Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Santa Maria

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Maria: $732 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Santa Maria
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Santa Maria Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Santa Maria

🇧🇷 Brazil

$732

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Santa Maria

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro versus $732 in Santa Maria.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Santa Maria $732

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,224 in Santa Maria.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Santa Maria $1,224

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,715 in Santa Maria.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Santa Maria $1,715

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 61% more expensive than in Santa Maria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 13% lower, Santa Maria 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$49.39

$5.61 R$30.54

61.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$203

$33.42 R$182

11.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$43.62

$6.46 R$35.14

24.15%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.91

$1.70 R$9.26

28.82%

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

$1.46 R$7.96

$1.03 R$5.60

41.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.37

$0.62 R$3.35

59.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$11.03

$1.51 R$8.20

34.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.75

$4.26 R$23.16

-19.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.76

$1.02 R$5.53

3.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.79

$1.48 R$8.03

33.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.38

$1.42 R$7.72

-17.61%

Eggs

$2.21 R$12.01

$1.74 R$9.49

27.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$55.0

$8.55 R$46.50

18.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.39

$3.71 R$20.17

11.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.89

$7.82 R$42.52

17.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.79

$2.26 R$12.31

20.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.31

$1.38 R$7.51

23.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.32

$2.01 R$10.95

-23.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$9.04

$1.37 R$7.48

21.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.19

$1.13 R$6.15

0.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.41

$1.28 R$6.98

-22.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.52

$0.87 R$4.73

-25.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.26

$0.82 R$4.46

-26.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$15.20

$2.20 R$11.98

26.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$40.69

$7.58 R$41.23

-1.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.93

$1.21 R$6.57

-9.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.69

$2.75 R$14.99

-15.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.87

$1.22 R$6.65

-26.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$288

$42.50 R$231

24.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.35

$1.18 R$6.41

-0.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.24

$0.79 R$4.28

-1.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$45.53

$7.72 R$41.98

8.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.60

$1.17 R$6.36

3.42%

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

$21.5K R$116.8K

$22.9K R$124.7K

-6.38%

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

$31.1K R$169.4K

$30.0K R$163.5K

3.61%

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

$124 R$677

$51.1 R$278

143.47%

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

$10.03 R$54.6

$15.89 R$86.4

-36.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$114

$17.02 R$92.6

22.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$154

$22.47 R$122

26.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$160

$11.14 R$60.6

163.29%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$41.43

$5.46 R$29.70

39.56%

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

$563 R$3,062

$147 R$799

283.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$65.5K

$2,764 R$15.0K

335.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$213

$59.1 R$321

-33.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$252

$41.62 R$226

11.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$372

$92.8 R$505

-26.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$345

$60.1 R$327

5.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,222

$282 R$1,533

175.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,574

$155 R$844

205.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,566

$608 R$3,305

128.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$4,020

$370 R$2,013

99.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.5K

$1,633 R$8,882

107.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,541

$677 R$3,685

131.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,247

$591 R$3,213

1.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

19.30%

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 Santa Maria: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Santa Maria

$155 21.2% 67.2% $318

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Santa Maria

$186 25.4% 7.6% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Santa Maria

$84 11.5% 45.9% $71

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Santa Maria

$107 14.7% 28.3% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Santa Maria

$114 15.6% 16.6% $16

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Santa Maria

$53 7.2% 14.8% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Santa Maria

$33 4.6% 23.4% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $776 in Rio de Janeiro and $282 in Santa Maria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37 in Rio de Janeiro vs $33 in Santa Maria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $186 per month, with Santa Maria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Santa Maria

🕒 Local time

23:55 11:55 PM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

271,735

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Santa Maria 1,300 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Santa Maria

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 Santa Maria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro and $732 in Santa Maria, so Santa Maria is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,774 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,098 in Santa Maria 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $776 in Rio de Janeiro versus $282 in Santa Maria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Santa Maria – a meal for two runs $33 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 $732 in Santa Maria – Santa Maria is about 38% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Santa Maria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.