Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Vazquez de Coronado

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $1,711 in Vazquez de Coronado, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Vazquez de Coronado
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Vazquez de Coronado Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Vazquez de Coronado

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,711

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Vazquez de Coronado

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 Vazquez de Coronado actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,711 in Vazquez de Coronado.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Vazquez de Coronado $1,711

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,748 in Vazquez de Coronado.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Vazquez de Coronado $2,748

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,786 in Vazquez de Coronado.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Vazquez de Coronado $3,786

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 25% less than in Vazquez de Coronado, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 5% below, Vazquez de Coronado is 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$12.24 ₡5,489

-17.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$62.1 ₡27.9K

-34.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$11.79 ₡5,288

-27.48%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$4.35 ₡1,951

-45.29%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$2.72 ₡1,218

-40.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.84 ₡824

-44.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$3.38 ₡1,514

-26.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$4.46 ₡2,000

-17.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$2.36 ₡1,057

-49.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$3.04 ₡1,364

-32.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$2.50 ₡1,120

-48.80%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$3.60 ₡1,615

-36.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$10.82 ₡4,852

-0.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$10.23 ₡4,589

-56.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$14.11 ₡6,326

-30.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$5.25 ₡2,353

-46.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.56 ₡701

14.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$4.84 ₡2,172

-66.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$3.87 ₡1,735

-53.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$3.75 ₡1,681

-67.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$3.62 ₡1,625

-71.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$1.08 ₡484

-28.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$3.21 ₡1,441

-79.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$5.97 ₡2,678

-49.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$20.31 ₡9,107

-60.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$2.77 ₡1,243

-57.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$3.64 ₡1,634

-31.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$1.26 ₡563

-21.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.39 ₡1,072

-48.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.58 ₡708

-41.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$8.51 ₡3,818

5.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.52 ₡680

-14.47%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$21.9K ₡9.8M

8.92%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$34.6K ₡15.5M

-5.10%

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

$133 R$676

$94.3 ₡42.3K

41.54%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$36.20 ₡16.2K

-70.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$60.0 ₡26.9K

-61.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$66.5 ₡29.8K

-53.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$7.55 ₡3,386

6.62%

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

$598 R$3,029

$972 ₡436.1K

-38.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$17.2K ₡7.7M

-22.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$72.4 ₡32.5K

-41.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$55.3 ₡24.8K

-10.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$126 ₡56.6K

-40.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$132 ₡59.2K

-48.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$708 ₡317.6K

27.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$618 ₡277.3K

-14.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$1,626 ₡729.3K

-18.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$1,302 ₡584.1K

-41.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

8.62

38.40%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Last update for Vazquez de Coronado: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Vazquez de Coronado

$618 36.2% 16.8% $89

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Vazquez de Coronado

$402 23.5% 87.2% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Vazquez de Coronado

$190 11.1% 13.9% $23

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Vazquez de Coronado

$230 13.4% 39.1% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Vazquez de Coronado

$174 10.2% 64.3% $68

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Vazquez de Coronado

$15 * 0.9% 74.4% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Vazquez de Coronado

$82 4.8% 74.1% $35

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $708 in Vazquez de Coronado. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $62.0 in Vazquez de Coronado for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $402 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇷 Vazquez de Coronado

🕒 Local time

10:20 10:20 AM

07:20 7:20 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

26,669

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Vazquez de Coronado 5,750 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Vazquez de Coronado

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 Vazquez de Coronado: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Vazquez de Coronado differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($1,289 vs $1,711 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,933 in Rio de Janeiro and $2,566 in Vazquez de Coronado 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: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $708 in Vazquez de Coronado. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $598 in Rio de Janeiro versus $972 in Vazquez de Coronado. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $62.0 in Vazquez de Coronado. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,711 in Vazquez de Coronado, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Vazquez de Coronado. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro 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.

Safety-wise, Rio de Janeiro and Vazquez de Coronado are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Vazquez de Coronado. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.