Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Somerset West

For one person, living costs are similar in Rio de Janeiro and in Somerset West: $1,182 and $1,160 a month, rent and utilities included.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Somerset West
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Somerset West Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Somerset West

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,160

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Somerset West

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 Somerset West actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,160 in Somerset West.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Somerset West $1,160

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,888 in Somerset West.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Somerset West $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,615 in Somerset West.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Somerset West $2,615

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 2% more expensive than in Somerset West, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 13% lower, Somerset West 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$48.54

$12.23 R 204

-25.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$199

$45.52 R 759

-18.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$42.87

$5.44 R 90.7

47.43%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.71

$2.06 R 34.34

6.31%

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

$1.46 R$7.82

$1.06 R 17.74

37.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.27

$0.84 R 14.01

17.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.84

$2.58 R 42.91

-21.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.43

$3.27 R 54.5

5.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.66

$1.03 R 17.13

2.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.61

$0.98 R 16.39

102.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.27

$2.08 R 34.70

-43.75%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.80

$2.28 R 38.00

-3.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$54.1

$8.34 R 139

21.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.00

$5.18 R 86.3

-20.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.04

$9.22 R 154

-0.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.54

$1.81 R 30.23

50.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.15

$1.89 R 31.47

-9.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.18

$1.74 R 29.00

-12.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$8.89

$1.69 R 28.20

-1.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.09

$1.51 R 25.23

-24.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.32

$1.53 R 25.48

-35.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.46

$1.29 R 21.42

-49.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.20

$1.07 R 17.80

-43.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$14.94

$3.39 R 56.5

-17.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$39.99

$5.89 R 98.1

26.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.83

$1.36 R 22.73

-19.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.48

$1.75 R 29.17

33.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.79

$1.11 R 18.47

-18.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$283

$60.4 R 1,007

-12.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.24

$0.59 R 9.81

98.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.17

$1.54 R 25.72

-49.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$44.75

$4.94 R 82.4

69.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.48

$1.42 R 23.68

-14.79%

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

$21.5K R$114.8K

$29.3K R 487.5K

-26.63%

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

$31.1K R$166.5K

$29.4K R 489.1K

6.06%

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

$124 R$665

$82.1 R 1,368

51.65%

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

$10.03 R$53.7

$29.05 R 484

-65.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$112

$40.47 R 674

-48.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$152

$44.16 R 736

-35.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$157

$10.43 R 174

181.21%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$40.72

$7.28 R 121

4.67%

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

$563 R$3,010

$251 R 4,175

124.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$64.4K

$3,596 R 59.9K

234.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$210

$30.99 R 516

26.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$248

$31.32 R 522

48.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$366

$71.3 R 1,189

-4.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$339

$56.3 R 939

12.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,150

$643 R 10.7K

20.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,530

$426 R 7,095

11.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,437

$1,341 R 22.3K

3.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$3,951

$937 R 15.6K

-21.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.1K

$1,221 R 20.3K

177.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,396

$892 R 14.9K

76.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,192

$1,418 R 23.6K

-57.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

10.12

17.89%

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 Somerset West: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Somerset West

$426 36.7% 10% $47

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Somerset West

$200 17.2% 0.7% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Somerset West

$152 13.1% 2.4% $3.8

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Somerset West

$166 14.3% 10.8% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Somerset West

$86 7.4% 12.6% $12

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Somerset West

$73 6.3% 18.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Somerset West

$59 5.1% 34.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $776 in Rio de Janeiro and $643 in Somerset West. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Somerset West pays about 2.4 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37 in Rio de Janeiro vs $46 in Somerset West. Groceries flip the comparison at $201 vs $200, with Somerset West cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇿🇦 Somerset West

🕒 Local time

11:13 11:13 AM

16:13 4:13 PM

5 h ahead of Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

55,166

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Somerset West 6,100 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Somerset West

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 Somerset West: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Somerset West differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($1,182 vs $1,160 including rent). Somerset West is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 58% lower in Rio de Janeiro. 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: $776 in Rio de Janeiro versus $643 in Somerset West. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $563 in Rio de Janeiro versus $251 in Somerset West. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $37 versus $46 in Somerset West. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Somerset West gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.