Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $1,596 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon
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Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,596

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

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 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,596 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $1,596

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,398 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $2,398

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,200 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $3,200

Rio de Janeiro is about 19% cheaper than Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Rio de Janeiro sits 5% below the global median, while Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$11.94 ₡5,353

-15.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$44.58 ₡20.0K

-9.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$10.82 ₡4,855

-20.98%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$4.03 ₡1,808

-40.94%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$2.38 ₡1,067

-32.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.83 ₡819

-43.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$3.37 ₡1,510

-26.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$4.01 ₡1,800

-7.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$2.08 ₡931

-42.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$3.16 ₡1,418

-35.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$2.43 ₡1,089

-47.33%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$3.07 ₡1,378

-25.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$6.56 ₡2,942

64.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$7.76 ₡3,479

-43.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$14.16 ₡6,350

-30.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$2.59 ₡1,161

8.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.12 ₡504

58.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$1.29 ₡576

24.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$1.74 ₡781

3.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$2.60 ₡1,165

-53.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$1.97 ₡881

-47.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$0.69 ₡311

11.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$2.00 ₡898

-66.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$3.12 ₡1,398

-3.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$15.10 ₡6,773

-46.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$2.86 ₡1,284

-58.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$3.71 ₡1,663

-32.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$1.30 ₡582

-23.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$43.11 ₡19.3K

16.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$1.84 ₡825

-33.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.54 ₡693

-40.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$8.50 ₡3,814

5.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.50 ₡674

-13.33%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$22.3K ₡10.0M

7.22%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$35.0K ₡15.7M

-6.24%

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

$133 R$676

$95.5 ₡42.8K

39.63%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$35.40 ₡15.9K

-69.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$32.86 ₡14.7K

-30.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$73.5 ₡33.0K

-58.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$7.71 ₡3,458

4.41%

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

$598 R$3,029

$972 ₡435.8K

-38.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

-21.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$64.6 ₡29.0K

-34.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$25.92 ₡11.6K

91.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$97.0 ₡43.5K

-23.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$54.5 ₡24.4K

26.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$690 ₡309.3K

30.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$659 ₡295.6K

-19.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$1,981 ₡888.2K

-33.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$1,135 ₡508.8K

-33.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$976 ₡437.6K

-34.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

8.62

38.40%

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 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$659 41.3% 24.5% $130

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$299 18.8% 39.5% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$164 10.3% 2% $3.3

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$218 13.7% 32.1% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$109 6.8% 3% $3.2

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$58 3.6% 3.4% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$89 5.6% 89.7% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $690 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. 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 53% higher in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $45.00 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $299 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇷 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

🕒 Local time

19:35 7:35 PM

16:35 4:35 PM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon 5,940 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

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 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, $1,596 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon – roughly 24% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $2,394 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 16% less in Rio de Janeiro. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $598 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $972 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,289, than in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon at $1,596. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro to $1,596 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Rio de Janeiro. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.