5% 88% $148

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Portsmouth, OH

$276 15.3% 77% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Portsmouth, OH

$105 5.9% 1.9% $2

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Portsmouth, OH

$20 * 1.1% 65.6% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Portsmouth, OH

$70 3.9% 53.4% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $900 in Rio de Janeiro and $587 in Portsmouth, OH. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portsmouth, OH pays 147% 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 $40.00 in Portsmouth, OH for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $444 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇺🇸 Portsmouth, OH

🕒 Local time

21:53 9:53 PM

20:53 8:53 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

95,535

💱 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 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Portsmouth, OH 8,010 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Portsmouth, OH

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 Portsmouth, OH: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 41% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 147% lower in Portsmouth, OH. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $587 in Portsmouth, OH. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 108% higher in Portsmouth, OH. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,273 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,800 in Portsmouth, OH – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,800 in Portsmouth, OH, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Portsmouth, OH. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Rio de Janeiro is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Portsmouth, OH, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Portsmouth, OH. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.