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

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Rio de Janeiro is 17% more expensive than Santa Cruz do Sul without rent, and 15.8% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Rio de Janeiro is 2.1% cheaper than Santa Cruz do Sul without rent, and 3.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Rio de Janeiro
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.14 R$38.36
$4.53 R$24.35
57.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.32 R$190
$26.63 R$143
32.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.28 R$33.70
$4.53 R$24.33
38.63%
Cappuccino
$1.98 R$10.63
$1.61 R$8.63
22.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 R$6.88
$1.16 R$6.24
10.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 R$4.65
$0.77 R$4.14
12.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.75 R$9.41
$2.15 R$11.53
-18.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 R$14.32
$2.66 R$14.31
0.38%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Rio de Janeiro
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.17 R$6.28
$0.84 R$4.51
39.29%
White Bread (500g)
$1.75 R$9.41
$1.46 R$7.82
19.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.49 R$8.00
$1.05 R$5.65
41.90%
Eggs
$1.95 R$10.45
$2.07 R$11.10
-5.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.10 R$43.48
$11.05 R$59.3
-26.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.68 R$19.75
$4.51 R$24.21
-18.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.30 R$44.57
$9.24 R$49.61
-10.17%
Apples (1kg)
$2.34 R$12.58
$2.04 R$10.98
14.71%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 R$8.29
$1.32 R$7.06
16.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.45 R$7.80
$1.31 R$7.05
10.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.49 R$8.00
$1.50 R$8.04
-0.67%
Potato (1kg)
$1.24 R$6.64
$1.14 R$6.11
8.77%
Onion (1kg)
$1.11 R$5.94
$1.08 R$5.81
2.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.68 R$3.64
$0.77 R$4.13
-11.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 R$3.09
$0.58 R$3.09
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.92 R$10.33
$1.98 R$10.64
-3.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.49 R$40.22
$7.10 R$38.12
5.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 R$6.72
$0.99 R$5.31
26.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 R$11.37
$1.87 R$10.02
13.37%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Rio de Janeiro
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.29 R$6.90
$0.93 R$5.00
38.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$39.81 R$214
$37.88 R$203
5.10%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.13 R$6.06
$1.60 R$8.61
-29.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.70 R$3.75
$1.01 R$5.42
-30.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.54 R$40.50
$5.54 R$29.76
36.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.08 R$5.78
$1.11 R$5.95
-2.70%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.3K R$109.2K
$24.8K R$133.2K
-17.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.2K R$146.1K
$27.6K R$148.0K
-1.33%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rio de Janeiro
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$103 R$553
$59.8 R$321
72.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.28 R$66.0
$14.72 R$79.0
-16.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.73 R$101
$20.34 R$109
-7.92%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Rio de Janeiro
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.82 R$139
$22.20 R$119
16.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.98 R$129
$21.85 R$117
9.75%
Cinema Ticket
$6.45 R$34.63
$6.33 R$33.98
1.90%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Rio de Janeiro
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$544 R$2,921
$309 R$1,658
76.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.7K R$62.7K
$7,079 R$38.0K
64.96%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Rio de Janeiro
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.69 R$245
$48.58 R$261
-5.95%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.56 R$223
$57.9 R$311
-28.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.1 R$414
$79.7 R$428
-3.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$61.8 R$332
$63.3 R$340
-2.28%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Rio de Janeiro
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$441 R$2,370
$509 R$2,736
-13.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$325 R$1,747
$279 R$1,499
16.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$846 R$4,543
$863 R$4,634
-1.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$571 R$3,064
$564 R$3,028
1.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,697 R$14.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,270 R$6,819
-
-
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Rio de Janeiro
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$479 R$2,571
$377 R$2,025
26.94%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.33
10
13.30%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: January 11, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz do Sul: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
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