Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Rondonópolis

For one person, living is cheaper in Rondonópolis: $903 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Rondonópolis
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Rondonópolis Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Rondonópolis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$903

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro versus $903 in Rondonópolis.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Rondonópolis $903

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,411 in Rondonópolis.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Rondonópolis $1,411

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,919 in Rondonópolis.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Rondonópolis $1,919

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 31% more expensive than in Rondonópolis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 13% lower, Rondonópolis 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$48.58

$8.99 R$48.13

1.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$199

$19.55 R$105

90.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$42.91

$8.78 R$47.00

-8.66%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.72

$2.30 R$12.30

-4.78%

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

$1.46 R$7.83

$0.97 R$5.18

50.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.28

$0.71 R$3.78

39.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.85

$1.94 R$10.37

4.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.45

$2.77 R$14.85

24.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.67

$1.05 R$5.63

0.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.62

$1.66 R$8.87

19.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.28

$1.22 R$6.50

-4.10%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.81

$2.18 R$11.66

1.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$54.1

$9.05 R$48.42

11.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.02

$4.22 R$22.57

-2.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.08

$8.39 R$44.91

9.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.55

$2.18 R$11.66

24.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.15

$1.30 R$6.98

31.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.19

$1.16 R$6.22

31.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$8.89

$1.54 R$8.23

7.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.09

$1.25 R$6.70

-8.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.32

$1.12 R$5.98

-11.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.46

$0.78 R$4.15

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.20

$0.77 R$4.13

-22.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$14.96

$2.52 R$13.47

10.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$40.03

$7.82 R$41.87

-4.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.84

$1.33 R$7.12

-18.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.49

$2.08 R$11.12

12.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.79

$1.02 R$5.47

-11.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$284

$44.60 R$239

18.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.24

$1.32 R$7.04

-11.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.18

$0.92 R$4.91

-15.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$44.79

$8.14 R$43.55

2.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.49

$1.11 R$5.93

9.01%

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

$21.5K R$114.9K

$23.8K R$127.4K

-9.85%

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

$31.1K R$166.6K

$33.4K R$178.9K

-6.85%

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

$124 R$666

$78.2 R$419

59.12%

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

$10.03 R$53.7

$12.40 R$66.4

-19.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$112

$25.61 R$137

-18.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$152

$23.11 R$124

22.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$157

$28.03 R$150

4.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$40.75

$7.44 R$39.83

2.42%

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

$563 R$3,012

$273 R$1,463

105.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$64.5K

$7,050 R$37.7K

70.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$210

$54.4 R$291

-27.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$248

$49.79 R$266

-6.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$366

$89.9 R$481

-23.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$339

$71.5 R$383

-11.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,153

$364 R$1,949

113.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,532

$237 R$1,266

100.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,443

$663 R$3,546

109.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$3,954

$478 R$2,555

54.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.2K

$1,664 R$8,906

103.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,403

$1,164 R$6,227

34.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,194

$670 R$3,584

-10.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

8.45%

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 Rondonópolis: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Rondonópolis

$236 26.2% 50% $237

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Rondonópolis

$190 21% 5.5% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Rondonópolis

$116 12.9% 25.2% $39

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Rondonópolis

$148 16.4% 1.3% $2

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Rondonópolis

$120 13.2% 22.2% $22

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Rondonópolis

$55 6.1% 11.5% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Rondonópolis

$38 4.2% 12.8% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $776 in Rio de Janeiro and $364 in Rondonópolis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rondonópolis pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37 in Rio de Janeiro vs $20 in Rondonópolis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $190 per month, with Rondonópolis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Rondonópolis

🕒 Local time

08:15 8:15 AM

07:15 7:15 AM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

244,911

💱 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 Rondonópolis 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Rondonópolis

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 Rondonópolis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Rondonópolis differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($1,182 vs $903 including rent). Rondonópolis is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Rio de Janeiro. 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: $776 in Rio de Janeiro versus $364 in Rondonópolis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rondonópolis – 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 $903 in Rondonópolis – a 31% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $903 in Rondonópolis versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rondonópolis but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Rondonópolis 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 Rondonópolis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.