Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Quesada

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $1,678 in Quesada, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Quesada
Learn more

Quesada Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Quesada

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,678

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,678 in Quesada, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Quesada $1,678

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,663 in Quesada, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Quesada $2,663

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,648 in Quesada, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Quesada $3,648

Rio de Janeiro is about 23% cheaper than Quesada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Rio de Janeiro sits 5% below the global median, while Quesada is 24% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$50.8

$12.24 ₡5,499

-17.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$204

$62.1 ₡27.9K

-34.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.16

$11.41 ₡5,128

-25.07%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$11.99

$4.48 ₡2,013

-46.88%

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

$1.61 R$8.14

$2.76 ₡1,242

-41.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.20

$1.94 ₡873

-46.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.49

$3.20 ₡1,440

-22.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.69

$2.39 ₡1,075

54.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.03

$2.40 ₡1,079

-50.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.34

$2.83 ₡1,271

-27.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.46

$2.53 ₡1,136

-49.41%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.55

$2.57 ₡1,154

-10.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.3

$10.84 ₡4,870

-0.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.26

$10.25 ₡4,604

-56.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.65

$14.09 ₡6,330

-30.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.19

$5.04 ₡2,265

-44.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$8.99

$1.64 ₡735

8.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.10

$1.08 ₡483

48.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.07

$3.93 ₡1,768

-54.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.14

$3.91 ₡1,757

-68.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.24

$3.56 ₡1,600

-70.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.90

$1.12 ₡505

-31.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.36

$3.20 ₡1,437

-79.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.21

$6.01 ₡2,700

-49.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.77

$15.29 ₡6,873

-47.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.00

$2.83 ₡1,273

-57.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.67

$3.64 ₡1,636

-31.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$4.98

$1.34 ₡602

-26.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$253

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.56 ₡700

-21.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.64

$1.56 ₡699

-41.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.25

$8.94 ₡4,017

0.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.55

$1.52 ₡681

-14.47%

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

$23.9K R$120.5K

$22.0K ₡9.9M

8.32%

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

$32.9K R$165.9K

$35.5K ₡15.9M

-7.33%

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

$133 R$673

$96.3 ₡43.2K

38.60%

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

$10.82 R$54.6

$29.69 ₡13.3K

-63.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-58.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$155

$72.0 ₡32.4K

-57.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$16.14 ₡7,253

97.34%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.65

$5.53 ₡2,483

45.57%

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

$598 R$3,016

$255 ₡114.8K

133.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$67.7K

$4,187 ₡1.9M

220.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$212

$71.2 ₡32.0K

-40.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$251

$55.0 ₡24.7K

-9.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$376

$126 ₡56.7K

-40.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$347

$109 ₡49.0K

-37.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,558

$807 ₡362.7K

11.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,672

$639 ₡287.1K

-17.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,695

$1,882 ₡845.6K

-29.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,814

$1,263 ₡567.5K

-40.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.2K

$4,173 ₡1.9M

-3.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,875

$2,149 ₡965.8K

-27.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,228

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 Quesada: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Quesada

$639 38.1% 20.7% $110

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Quesada

$371 22.1% 73.1% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Quesada

$181 10.8% 8.5% $14

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Quesada

$226 13.4% 36.7% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Quesada

$163 9.7% 53.9% $57

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Quesada

$15 * 0.9% 75.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Quesada

$83 5% 77.2% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $807 in Quesada. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $62.0 in Quesada. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $371 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇷 Quesada

🕒 Local time

07:17 7:17 AM

04:17 4:17 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

42,000

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.198 USD

1 BRL = 0.177 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 5.05 BRL (1 BRL = 0.198 USD). 1 EUR = 5.65 BRL (1 BRL = 0.177 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Quesada 5,810 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Quesada

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 Quesada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, $1,678 in Quesada – roughly 30% 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 $2,517 in Quesada. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,678 in Quesada. That's a gap of about 30%.

Kindergarten costs $598 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $255 in Quesada. 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 Quesada at $1,678. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Quesada it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Rio de Janeiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro to $1,678 in Quesada. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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