Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Saint Paul, MN

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $2,438 in Saint Paul, MN, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Saint Paul, MN
Learn more

Saint Paul, MN Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Saint Paul, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,438

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Saint Paul, 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 Saint Paul, MN actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,438 in Saint Paul, MN.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Saint Paul, MN $2,438

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,743 in Saint Paul, MN.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Saint Paul, MN $3,743

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro versus $5,048 in Saint Paul, MN.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Saint Paul, MN $5,048

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 47% less than in Saint Paul, MN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 4% below, Saint Paul, MN is 82% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$15.75 $15.75

-36.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$68.6 $68.6

-41.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$10.11 $10.11

-16.12%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$5.26 $5.26

-55.13%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$2.98 $2.98

-45.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$2.68 $2.68

-62.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$6.14 $6.14

-60.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$7.65 $7.65

-51.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$0.97 $0.97

18.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$3.95 $3.95

-47.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$3.30 $3.30

-60.91%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$3.06 $3.06

-25.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$9.41 $9.41

16.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$9.71 $9.71

-55.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$13.16 $13.16

-25.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$4.91 $4.91

-42.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$1.16 $1.16

58.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$5.94 $5.94

-73.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$4.89 $4.89

-63.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$3.90 $3.90

-67.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$3.56 $3.56

-69.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$2.07 $2.07

-63.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$1.75 $1.75

-62.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$12.21 $12.21

-75.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$14.34 $14.34

-42.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$1.68 $1.68

-29.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$3.43 $3.43

-30.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

$2.19 $2.19

-53.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

$122 $122

-58.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

$2.52 $2.52

-49.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

$1.60 $1.60

-43.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

$30.97 $30.97

-69.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$0.98 $0.98

35.71%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

$36.2K $36.2K

-35.24%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$25.5K $25.5K

31.55%

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

$134 R$666

$226 $226

-40.85%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$51.4 $51.4

-76.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$65.9 $65.9

-65.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$33.79 $33.79

-6.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

$8.29 $8.29

272.38%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$12.96 $12.96

-36.50%

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

$603 R$3,011

$1,499 $1,499

-59.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

$28.1K $28.1K

-52.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$40.97 $40.97

1.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$40.24 $40.24

24.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$79.5 $79.5

-5.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$109 $109

-37.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

$1,355 $1,355

-33.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

$1,100 $1,100

-52.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

$2,529 $2,529

-46.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

$2,265 $2,265

-65.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

$2,903 $2,903

37.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

$2,195 $2,195

-28.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

$4,120 $4,120

-84.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.31

89.06%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026

Last update for Saint Paul, MN: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Saint Paul, MN

$1.1K 45.5% 109% $573

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Saint Paul, MN

$363 15% 69% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Saint Paul, MN

$343 14.2% 104% $175

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Saint Paul, MN

$288 11.9% 75.8% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Saint Paul, MN

$122 5% 15% $16

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Saint Paul, MN

$141 5.9% 136% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Saint Paul, MN

$60 2.5% 24.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $905 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,355 in Saint Paul, MN. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint Paul, MN pays 541% 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 $69.0 in Saint Paul, MN for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $363 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇺🇸 Saint Paul, MN

🕒 Local time

08:47 8:47 AM

06:47 6:47 AM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

285,068

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Saint Paul, MN 9,080 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Saint Paul, 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 Saint Paul, MN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Saint Paul, MN differ by about 90% in total monthly costs ($1,285 vs $2,438 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 541% lower in Saint Paul, 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: $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,355 in Saint Paul, 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 $69.0 in Saint Paul, MN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,285 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,438 in Saint Paul, MN – a 90% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,438 in Saint Paul, MN, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Saint Paul, 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.

Safety-wise, Rio de Janeiro and Saint Paul, MN 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 90% less than in Saint Paul, MN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.