Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Rio do Sul

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio do Sul: $768 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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 Rio do Sul
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Rio do Sul Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Rio do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Rio do Sul

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 Rio do Sul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro versus $768 in Rio do Sul.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Rio do Sul $768

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,205 in Rio do Sul.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Rio do Sul $1,205

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,642 in Rio do Sul.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Rio do Sul $1,642

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 54% more expensive than in Rio do Sul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 13% lower, Rio do Sul 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$48.54

$4.67 R$24.98

94.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$199

$20.32 R$109

83.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$42.87

$7.52 R$40.18

6.65%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.71

$1.98 R$10.60

10.61%

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

$1.46 R$7.82

$1.03 R$5.53

41.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.27

$0.86 R$4.62

15.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.84

$2.64 R$14.14

-23.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.43

$3.76 R$20.10

-8.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.66

$0.97 R$5.21

9.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.61

$1.77 R$9.47

11.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.27

$1.23 R$6.60

-4.88%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.80

$1.48 R$7.91

49.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$54.1

$7.31 R$39.08

38.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.00

$3.77 R$20.16

9.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.04

$6.60 R$35.31

38.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.54

$1.46 R$7.79

86.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.15

$1.03 R$5.50

66.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.18

$0.77 R$4.13

98.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$8.89

$1.31 R$6.98

26.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.09

$0.79 R$4.24

44.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.32

$0.73 R$3.93

35.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.46

$0.70 R$3.73

-7.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.20

$0.71 R$3.77

-15.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$14.94

$2.74 R$14.67

1.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$39.99

$3.64 R$19.46

105.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.83

$1.20 R$6.40

-9.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.48

$2.38 R$12.74

-2.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.79

$0.99 R$5.28

-9.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$283

$42.68 R$228

24.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.24

$1.23 R$6.56

-4.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.17

$0.71 R$3.82

9.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$44.75

$5.49 R$29.35

52.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.48

$1.14 R$6.10

6.14%

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

$21.5K R$114.8K

$22.1K R$118.0K

-2.71%

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

$31.1K R$166.5K

$31.0K R$165.9K

0.31%

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

$124 R$665

$60.0 R$321

107.43%

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

$10.03 R$53.7

$9.45 R$50.5

6.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$112

$19.37 R$104

7.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$152

$24.31 R$130

16.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$157

$25.84 R$138

13.51%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$40.72

$4.53 R$24.21

68.21%

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

$563 R$3,010

$293 R$1,566

92.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$64.4K

$10.4K R$55.4K

16.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$210

$45.60 R$244

-13.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$248

$51.9 R$277

-10.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$366

$74.3 R$397

-7.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$339

$45.77 R$245

38.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,150

$336 R$1,799

130.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,530

$229 R$1,227

106.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,437

$634 R$3,390

119.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$3,951

$453 R$2,424

63.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.1K

$1,598 R$8,543

112.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,396

$1,126 R$6,021

39.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,192

$366 R$1,958

63.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.54

3.38%

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 Rio do Sul: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Rio do Sul

$229 29.9% 51.5% $244

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Rio do Sul

$155 20.2% 22.8% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Rio do Sul

$89 11.6% 42.8% $67

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Rio do Sul

$112 14.6% 25.2% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Rio do Sul

$98 12.8% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Rio do Sul

$51 6.7% 16.6% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Rio do Sul

$33 4.3% 23.5% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $776 in Rio de Janeiro and $336 in Rio do Sul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 63% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Rio de Janeiro vs $20 in Rio do Sul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $155 per month, with Rio do Sul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Rio do Sul

🕒 Local time

17:49 5:49 PM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

72,587

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Rio do Sul 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Rio do Sul

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 Rio do Sul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro and $768 in Rio do Sul, so Rio do Sul is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 63% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $776 in Rio de Janeiro versus $336 in Rio do Sul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio do Sul – a meal for two runs $20 versus $37 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,182 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $768 in Rio do Sul – Rio do Sul is about 35% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $768 in Rio do Sul versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rio do Sul but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Rio do Sul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Rio do Sul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.