Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Trancoso

For one person, living is cheaper in Trancoso: $767 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Trancoso
Learn more

Trancoso Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Trancoso

🇧🇷 Brazil

$767

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro versus $767 in Trancoso.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Trancoso $767

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,226 in Trancoso.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Trancoso $1,226

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,685 in Trancoso.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Trancoso $1,685

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 54% more expensive than in Trancoso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 13% lower, Trancoso 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$48.54

$5.24 R$28.01

73.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$199

$28.08 R$150

32.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$42.87

$6.38 R$34.13

25.71%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.71

$1.82 R$9.71

20.33%

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

$1.46 R$7.82

$1.13 R$6.02

29.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.27

$0.65 R$3.49

52.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.84

$1.76 R$9.40

15.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.43

$2.65 R$14.19

30.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.66

$0.99 R$5.30

7.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.61

$1.48 R$7.92

33.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.27

$1.13 R$6.07

3.54%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.80

$1.94 R$10.38

13.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$54.1

$8.09 R$43.24

24.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.00

$3.51 R$18.74

17.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.04

$7.45 R$39.83

23.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.54

$2.09 R$11.16

30.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.15

$1.25 R$6.70

36.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.18

$1.15 R$6.14

33.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$8.89

$1.45 R$7.76

14.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.09

$1.15 R$6.13

-0.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.32

$1.05 R$5.61

-5.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.46

$0.72 R$3.85

-9.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.20

$0.62 R$3.32

-3.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$14.94

$2.09 R$11.16

33.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$39.99

$7.60 R$40.66

-1.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.83

$1.24 R$6.62

-12.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.48

$2.10 R$11.25

10.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.79

$0.91 R$4.89

-1.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$283

$39.05 R$209

35.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.24

$1.11 R$5.94

5.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.17

$0.76 R$4.08

2.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$44.75

$6.22 R$33.24

34.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.48

$1.08 R$5.79

12.04%

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

$21.5K R$114.8K

$20.6K R$110.1K

4.24%

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

$31.1K R$166.5K

$27.1K R$145.1K

14.69%

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

$124 R$665

$59.6 R$319

108.90%

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

$10.03 R$53.7

$13.62 R$72.8

-26.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$112

$18.45 R$98.7

13.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$152

$22.22 R$119

27.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$157

$21.94 R$117

33.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$40.72

$6.32 R$33.79

20.57%

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

$563 R$3,010

$281 R$1,501

100.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$64.4K

$6,503 R$34.8K

85.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$210

$47.47 R$254

-17.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$248

$42.45 R$227

9.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$366

$75.1 R$402

-8.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$339

$63.8 R$341

-0.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,150

$317 R$1,693

145.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,530

$214 R$1,142

121.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,437

$584 R$3,125

137.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$3,951

$421 R$2,253

75.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.1K

$1,451 R$7,758

133.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,396

$1,027 R$5,490

52.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,192

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

10.92

9.25%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 25, 2026

Last update for Trancoso: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Trancoso

$214 27.8% 54.9% $260

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Trancoso

$172 22.5% 14.2% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Trancoso

$92 12% 41% $64

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Trancoso

$104 13.6% 30.5% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Trancoso

$103 13.4% 5.2% $5.1

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Trancoso

$48 6.2% 22.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Trancoso

$35 4.5% 20% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $776 in Rio de Janeiro and $317 in Trancoso. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37 in Rio de Janeiro vs $28 in Trancoso for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $172 per month, with Trancoso cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Trancoso

🕒 Local time

11:08 11:08 AM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

18,618

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Trancoso 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Trancoso

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 Trancoso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Trancoso differ by about 54% in total monthly costs ($1,182 vs $767 including rent). Trancoso is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,774 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,151 in Trancoso 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: $776 in Rio de Janeiro versus $317 in Trancoso. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Trancoso – a meal for two runs $28 versus $37 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,182 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $767 in Trancoso – a 54% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $767 in Trancoso versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Trancoso but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Trancoso 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 Trancoso gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.