Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Speightstown

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

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Speightstown

🇧🇧 Barbados

/mo nomad

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$50.6

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$203

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$42.98

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$11.94

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

$1.61 R$8.11

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.18

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.43

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.61

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.00

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.29

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.44

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.50

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.1

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.17

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.44

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.13

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$8.96

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.06

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.03

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.12

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.22

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.88

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.15

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.60

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.98

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.62

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$4.96

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$252

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.15

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.62

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.06

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.52

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

$23.9K R$120.0K

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

$32.9K R$165.2K

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

$133 R$671

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

$10.82 R$54.4

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$115

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$155

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.49

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

$598 R$3,004

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$67.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$211

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$250

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$375

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$345

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,539

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,661

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,667

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,799

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,843

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,215

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Last update for Speightstown: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Speightstown

–

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Speightstown

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Speightstown

–

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Speightstown

–

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Speightstown

–

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Speightstown

–

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Speightstown

–

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇧 Speightstown

🕒 Local time

02:53 2:53 AM

01:53 1:53 AM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

2,500

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Barbados Dollar BBD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

1 BBD = 0.5 USD

1 BBD = 0.447 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BBD, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.03 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

Barbados Dollar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 2 BBD (1 BBD = 0.5 USD). 1 EUR = 2.24 BBD (1 BBD = 0.447 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Speightstown 4,400 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Speightstown

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 Speightstown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For families, Speightstown is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Rio de Janeiro, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Rio de Janeiro and Speightstown are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Speightstown wins on affordability, Rio de Janeiro on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.