Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Queens, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $3,339 in Queens, NY, rent and utilities included – about $24,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
160

Cost of Living Index in Queens, NY
Learn more

Queens, NY Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Queens, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$3,339

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Queens, NY

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,339 in Queens, NY.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Queens, NY $3,339

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $4,831 in Queens, NY.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Queens, NY $4,831

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $6,323 in Queens, NY.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Queens, NY $6,323

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 62% less than in Queens, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 6% below, Queens, NY is 146% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$19.16 $19.16

-51.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$80.1 $80.1

-50.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$13.04 $13.04

-36.04%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$6.18 $6.18

-62.94%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$2.53 $2.53

-37.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$1.49 $1.49

-32.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$9.25 $9.25

-76.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$6.93 $6.93

-47.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.27 $1.27

-11.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$4.36 $4.36

-52.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$6.02 $6.02

-79.24%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$6.88 $6.88

-67.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$13.73 $13.73

-20.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$10.31 $10.31

-57.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$19.51 $19.51

-50.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$5.99 $5.99

-52.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$3.49 $3.49

-48.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$4.40 $4.40

-64.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$5.21 $5.21

-64.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$3.02 $3.02

-60.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$3.05 $3.05

-65.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$3.11 $3.11

-75.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$3.09 $3.09

-77.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$14.63 $14.63

-79.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$14.84 $14.84

-46.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$1.85 $1.85

-36.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$3.51 $3.51

-31.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$2.94 $2.94

-68.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

$131 $131

-61.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$2.96 $2.96

-59.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$2.22 $2.22

-62.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$41.49 $41.49

-78.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.09 $1.09

18.35%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$27.9K $27.9K

-18.22%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$25.5K $25.5K

32.98%

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

$134 R$681

$175 $175

-23.16%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$49.84 $49.84

-78.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$50.7 $50.7

-54.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$45.68 $45.68

-33.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

$67.6 $67.6

-53.43%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$20.43 $20.43

-62.16%

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

$584 R$2,960

$1,979 $1,979

-70.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$16.2K $16.2K

-21.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$49.52 $49.52

-16.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$81.0 $81.0

-39.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$85.7 $85.7

-14.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$104 $104

-36.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$2,272 $2,272

-60.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$1,870 $1,870

-71.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$5,863 $5,863

-77.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$2,964 $2,964

-74.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$8,775 $8,775

-54.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$6,134 $6,134

-74.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

$3,625 $3,625

-82.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.8

75.44%

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 Queens, NY: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Queens, NY

$1.9K 56% 255% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Queens, NY

$464 13.9% 117% $251

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Queens, NY

$275 8.3% 64% $107

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Queens, NY

$343 10.3% 120% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Queens, NY

$144 4.3% 39.1% $40

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Queens, NY

$156 4.7% 163% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Queens, NY

$87 2.6% 89.8% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $900 in Rio de Janeiro and $2,272 in Queens, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Queens, NY pays 466% 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 $80.0 in Queens, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $464 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇺🇸 Queens, NY

🕒 Local time

21:50 9:50 PM

20:50 8:50 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

2,405,464

💱 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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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Queens, NY 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Queens, NY

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 Queens, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 162% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 466% lower in Queens, NY. 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 $2,272 in Queens, NY. 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 $40.00 versus $80.0 in Queens, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,273 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,339 in Queens, NY – a 162% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,339 in Queens, NY, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Queens, NY. 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 Queens, NY, 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 162% less than in Queens, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.