Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Qingdao, Shandong

For one person, living is cheaper in Qingdao, Shandong: $773 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Qingdao, Shandong
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Qingdao, Shandong Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Qingdao, Shandong

🇨🇳 China

$773

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Qingdao, Shandong

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

A single person spends $1,182 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $773 in Qingdao, Shandong, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Qingdao, Shandong $773

A couple spends around $1,750 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,221 in Qingdao, Shandong, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Qingdao, Shandong $1,221

A family of three spends $2,318 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,669 in Qingdao, Shandong, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Qingdao, Shandong $1,669

Rio de Janeiro costs about 53% more than Qingdao, Shandong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Qingdao, Shandong are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 13% lower, Qingdao, Shandong 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$48.86

$3.04 ¥20.20

198.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$200

$18.01 ¥120

106.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$43.15

$4.41 ¥29.32

81.86%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.78

$2.71 ¥17.98

-19.19%

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

$1.46 R$7.87

$0.54 ¥3.58

170.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.31

$0.32 ¥2.13

209.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.91

$1.05 ¥6.97

93.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.55

$2.63 ¥17.48

31.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.70

$1.92 ¥12.76

-44.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.68

$1.41 ¥9.39

40.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.32

$1.00 ¥6.63

17.00%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.88

$1.33 ¥8.86

66.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$54.4

$16.57 ¥110

-38.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.15

$4.24 ¥28.16

-2.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.36

$9.62 ¥63.9

-4.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.63

$1.40 ¥9.31

94.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.21

$1.14 ¥7.56

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.23

$1.71 ¥11.39

-10.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$8.94

$1.26 ¥8.40

31.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.13

$0.68 ¥4.53

67.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.35

$0.98 ¥6.49

1.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.48

$1.00 ¥6.67

-35.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.22

$0.61 ¥4.03

-1.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$15.04

$3.85 ¥25.56

-27.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$40.25

$14.83 ¥98.6

-49.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.87

$1.03 ¥6.86

5.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.56

$1.56 ¥10.39

49.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.82

$0.29 ¥1.90

210.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$285

$17.97 ¥119

194.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.28

$1.46 ¥9.69

-19.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.20

$0.41 ¥2.74

90.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$45.05

$9.14 ¥60.7

-8.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.53

$1.26 ¥8.40

-3.97%

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

$21.5K R$115.5K

$19.6K ¥130.0K

9.72%

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

$31.1K R$167.6K

$17.4K ¥115.4K

79.29%

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

$124 R$670

$69.3 ¥460

79.65%

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

$10.03 R$54.0

$6.65 ¥44.21

50.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$112

$7.64 ¥50.7

173.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$153

$21.14 ¥140

34.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$158

$17.67 ¥117

65.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$40.99

$6.29 ¥41.83

21.14%

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

$563 R$3,029

$364 ¥2,419

54.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$64.8K

$17.9K ¥119.0K

-32.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$211

$52.8 ¥350

-25.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$250

$48.91 ¥325

-5.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$368

$94.5 ¥628

-27.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$341

$90.6 ¥602

-30.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,177

$340 ¥2,256

128.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,547

$197 ¥1,309

140.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,485

$769 ¥5,110

80.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$3,977

$401 ¥2,666

84.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.3K

$3,272 ¥21.7K

3.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,450

$2,096 ¥13.9K

-25.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,212

$1,220 ¥8,109

-51.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

3.37

254.01%

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 Qingdao, Shandong: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Qingdao, Shandong

$197 25.5% 58.4% $276

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Qingdao, Shandong

$223 28.8% 10.8% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Qingdao, Shandong

$84 10.8% 46.2% $72

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Qingdao, Shandong

$84 10.9% 43.9% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Qingdao, Shandong

$129 16.7% 31.9% $31

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Qingdao, Shandong

$23 2.9% 63.3% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Qingdao, Shandong

$34 4.4% 22.6% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $776 in Rio de Janeiro versus $340 in Qingdao, Shandong. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Qingdao, Shandong are about 2 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Rio de Janeiro versus $18 in Qingdao, Shandong. Groceries tell a different story – $201 in Rio de Janeiro vs $223 in Qingdao, Shandong – so Rio de Janeiro wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇳 Qingdao, Shandong

🕒 Local time

23:12 11:12 PM

10:12 10:12 AM

11 h ahead of Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

10,071,722

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.166 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.166 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Qingdao, Shandong 17,860 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Qingdao, Shandong

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 Qingdao, Shandong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rio de Janeiro is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,774 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,159 in Qingdao, Shandong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Qingdao, Shandong, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $340 there versus $776 in Rio de Janeiro.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Rio de Janeiro and $18 in Qingdao, Shandong. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Qingdao, Shandong, where all-in costs run around $773, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,182. In Qingdao, Shandong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Qingdao, Shandong – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.