Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Varginha

For one person, living is cheaper in Varginha: $692 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Varginha
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Varginha Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Varginha

🇧🇷 Brazil

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro versus $692 in Varginha.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Varginha $692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,096 in Varginha.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Varginha $1,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,501 in Varginha.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Varginha $1,501

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 71% more expensive than in Varginha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 13% lower, Varginha 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$48.54

$8.22 R$43.95

10.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$199

$22.48 R$120

65.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$42.87

$6.44 R$34.43

24.53%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.70

$0.97 R$5.18

125.77%

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

$1.46 R$7.82

$0.82 R$4.38

78.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.27

$0.54 R$2.90

83.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.84

$1.32 R$7.03

53.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.43

$3.32 R$17.75

3.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.66

$0.87 R$4.67

21.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.61

$1.53 R$8.19

29.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.27

$0.96 R$5.14

21.87%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.80

$1.35 R$7.22

63.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$54.1

$8.43 R$45.06

19.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.00

$3.45 R$18.43

19.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.04

$8.29 R$44.30

10.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.54

$1.32 R$7.05

106.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.15

$1.32 R$7.06

29.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.18

$0.95 R$5.09

61.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$8.88

$0.90 R$4.80

84.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.09

$0.95 R$5.07

20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.32

$0.90 R$4.80

10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.46

$0.46 R$2.45

41.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.20

$0.63 R$3.38

-4.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$14.94

$2.00 R$10.69

39.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$39.99

$4.70 R$25.12

59.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.83

$1.01 R$5.42

7.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.48

$1.69 R$9.02

37.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.79

$0.83 R$4.46

8.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$283

$47.10 R$252

12.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.24

$0.89 R$4.73

31.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.17

$0.67 R$3.57

16.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$44.75

$5.85 R$31.28

43.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.48

$1.07 R$5.72

13.08%

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

$21.5K R$114.8K

$21.9K R$117.0K

-1.91%

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

$31.1K R$166.4K

$27.0K R$144.5K

15.15%

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

$124 R$665

$95.0 R$508

31.04%

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

$10.03 R$53.6

$4.60 R$24.62

118.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$112

$18.26 R$97.6

14.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$152

$23.85 R$128

18.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$157

$26.19 R$140

11.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$40.72

$7.42 R$39.66

2.70%

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

$563 R$3,009

$201 R$1,075

179.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$64.4K

$4,073 R$21.8K

195.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$210

$32.83 R$176

19.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$248

$55.1 R$295

-15.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$366

$75.1 R$402

-8.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$339

$54.9 R$293

15.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,149

$137 R$734

465.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,530

$112 R$598

323.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,436

$254 R$1,359

447.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$3,951

$237 R$1,267

211.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.1K

$1,568 R$8,382

116.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,394

$1,166 R$6,236

34.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,191

$421 R$2,250

41.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

19.30%

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 Varginha: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Varginha

$112 16.2% 76.4% $361

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Varginha

$155 22.5% 22.6% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Varginha

$118 17% 24.2% $38

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Varginha

$115 16.7% 23% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Varginha

$98 14.2% 0.2% $0.2

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Varginha

$55 7.9% 11.3% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Varginha

$39 5.6% 11.2% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $776 in Rio de Janeiro and $137 in Varginha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 42% 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 $22 in Varginha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $155 per month, with Varginha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Varginha

🕒 Local time

23:52 11:52 PM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

136,467

💱 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

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Rio de Janeiro Varginha 270 km

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 Varginha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro and $692 in Varginha, so Varginha is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 42% 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: $776 in Rio de Janeiro versus $137 in Varginha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Varginha – a meal for two runs $22 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 $692 in Varginha – Varginha is about 41% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $692 in Varginha versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Varginha but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Varginha 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 Varginha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.