Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Rochester, MN

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,512 in Rochester, MN, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Rochester, MN
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Rochester, MN Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Rochester, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,512

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Rochester, MN

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,512 in Rochester, MN.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Rochester, MN $2,512

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,838 in Rochester, MN.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Rochester, MN $3,838

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $5,164 in Rochester, MN.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Rochester, MN $5,164

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 49% less than in Rochester, MN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 6% below, Rochester, MN is 85% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$19.97 $19.97

-53.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$73.6 $73.6

-45.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$11.06 $11.06

-24.59%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$5.83 $5.83

-60.72%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$2.82 $2.82

-43.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$2.46 $2.46

-58.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$5.03 $5.03

-57.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$5.67 $5.67

-35.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$0.86 $0.86

31.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$2.88 $2.88

-27.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$3.26 $3.26

-61.66%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$3.65 $3.65

-38.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$9.31 $9.31

17.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$12.22 $12.22

-64.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$18.90 $18.90

-49.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$5.20 $5.20

-45.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.51 $1.51

19.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$4.27 $4.27

-63.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$3.84 $3.84

-52.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$2.17 $2.17

-44.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$3.60 $3.60

-70.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$2.72 $2.72

-72.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$2.91 $2.91

-76.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$9.83 $9.83

-70.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$15.15 $15.15

-47.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$1.69 $1.69

-30.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$2.94 $2.94

-17.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$1.98 $1.98

-52.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

$42.25 $42.25

19.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$2.02 $2.02

-40.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$1.27 $1.27

-34.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$19.82 $19.82

-54.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$0.86 $0.86

50.00%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$27.2K $27.2K

-16.32%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$25.8K $25.8K

31.84%

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

$134 R$681

$169 $169

-20.74%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$47.11 $47.11

-77.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$44.05 $44.05

-48.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$53.2 $53.2

-43.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

$20.18 $20.18

56.05%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$10.09 $10.09

-23.39%

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

$584 R$2,960

$1,352 $1,352

-56.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$11.9K $11.9K

7.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$62.4 $62.4

-34.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$62.7 $62.7

-21.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$73.9 $73.9

-0.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$86.4 $86.4

-23.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$1,645 $1,645

-45.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$1,284 $1,284

-58.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$2,035 $2,035

-34.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$2,380 $2,380

-68.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$2,165 $2,165

84.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$1,961 $1,961

-20.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

$4,617 $4,617

-86.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.57

81.58%

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 Rochester, MN: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Rochester, MN

$1.3K 51.1% 144% $757

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Rochester, MN

$386 15.4% 80.7% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Rochester, MN

$261 10.4% 55.2% $93

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Rochester, MN

$321 12.8% 106% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Rochester, MN

$128 5.1% 24.1% $25

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Rochester, MN

$59 2.3% 1.5% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Rochester, MN

$73 2.9% 60.8% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $900 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,645 in Rochester, MN. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rochester, MN pays 621% 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 $74.0 in Rochester, MN for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $386 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇺🇸 Rochester, MN

🕒 Local time

11:46 11:46 AM

09:46 9:46 AM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

211,328

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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 Rochester, MN 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Rochester, MN

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 Rochester, MN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Rochester, MN differ by about 97% in total monthly costs ($1,273 vs $2,512 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 621% lower in Rochester, MN. 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 $1,645 in Rochester, MN. 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 $74.0 in Rochester, MN. 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 $2,512 in Rochester, MN – a 97% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,512 in Rochester, MN, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Rochester, MN. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro 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 de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 97% less than in Rochester, MN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.