Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Timbo

For one person, living is cheaper in Timbo: $717 a month against $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Timbo
Learn more

Timbo Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,185

/mo nomad

Timbo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$717

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro versus $717 in Timbo.

Rio de Janeiro $1,185
Timbo $717

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,737 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,165 in Timbo.

Rio de Janeiro $1,737
Timbo $1,165

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,614 in Timbo.

Rio de Janeiro $2,289
Timbo $1,614

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 65% more expensive than in Timbo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 12% lower, Timbo 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.16 R$44.54

$4.62 R$25.22

76.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 R$203

$36.83 R$201

1.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 R$41.08

$3.81 R$20.78

97.38%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R$11.49

$1.88 R$10.24

11.70%

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

$1.36 R$7.44

$0.99 R$5.42

37.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$5.25

$0.68 R$3.72

41.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R$10.79

$1.80 R$9.82

10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 R$17.80

$2.19 R$11.93

48.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.93

$0.81 R$4.41

34.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 R$10.19

$1.43 R$7.81

30.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.14

$0.81 R$4.41

38.27%

Eggs

$2.20 R$12.03

$1.67 R$9.12

31.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.91 R$54.1

$7.65 R$41.77

29.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 R$22.44

$3.24 R$17.70

26.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 R$50.5

$6.93 R$37.86

33.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 R$14.15

$1.68 R$9.20

54.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R$9.21

$0.67 R$3.68

152.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.02

$0.77 R$4.21

90.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 R$9.37

$1.29 R$7.04

33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.31

$0.81 R$4.43

43.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.45

$0.75 R$4.09

33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 R$3.59

$0.63 R$3.44

4.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R$3.33

$0.78 R$4.26

-21.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 R$14.70

$1.46 R$8.00

84.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 R$39.33

$4.52 R$24.66

59.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R$5.86

$1.00 R$5.48

7.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 R$12.22

$1.90 R$10.38

17.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.78

$0.94 R$5.16

-6.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.3 R$286

$41.54 R$227

25.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.44

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 R$3.69

$0.78 R$4.23

-12.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 R$47.56

$5.79 R$31.63

50.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.54

$0.92 R$5.01

30.43%

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

$21.9K R$119.4K

$21.4K R$116.7K

2.33%

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

$31.0K R$169.3K

$25.5K R$139.4K

21.49%

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

$126 R$686

$52.5 R$286

139.46%

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

$10.14 R$55.4

$11.97 R$65.4

-15.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.95 R$114

$21.39 R$117

-2.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 R$156

$24.49 R$134

16.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.87 R$158

$25.53 R$139

13.08%

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 R$40.43

$5.52 R$30.13

34.06%

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

$537 R$2,932

$225 R$1,229

138.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K R$86.8K

$2,629 R$14.4K

504.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.68 R$211

$29.98 R$164

29.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R$246

$36.59 R$200

23.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 R$375

$56.4 R$308

21.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.1 R$350

$45.64 R$249

40.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$4,192

$340 R$1,857

125.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 R$2,680

$231 R$1,260

112.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 R$7,964

$625 R$3,413

133.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R$4,056

$443 R$2,418

67.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,325 R$18.2K

$1,569 R$8,567

111.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R$8,475

$1,128 R$6,162

37.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 R$3,679

$640 R$3,495

5.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

8.45%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: November 3, 2026

Last update for Timbo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$491 41.4%

Timbo

$231 32.2% 53% $260

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$198 16.7%

Timbo

$148 20.6% 25.3% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$157 13.2%

Timbo

$86 12% 45.2% $71

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$139 11.7%

Timbo

$91 12.7% 34.5% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$97 8.2%

Timbo

$76 10.6% 22.1% $22

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 5.1%

Timbo

$50 7% 16.6% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$43 3.7%

Timbo

$36 5% 18% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $768 in Rio de Janeiro and $340 in Timbo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 5% 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: $37 in Rio de Janeiro vs $37 in Timbo. Groceries flip the comparison at $198 vs $148, with Timbo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Timbo

🕒 Local time

21:01 9:01 PM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

46,099

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Timbo 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Timbo

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 Timbo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro and $717 in Timbo, so Timbo is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 5% 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: $768 in Rio de Janeiro versus $340 in Timbo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $537 in Rio de Janeiro versus $225 in Timbo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Timbo runs roughly 21% less than in Rio de Janeiro. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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.

It comes down to priorities – Timbo wins on affordability, Rio de Janeiro on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.