Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Sucre

For one person, living is cheaper in Sucre: $649 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Sucre
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Sucre Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Sucre

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$649

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Sucre

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $649 in Sucre.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Sucre $649

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $985 in Sucre.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Sucre $985

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,321 in Sucre.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Sucre $1,321

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 99% more expensive than in Sucre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Sucre 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$1.47 BOB 17.12

584.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$15.31 BOB 178

164.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$3.42 BOB 39.72

150.00%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$1.77 BOB 20.61

34.46%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$0.77 BOB 8.96

109.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.49 BOB 5.74

110.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$2.10 BOB 24.33

17.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$2.13 BOB 24.76

73.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$0.81 BOB 9.44

46.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$1.29 BOB 14.96

58.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$0.92 BOB 10.63

39.13%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$1.28 BOB 14.85

78.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$3.97 BOB 46.13

171.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$2.53 BOB 29.32

74.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$4.44 BOB 51.6

121.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$1.76 BOB 20.45

59.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$0.83 BOB 9.65

114.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$0.74 BOB 8.64

116.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$2.94 BOB 34.12

-38.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$0.42 BOB 4.84

190.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$0.69 BOB 8.02

50.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$0.28 BOB 3.21

175.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$0.87 BOB 10.11

-22.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$1.13 BOB 13.10

166.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$9.46 BOB 110

-14.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.32 BOB 15.35

-9.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.17 BOB 2.02

482.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$0.59 BOB 6.81

106.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$0.40 BOB 4.64

130.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$0.72 BOB 8.30

80.56%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

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

$133 R$676

$13.94 BOB 162

856.96%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$14.84 BOB 172

-27.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$21.30 BOB 247

7.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$27.78 BOB 323

10.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$5.32 BOB 61.8

51.32%

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

$598 R$3,029

$101 BOB 1,178

488.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$35.52 BOB 412

18.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$71.8 BOB 834

3.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$66.2 BOB 769

3.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$451 BOB 5,241

100.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$277 BOB 3,218

91.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$755 BOB 8,761

75.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$495 BOB 5,750

52.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$314 BOB 3,648

103.55%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Sucre: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Sucre

$277 42.7% 47.6% $252

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Sucre

$139 * 21.4% 35.3% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Sucre

$50 7.7% 70% $117

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Sucre

$63 9.7% 61.7% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Sucre

$78 * 12% 26.1% $28

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Sucre

$3.3 * 0.5% 94.5% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Sucre

$38 5.9% 18% $8.5

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $451 in Sucre. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 104% 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 $15.00 in Sucre for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $139 per month, with Sucre cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇴 Sucre

🕒 Local time

12:15 12:15 PM

11:15 11:15 AM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

238,798 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Bolivian Boliviano BOB Bs.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

100 BOB = 8.61 USD

100 BOB = 7.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BOB, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Bolivian Boliviano exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 11.61 BOB (100 BOB = 8.61 USD). 1 EUR = 13.05 BOB (100 BOB = 7.66 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Sucre 2,330 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Sucre

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 Sucre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Sucre differ by about 99% in total monthly costs ($1,289 vs $649 including rent). Sucre is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 104% 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: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $451 in Sucre. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $598 in Rio de Janeiro versus $101 in Sucre. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sucre – a meal for two runs $15.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $649 in Sucre versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sucre but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Sucre 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.

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

Expats usually find Sucre gentler on the wallet – expenses run 99% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.