Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Santo Andre

For one person, living is cheaper in Santo Andre: $984 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Santo Andre
Learn more

Santo Andre Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Santo Andre

🇧🇷 Brazil

$984

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Santo Andre

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 Santo Andre actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $984 in Santo Andre.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Santo Andre $984

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,590 in Santo Andre.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Santo Andre $1,590

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,196 in Santo Andre.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Santo Andre $2,196

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 29% more expensive than in Santo Andre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 6% lower, Santo Andre 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$9.19 R$46.61

2.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$50.2 R$254

-20.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$8.66 R$43.92

-3.70%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$2.44 R$12.35

-6.15%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$1.37 R$6.92

16.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$0.95 R$4.82

6.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$2.32 R$11.74

-7.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$3.91 R$19.84

-6.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.00 R$5.08

13.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$1.80 R$9.13

16.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$1.37 R$6.97

-8.76%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$2.50 R$12.68

-10.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$10.61 R$53.8

2.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$4.70 R$23.82

-7.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$10.65 R$54.0

-9.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$2.28 R$11.55

25.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.64 R$8.33

10.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$1.53 R$7.74

3.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$1.64 R$8.33

11.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.27 R$6.43

-5.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$1.23 R$6.21

-13.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$0.99 R$5.01

-24.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$0.84 R$4.28

-19.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$2.43 R$12.31

20.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$8.20 R$41.59

-2.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$1.54 R$7.82

-23.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$2.49 R$12.64

-2.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$0.99 R$5.02

-5.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

$27.01 R$137

86.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.21 R$6.11

-0.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$1.02 R$5.17

-18.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$8.28 R$41.99

8.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.33 R$6.76

-3.01%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$22.9K R$115.9K

-0.40%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$33.2K R$168.2K

2.34%

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

$134 R$681

$65.5 R$332

104.94%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$14.49 R$73.5

-25.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$22.33 R$113

2.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$25.10 R$127

20.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

$27.72 R$141

13.60%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$8.01 R$40.60

-3.50%

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

$584 R$2,960

$551 R$2,794

5.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$16.5K R$83.6K

-22.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$63.7 R$323

-35.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$57.0 R$289

-13.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$88.4 R$448

-16.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$79.1 R$401

-16.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$400 R$2,030

124.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$301 R$1,524

75.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$663 R$3,359

101.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$541 R$2,741

38.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$1,711 R$8,673

133.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$1,153 R$5,844

35.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

$549 R$2,783

16.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

10.81

10.36%

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 Santo Andre: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Santo Andre

$301 30.6% 43% $227

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Santo Andre

$216 21.9% 1% $2.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Santo Andre

$102 10.4% 39% $66

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Santo Andre

$157 16% 1% $1.5

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Santo Andre

$130 13.2% 25.3% $26

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Santo Andre

$37 3.8% 37.3% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Santo Andre

$41 4.2% 9.8% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $900 in Rio de Janeiro and $400 in Santo Andre. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 17% 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 $50.0 in Santo Andre for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $216 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Santo Andre

🕒 Local time

09:31 9:31 AM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

748,919

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Santo Andre 350 km

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Santo Andre

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 Santo Andre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Santo Andre differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($1,273 vs $984 including rent). Santo Andre is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $400 in Santo Andre. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Santo Andre – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,273 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $984 in Santo Andre – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $984 in Santo Andre versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santo Andre but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Santo Andre 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.

Expats usually find Santo Andre gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.