Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Tena

For one person, living is cheaper in Tena: $831 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Tena
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Tena Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Tena

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$831

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $831 in Tena.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Tena $831

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,425 in Tena.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Tena $1,425

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,018 in Tena.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Tena $2,018

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 55% more expensive than in Tena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Tena 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$6.03 $6.03

66.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$54.9 $54.9

-26.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$7.61 $7.61

12.35%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.39 $3.39

-29.79%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.38 $1.38

16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.10 $1.10

-6.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$3.45 $3.45

-28.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$6.09 $6.09

-39.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.15 $1.15

3.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$1.53 $1.53

33.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.56 $1.56

-17.95%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$2.16 $2.16

6.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$6.41 $6.41

67.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$5.63 $5.63

-21.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$7.77 $7.77

26.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$2.22 $2.22

26.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.18 $1.18

50.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$1.27 $1.27

25.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$1.13 $1.13

59.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.19 $1.19

2.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$1.07 $1.07

-2.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$0.92 $0.92

-16.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.05 $1.05

-36.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$5.87 $5.87

-48.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$9.91 $9.91

-18.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.59 $1.59

-25.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$3.17 $3.17

-20.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.33 $0.33

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$16.94 $16.94

195.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$1.51 $1.51

-19.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$0.76 $0.76

21.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$9.95 $9.95

-9.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$0.80 $0.80

62.50%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$21.3K $21.3K

12.26%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$28.5K $28.5K

15.27%

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

$133 R$676

$29.16 $29.16

357.48%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$17.66 $17.66

-38.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$28.72 $28.72

-20.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$32.43 $32.43

-5.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$15.44 $15.44

106.28%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$6.45 $6.45

24.81%

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

$598 R$3,029

$226 $226

164.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$8,840 $8,840

51.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$69.8 $69.8

-39.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$50.4 $50.4

-1.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$114 $114

-34.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$106 $106

-35.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$300 $300

200.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$186 $186

185.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$728 $728

82.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$417 $417

81.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$1,120 $1,120

258.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$717 $717

117.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

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 10, 2026

Last update for Tena: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Tena

$186 22.3% 65% $344

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Tena

$197 23.8% 8% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Tena

$76 9.1% 54.8% $92

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Tena

$151 18.2% 8.4% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Tena

$153 18.4% 44.7% $47

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Tena

$24 2.8% 60.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Tena

$45 5.5% 3.3% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $300 in Tena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $55.0 in Tena. Groceries flip the comparison at $215 vs $197, with Tena cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇪🇨 Tena

🕒 Local time

03:00 3:00 AM

01:00 1:00 AM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

16,669

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Tena 4,460 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Tena

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 Tena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Tena differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($1,289 vs $831 including rent). Tena is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,933 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,247 in Tena 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: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $300 in Tena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Tena – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $831 in Tena – a 55% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $831 in Tena versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Tena but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Tena 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 Tena 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 Tena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.