Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Sumter, SC

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $2,076 in Sumter, SC, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Sumter, SC
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Sumter, SC Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Sumter, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,076

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Sumter, SC

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,076 in Sumter, SC.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Sumter, SC $2,076

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,999 in Sumter, SC.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Sumter, SC $2,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,922 in Sumter, SC.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Sumter, SC $3,922

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 38% less than in Sumter, SC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 5% below, Sumter, SC is 54% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$50.2

$18.15 $18.15

-44.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$202

$55.8 $55.8

-27.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$42.66

$10.88 $10.88

-21.42%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$11.85

$5.85 $5.85

-59.32%

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

$1.61 R$8.05

$1.94 $1.94

-17.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.14

$1.38 $1.38

-25.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.34

$5.94 $5.94

-58.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.47

$7.02 $7.02

-47.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$5.96

$1.01 $1.01

17.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.22

$3.96 $3.96

-48.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.39

$3.17 $3.17

-59.62%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.41

$4.43 $4.43

-48.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$53.7

$16.47 $16.47

-34.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.00

$15.94 $15.94

-72.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.07

$18.29 $18.29

-46.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.03

$5.23 $5.23

-46.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$8.89

$1.49 $1.49

19.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.00

$4.62 $4.62

-65.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$8.96

$4.63 $4.63

-61.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.07

$3.77 $3.77

-67.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.18

$3.16 $3.16

-67.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.85

$2.06 $2.06

-62.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.33

$2.25 $2.25

-70.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.03

$9.96 $9.96

-69.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.29

$15.50 $15.50

-47.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.93

$2.45 $2.45

-51.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.52

$3.78 $3.78

-33.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$4.92

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.10

$3.04 $3.04

-59.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.59

$1.83 $1.83

-49.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$44.72

$29.42 $29.42

-69.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.47

$0.85 $0.85

52.94%

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

$23.9K R$119.1K

$34.9K $34.9K

-31.57%

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

$32.9K R$163.9K

$25.0K $25.0K

31.46%

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

$133 R$665

$174 $174

-23.47%

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

$10.82 R$54.0

$68.8 $68.8

-84.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$114

$81.5 $81.5

-71.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$154

$15.20 $15.20

102.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$159

$4.85 $4.85

556.70%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.18

$6.86 $6.86

17.35%

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

$598 R$2,981

$1,483 $1,483

-59.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$66.9K

$24.5K $24.5K

-45.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$210

$49.96 $49.96

-15.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$248

$37.31 $37.31

33.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$372

$96.6 $96.6

-22.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$343

$143 $143

-51.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,505

$1,014 $1,014

-10.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,641

$814 $814

-34.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,617

$1,333 $1,333

-0.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,770

$1,196 $1,196

-36.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.0K

$1,476 $1,476

171.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,783

$1,475 $1,475

5.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,190

$4,087 $4,087

-84.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.48

84.10%

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 Sumter, SC: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Sumter, SC

$814 39.2% 53.7% $284

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Sumter, SC

$444 21.4% 107% $230

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Sumter, SC

$325 15.6% 94.2% $158

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Sumter, SC

$305 14.7% 84.9% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Sumter, SC

$147 7.1% 39.1% $41

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Sumter, SC

$12 * 0.6% 79.7% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Sumter, SC

$29 1.4% 38.3% $18

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 $1,014 in Sumter, SC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sumter, SC pays 539% 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 $56.0 in Sumter, SC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $444 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇺🇸 Sumter, SC

🕒 Local time

11:05 11:05 AM

10:05 10:05 AM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

39,159

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.18 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.57 BRL (1 BRL = 0.18 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Sumter, SC 7,440 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Sumter, SC

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 Sumter, SC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Sumter, SC differ by about 61% in total monthly costs ($1,289 vs $2,076 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 539% lower in Sumter, SC. 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: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,014 in Sumter, SC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $598 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,483 in Sumter, SC. 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 $56.0 in Sumter, SC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,076 in Sumter, SC, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Sumter, SC. 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.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Sumter, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.