Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and the U.S. Virgin Islands
For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $3,836 in the U.S. Virgin Islands, rent and utilities included – about $30,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index63Cost of Living Index in Rio de JaneiroLearn more -
U.S. Virgin Islands Living Index190Cost of Living Index in the U.S. Virgin IslandsLearn more
🙂 Solo nomad: Rio de Janeiro is 71.3% cheaper than the U.S. Virgin Islands without rent, and 66.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Rio de Janeiro is 70.4% cheaper than the U.S. Virgin Islands without rent, and 73.6% cheaper with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
Rio de Janeiro
U.S. Virgin Islands
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.98 R$49.83
$24.76 $24.76
-59.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.34 R$201
$144 $144
-71.97%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.48 R$42.35
$12.12 $12.12
-30.03%
Cappuccino
$2.36 R$11.80
$7.35 $7.35
-67.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 R$8.13
$3.29 $3.29
-50.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.01 R$5.06
$2.54 $2.54
-60.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.44 R$12.19
$7.11 $7.11
-65.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.69 R$18.43
$7.04 $7.04
-47.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rio de Janeiro
U.S. Virgin Islands
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 R$5.72
$2.81 $2.81
-59.07%
White Bread (500g)
$2.07 R$10.34
$6.69 $6.69
-69.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.29 R$6.42
$16.52 $16.52
-92.19%
Eggs
$2.27 R$11.32
$8.50 $8.50
-73.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.00 R$54.9
$23.79 $23.79
-53.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.31 R$21.51
$25.84 $25.84
-83.32%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.74 R$48.63
$31.46 $31.46
-69.04%
Apples (1kg)
$2.83 R$14.12
$13.66 $13.66
-79.28%
Banana (1kg)
$1.84 R$9.17
$7.70 $7.70
-76.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 R$7.96
$11.33 $11.33
-85.88%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.80 R$9.00
$13.65 $13.65
-86.81%
Potato (1kg)
$1.26 R$6.28
$4.77 $4.77
-73.58%
Onion (1kg)
$1.07 R$5.34
$7.83 $7.83
-86.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.75 R$3.75
$5.80 $5.80
-87.07%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 R$3.29
$4.74 $4.74
-86.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.05 R$15.21
$6.91 $6.91
-55.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.18 R$40.84
$23.07 $23.07
-64.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.19 R$5.92
$2.98 $2.98
-60.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.39 R$11.92
$6.14 $6.14
-61.07%
🚌 Getting Around
Rio de Janeiro
U.S. Virgin Islands
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.01 R$5.06
$6.05 $6.05
-83.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$50.2 R$250
$104 $104
-51.69%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 R$6.33
$20.10 $20.10
-93.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.90 R$4.51
$3.15 $3.15
-71.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.44 R$47.13
$50.5 $50.5
-81.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.33 R$6.65
$1.34 $1.34
-0.75%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.4K R$117.0K
$49.5K $49.5K
-52.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.6K R$167.6K
$52.6K $52.6K
-36.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rio de Janeiro
U.S. Virgin Islands
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$134 R$666
$383 $383
-65.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.23 R$61.0
$90.7 $90.7
-86.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.65 R$113
$88.3 $88.3
-74.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rio de Janeiro
U.S. Virgin Islands
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.56 R$158
$152 $152
-79.30%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$30.87 R$154
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.23 R$41.07
$12.12 $12.12
-32.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rio de Janeiro
U.S. Virgin Islands
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$603 R$3,011
$1,504 $1,504
-59.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.2K R$66.1K
$16.1K $16.1K
-17.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rio de Janeiro
U.S. Virgin Islands
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$41.62 R$208
$82.7 $82.7
-49.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.94 R$249
$69.9 $69.9
-28.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.0 R$375
$126 $126
-40.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$68.3 R$341
$127 $127
-46.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rio de Janeiro
U.S. Virgin Islands
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$905 R$4,519
$1,711 $1,711
-47.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$527 R$2,633
$1,528 $1,528
-65.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,346 R$6,720
$3,805 $3,805
-64.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$774 R$3,865
$4,072 $4,072
-80.98%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,981 R$19.9K
$10.2K $10.2K
-61.08%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,562 R$7,798
$10.8K $10.8K
-85.59%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rio de Janeiro
U.S. Virgin Islands
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$643 R$3,210
$3,846 $3,846
-83.28%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.93
7.72
54.53%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026
Last update for the U.S. Virgin Islands: October 5, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Rio de Janeiro $527 41%
U.S. Virgin Islands $1.5K 39.1% 190% $1K
Groceries & Markets
Rio de Janeiro $215 16.7%
U.S. Virgin Islands $902 23.1% 320% $687
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rio de Janeiro $168 13.1%
U.S. Virgin Islands $562 14.4% 234% $393
Eating Out
Rio de Janeiro $164 12.7%
U.S. Virgin Islands $396 10.1% 141% $232
Clothing & Footwear
Rio de Janeiro $106 8.2%
U.S. Virgin Islands $183 4.7% 72.7% $77
Getting Around
Rio de Janeiro $60 4.7%
U.S. Virgin Islands $164 4.2% 173% $104
Sport & Entertainment
Rio de Janeiro $48 3.7%
U.S. Virgin Islands $177 4.5% 268% $129
Accommodation & Living
Rio de Janeiro $774 31.4%
U.S. Virgin Islands $4.1K 43.2% 426% $3.3K
Groceries & Markets
Rio de Janeiro $498 20.2%
U.S. Virgin Islands $2.1K 22.1% 319% $1.6K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rio de Janeiro $181 7.3%
U.S. Virgin Islands $652 6.9% 261% $472
Eating Out
Rio de Janeiro $531 21.5%
U.S. Virgin Islands $1.5K 16.1% 187% $992
Clothing & Footwear
Rio de Janeiro $235 9.5%
U.S. Virgin Islands $406 4.3% 72.7% $171
Getting Around
Rio de Janeiro $122 4.9%
U.S. Virgin Islands $340 3.6% 179% $218
Sport & Entertainment
Rio de Janeiro $127 5.1%
U.S. Virgin Islands $353 * 3.8% 179% $227
Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.
Good to know
🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro
🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands
Weather
Population
6,211,223
87,146
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- Rio de Janeiro U.S. Virgin Islands 5,160 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
- Rio de Janeiro
- U.S. Virgin Islands
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 other spots: cost of living compared
Rio de Janeiro
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,285
/mo nomad
Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,685
/mo nomad
Rio de Janeiro
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,285
/mo nomad
Sao Paulo
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,244
/mo nomad
Rio de Janeiro
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,285
/mo nomad
Brasilia
🇧🇷 Brazil
$994
/mo nomad
Rio de Janeiro
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,285
/mo nomad
Florianopolis
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,276
/mo nomad
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