Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Summit, NJ

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $3,842 in Summit, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $30,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
189

Cost of Living Index in Summit, NJ
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Summit, NJ Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Summit, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Summit, NJ

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,842 in Summit, NJ.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Summit, NJ $3,842

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro versus $5,955 in Summit, NJ.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Summit, NJ $5,955

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro versus $8,069 in Summit, NJ.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Summit, NJ $8,069

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 67% less than in Summit, NJ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 4% below, Summit, NJ is 187% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.69

$24.62 $24.62

-59.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$100 $100

-59.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.23

$11.09 $11.09

-23.53%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.77

$5.41 $5.41

-56.38%

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

$1.63 R$8.11

$2.24 $2.24

-27.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.05

$1.47 $1.47

-31.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.15

$8.07 $8.07

-69.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.38

$7.83 $7.83

-52.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.70

$1.27 $1.27

-9.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.31

$4.27 $4.27

-51.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.40

$6.08 $6.08

-78.78%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.29

$5.90 $5.90

-61.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.7

$13.92 $13.92

-20.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.44

$10.46 $10.46

-58.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.49

$17.59 $17.59

-44.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.07

$6.11 $6.11

-53.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.14

$1.71 $1.71

7.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.94

$4.16 $4.16

-61.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$8.97

$5.21 $5.21

-65.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.26

$3.08 $3.08

-59.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.32

$3.66 $3.66

-70.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.74

$3.07 $3.07

-75.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.28

$2.92 $2.92

-77.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.16

$11.28 $11.28

-72.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.72

$19.83 $19.83

-58.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.90

$1.78 $1.78

-33.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.88

$5.30 $5.30

-54.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.04

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.31

$3.03 $3.03

-58.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.50

$2.09 $2.09

-56.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$46.99

$24.22 $24.22

-61.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.63

$1.12 $1.12

18.75%

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

$23.4K R$116.6K

$35.2K $35.2K

-33.35%

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

$33.6K R$167.1K

$25.2K $25.2K

33.39%

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

$134 R$664

$213 $213

-37.46%

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

$12.23 R$60.9

$61.2 $61.2

-80.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$50.7 $50.7

-55.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$157

$80.2 $80.2

-60.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$40.95

$14.75 $14.75

-44.20%

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

$603 R$3,002

$2,015 $2,015

-70.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$65.9K

$16.2K $16.2K

-18.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$207

$41.66 $41.66

-0.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$57.6 $57.6

-13.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$373

$74.8 $74.8

0.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$340

$119 $119

-42.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,506

$2,697 $2,697

-66.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,625

$2,457 $2,457

-78.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,700

$5,556 $5,556

-75.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,854

$5,055 $5,055

-84.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,775

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,200

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.75

76.74%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026

Last update for Summit, NJ: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Summit, NJ

$2.5K 63.7% 366% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Summit, NJ

$457 11.8% 113% $242

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Summit, NJ

$325 8.4% 93.2% $157

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Summit, NJ

$366 9.5% 123% $202

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Summit, NJ

$132 3.4% 24.7% $26

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Summit, NJ

$13 * 0.4% 77.5% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Summit, NJ

$110 2.8% 129% $62

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 $905 in Rio de Janeiro and $2,697 in Summit, NJ. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $100 in Summit, NJ for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $457 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇺🇸 Summit, NJ

🕒 Local time

10:46 10:46 AM

09:46 9:46 AM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

11,161

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.201 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 4.98 BRL (1 BRL = 0.201 USD). 1 EUR = 5.58 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Summit, NJ 7,770 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Summit, NJ

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 Summit, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Summit, NJ differ by about 199% in total monthly costs ($1,285 vs $3,842 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,927 in Rio de Janeiro and $5,762 in Summit, NJ 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: $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,697 in Summit, NJ. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $603 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,015 in Summit, NJ. 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 $40.00 versus $100 in Summit, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,842 in Summit, NJ, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Summit, NJ. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro 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 Summit, NJ 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 Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 199% less than in Summit, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.