Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Três Lagoas

For one person, living is cheaper in Três Lagoas: $793 a month against $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Três Lagoas
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Três Lagoas Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,185

/mo nomad

Três Lagoas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$793

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Três Lagoas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro versus $793 in Três Lagoas.

Rio de Janeiro $1,185
Três Lagoas $793

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,737 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,390 in Três Lagoas.

Rio de Janeiro $1,737
Três Lagoas $1,390

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,987 in Três Lagoas.

Rio de Janeiro $2,289
Três Lagoas $1,987

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 49% more expensive than in Três Lagoas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 12% lower, Três Lagoas 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.16 R$44.54

$5.53 R$30.19

47.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 R$203

$29.42 R$161

26.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 R$41.08

$7.48 R$40.82

0.53%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R$11.49

$1.93 R$10.54

8.81%

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

$1.36 R$7.44

$1.18 R$6.47

15.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$5.25

$0.70 R$3.81

37.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R$10.79

$1.90 R$10.38

4.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 R$17.80

$2.87 R$15.67

13.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.93

$1.38 R$7.52

-21.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 R$10.19

$1.96 R$10.73

-4.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.14

$1.16 R$6.34

-3.45%

Eggs

$2.20 R$12.03

$3.53 R$19.30

-37.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.91 R$54.1

$5.75 R$31.38

72.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 R$22.44

$5.20 R$28.40

-20.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 R$50.5

$6.25 R$34.15

48.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 R$14.15

$1.54 R$8.42

68.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R$9.21

$1.33 R$7.25

27.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.02

$1.42 R$7.77

3.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 R$9.37

$2.19 R$11.98

-21.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.31

$1.72 R$9.37

-32.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.45

$1.03 R$5.63

-2.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 R$3.59

$0.77 R$4.20

-14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R$3.33

$0.58 R$3.17

5.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 R$14.70

$1.81 R$9.91

48.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 R$39.33

$7.25 R$39.57

-0.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R$5.86

$0.96 R$5.22

11.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 R$12.22

$1.90 R$10.37

17.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.78

$1.04 R$5.66

-15.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.3 R$286

$42.13 R$230

24.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.44

$1.20 R$6.54

-1.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 R$3.69

$0.84 R$4.56

-19.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 R$47.56

$7.35 R$40.12

18.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.54

$1.22 R$6.68

-1.64%

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

$21.9K R$119.4K

$21.9K R$119.3K

0.08%

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

$31.0K R$169.3K

$31.7K R$173.1K

-2.15%

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

$126 R$686

$72.1 R$394

74.28%

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

$10.14 R$55.4

$11.44 R$62.5

-11.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.95 R$114

$19.89 R$109

5.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 R$156

$24.62 R$134

15.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.87 R$158

$26.25 R$143

9.98%

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 R$40.43

$6.72 R$36.71

10.12%

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

$537 R$2,932

$255 R$1,395

110.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K R$86.8K

$6,780 R$37.0K

134.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.68 R$211

$50.9 R$278

-24.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R$246

$45.86 R$250

-1.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 R$375

$84.4 R$461

-18.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.1 R$350

$66.5 R$363

-3.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$4,192

$372 R$2,032

106.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 R$2,680

$189 R$1,031

159.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 R$7,964

$824 R$4,498

77.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R$4,056

$613 R$3,349

21.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,325 R$18.2K

$1,598 R$8,728

108.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R$8,475

$1,167 R$6,370

33.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 R$3,679

$165 R$903

307.39%

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 Três Lagoas: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$491 41.4%

Três Lagoas

$189 23.8% 61.5% $302

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$198 16.7%

Três Lagoas

$187 23.6% 5.6% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$157 13.2%

Três Lagoas

$103 13% 34% $53

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$139 11.7%

Três Lagoas

$113 14.2% 18.8% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$97 8.2%

Três Lagoas

$111 14.1% 14.4% $14

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 5.1%

Três Lagoas

$52 6.5% 14.5% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$43 3.7%

Três Lagoas

$38 4.8% 12.1% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $768 in Rio de Janeiro and $372 in Três Lagoas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays about 4.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Rio de Janeiro vs $29 in Três Lagoas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $187 per month, with Três Lagoas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Três Lagoas

🕒 Local time

21:44 9:44 PM

20:44 8:44 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

132,152

💱 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

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Rio de Janeiro Três Lagoas 910 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
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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 Três Lagoas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro and $793 in Três Lagoas, so Três Lagoas is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Rio de Janeiro is about 4.1 times higher, 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 $372 in Três Lagoas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Três Lagoas – a meal for two runs $29 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 $1,185 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $793 in Três Lagoas – Três Lagoas is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $793 in Três Lagoas versus $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Três Lagoas but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Três Lagoas 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 Três Lagoas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.