Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Teresopolis

For one person, living is cheaper in Teresopolis: $661 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Teresopolis
Learn more

Teresopolis Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Teresopolis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$661

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $661 in Teresopolis.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Teresopolis $661

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,120 in Teresopolis.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Teresopolis $1,120

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,580 in Teresopolis.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Teresopolis $1,580

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 93% more expensive than in Teresopolis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 6% lower, Teresopolis 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$3.55 R$17.99

164.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$28.21 R$143

41.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$6.95 R$35.23

20.00%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$1.76 R$8.95

30.11%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$1.41 R$7.14

12.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$0.62 R$3.13

62.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$1.22 R$6.20

75.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$5.02 R$25.45

-27.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$0.99 R$5.04

14.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$1.51 R$7.64

38.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$1.37 R$6.93

-8.76%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$2.01 R$10.19

11.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$9.11 R$46.19

19.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$3.45 R$17.49

26.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$8.16 R$41.36

17.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$1.87 R$9.47

52.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.20 R$6.09

50.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$0.97 R$4.90

62.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$1.26 R$6.38

45.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$0.70 R$3.55

71.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$0.82 R$4.14

29.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$0.56 R$2.85

33.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$0.80 R$4.06

-15.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$1.60 R$8.12

83.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$6.03 R$30.55

32.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$1.40 R$7.10

-15.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$1.42 R$7.21

70.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$0.92 R$4.65

2.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

$35.82 R$182

40.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.03 R$5.23

16.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$1.04 R$5.27

-20.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$2.43 R$12.30

269.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.28 R$6.49

0.78%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$20.9K R$105.9K

9.05%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$30.9K R$156.5K

10.00%

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

$134 R$681

$29.33 R$149

357.96%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$23.98 R$122

-55.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$18.63 R$94.5

22.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$29.64 R$150

1.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

$20.16 R$102

56.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$6.76 R$34.26

14.35%

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

$584 R$2,960

$145 R$737

301.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$2,629 R$13.3K

387.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$25.55 R$130

60.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$27.07 R$137

81.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$67.4 R$342

9.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$47.75 R$242

38.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$360 R$1,824

150.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$158 R$800

234.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$533 R$2,701

150.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$398 R$2,017

87.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$1,181 R$5,988

237.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

$489 R$2,478

31.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

10.67

11.81%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Last update for Teresopolis: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Teresopolis

$158 23.9% 70.1% $369

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Teresopolis

$172 26% 19.6% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Teresopolis

$72 10.9% 57.1% $96

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Teresopolis

$95 14.3% 39.3% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Teresopolis

$76 11.4% 27% $28

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Teresopolis

$46 6.9% 23.1% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Teresopolis

$43 6.5% 5.4% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $900 in Rio de Janeiro and $360 in Teresopolis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 31% 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 $28.00 in Teresopolis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $172 per month, with Teresopolis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Teresopolis

🕒 Local time

09:31 9:31 AM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

165,123

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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 Teresopolis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Teresopolis differ by about 93% in total monthly costs ($1,273 vs $661 including rent). Teresopolis is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 31% 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: $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $360 in Teresopolis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Teresopolis – a meal for two runs $28.00 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 $1,273 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $661 in Teresopolis – a 93% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $661 in Teresopolis versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Teresopolis but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Teresopolis 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 Teresopolis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.