Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Sabana Grande

For one person, living costs are similar in Rio de Janeiro and in Sabana Grande: $1,273 and $1,322 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Sabana Grande
Learn more

Sabana Grande Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Sabana Grande

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,322

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Sabana Grande

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,322 in Sabana Grande.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Sabana Grande $1,322

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,076 in Sabana Grande.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Sabana Grande $2,076

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,830 in Sabana Grande.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Sabana Grande $2,830

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 4% less than in Sabana Grande, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 6% lower, Sabana Grande 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$18.84 $18.84

-50.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$80.6 $80.6

-50.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$9.04 $9.04

-7.74%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$3.67 $3.67

-37.60%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$1.85 $1.85

-14.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$1.50 $1.50

-32.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$3.06 $3.06

-30.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$5.07 $5.07

-27.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$2.18 $2.18

-48.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$3.57 $3.57

-41.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$2.41 $2.41

-48.13%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$7.34 $7.34

-69.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$12.41 $12.41

-12.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$9.51 $9.51

-54.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$13.57 $13.57

-29.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$4.98 $4.98

-42.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$2.53 $2.53

-28.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$4.98 $4.98

-68.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$4.74 $4.74

-61.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$3.84 $3.84

-68.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$4.00 $4.00

-73.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$3.53 $3.53

-78.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$1.65 $1.65

-58.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$11.96 $11.96

-75.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$15.75 $15.75

-49.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$3.10 $3.10

-61.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$4.11 $4.11

-41.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$2.43 $2.43

-50.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$1.48 $1.48

-43.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$41.52 $41.52

-78.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.17 $1.17

10.26%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$34.8K $34.8K

-34.64%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$28.4K $28.4K

19.57%

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

$134 R$681

$327 $327

-58.89%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$69.6 $69.6

-84.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$68.8 $68.8

-66.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$10.44 $10.44

-25.96%

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

$584 R$2,960

$810 $810

-27.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$12.3K $12.3K

3.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$56.5 $56.5

-27.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$60.4 $60.4

-18.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$107 $107

-31.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$112 $112

-41.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.55

82.14%

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 Sabana Grande: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Sabana Grande

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Sabana Grande

$414 31.3% 93.9% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Sabana Grande

$465 35.2% 177% $297

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Sabana Grande

$261 19.7% 67.2% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Sabana Grande

$151 11.5% 46.3% $48

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Sabana Grande

$9.8 * 0.7% 83.5% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Sabana Grande

$21 * 1.6% 54.2% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $81.0 in Sabana Grande for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $414 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇵🇷 Sabana Grande

🕒 Local time

20:49 8:49 PM

19:49 7:49 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

25,000

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Sabana Grande 5,240 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Sabana Grande

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 Sabana Grande: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Sabana Grande differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,273 vs $1,322 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,910 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,983 in Sabana Grande to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $584 in Rio de Janeiro versus $810 in Sabana Grande. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $81.0 in Sabana Grande. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,322 in Sabana Grande, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Sabana Grande. 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.

Safety-wise, Rio de Janeiro and Sabana Grande are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Sabana Grande. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.