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 3.6% more expensive than Santa Cruz do Sul without rent, and 9.4% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Rio de Janeiro is 1.5% cheaper than Santa Cruz do Sul without rent, and 10% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Rio de Janeiro
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.1 R$39.4
$4.38 R$24.3
62.10%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.72 R$198
$26.54 R$147
34.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.47 R$35.9
$4.55 R$25.25
42.20%
Cappuccino
$1.98 R$10.97
$1.64 R$9.11
20.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 R$7.28
$1.12 R$6.24
16.96%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.9 R$4.97
$0.83 R$4.58
8.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.82 R$10.08
$2.2 R$12.19
-17.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.72 R$15.11
$2.75 R$15.24
-1.09%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Rio de Janeiro
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 R$6.19
$0.91 R$5.04
23.08%
White Bread (500g)
$1.71 R$9.48
$1.46 R$8.09
17.12%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.41 R$7.82
$1.09 R$6.03
29.36%
Eggs
$2.04 R$11.32
$2.06 R$11.44
-0.97%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.84 R$43.53
$10.89 R$60.4
-28.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.63 R$20.17
$4.64 R$25.78
-21.77%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.25 R$45.78
$9.57 R$53.1
-13.79%
Apples (1kg)
$2.39 R$13.25
$2 R$11.08
19.50%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 R$8.58
$1.28 R$7.1
21.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.47 R$8.15
$1.27 R$7.08
15.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.52 R$8.43
$1.5 R$8.31
1.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.29 R$7.17
$1.14 R$6.34
13.16%
Onion (1kg)
$1.16 R$6.45
$1.06 R$5.89
9.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.63 R$3.5
$0.73 R$4.06
-13.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 R$3.41
$0.62 R$3.42
-1.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.95 R$10.8
$1.89 R$10.47
3.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.34 R$40.77
$6.42 R$35.64
14.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 R$7
$1.01 R$5.63
24.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.1 R$11.67
$1.83 R$10.15
14.75%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Rio de Janeiro
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.3 R$7.2
$0.92 R$5.11
41.30%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.57 R$214
$39.27 R$218
-1.78%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.13 R$6.28
$1.58 R$8.77
-28.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.69 R$3.85
$1 R$5.58
-31.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.8 R$43.29
$5.34 R$29.64
46.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.06 R$5.87
$1.11 R$6.15
-4.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.5K R$113.5K
$24.6K R$136.6K
-16.89%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.6K R$153.4K
$27.6K R$153.3K
0.09%
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$574
$61.2 R$339
69.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.89 R$66
$14.53 R$80.7
-18.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.63 R$103
$19.67 R$109
-5.29%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Rio de Janeiro
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.89 R$144
$22.76 R$126
13.75%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.74 R$132
$21.24 R$118
11.77%
Cinema Ticket
$6.57 R$36.47
$6.18 R$34.29
6.31%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Rio de Janeiro
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$540 R$2,995
$311 R$1,726
73.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.8K R$65.3K
$7,121 R$39.5K
65.21%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Rio de Janeiro
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.33 R$252
$49.53 R$275
-8.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.71 R$231
$57.3 R$318
-27.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.9 R$415
$80.9 R$449
-7.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.1 R$334
$62.2 R$345
-3.31%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Rio de Janeiro
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$446 R$2,475
$504 R$2,799
-11.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$333 R$1,846
$279 R$1,549
19.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$861 R$4,780
$852 R$4,728
1.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$573 R$3,182
$570 R$3,162
0.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,021 R$11.2K
$1,282 R$7,117
57.61%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,183 R$6,568
$1,036 R$5,753
14.16%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Rio de Janeiro
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$452 R$2,509
$370 R$2,056
22.06%
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: October 29, 2025

Last update for Santa Cruz do Sul: October 28, 2025

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