Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Volta Redonda

For one person, living is cheaper in Volta Redonda: $803 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Volta Redonda
Learn more

Volta Redonda Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Volta Redonda

🇧🇷 Brazil

$803

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Volta Redonda

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $803 in Volta Redonda.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Volta Redonda $803

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,275 in Volta Redonda.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Volta Redonda $1,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,747 in Volta Redonda.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Volta Redonda $1,747

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 59% more expensive than in Volta Redonda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 6% lower, Volta Redonda 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$3.00 R$15.20

212.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$39.95 R$203

0.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$6.72 R$34.05

24.11%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$2.61 R$13.21

-12.26%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$1.34 R$6.79

18.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$0.63 R$3.17

60.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$2.35 R$11.91

-8.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$4.46 R$22.63

-17.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.05 R$5.31

7.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$1.81 R$9.17

15.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$1.22 R$6.18

2.46%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$2.44 R$12.35

-7.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$6.88 R$34.88

58.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$3.11 R$15.79

40.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$9.72 R$49.29

-1.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$2.20 R$11.15

29.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.22 R$6.17

48.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$1.02 R$5.16

54.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$1.95 R$9.89

-6.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.39 R$7.04

-13.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$1.31 R$6.62

-19.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$0.61 R$3.10

22.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$0.48 R$2.45

41.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$1.61 R$8.15

82.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$8.61 R$43.62

-7.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$1.14 R$5.79

3.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$1.71 R$8.67

41.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$0.94 R$4.79

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

$35.29 R$179

42.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.57 R$7.97

-23.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$0.96 R$4.85

-13.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$10.27 R$52.0

-12.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.23 R$6.22

4.88%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$24.0K R$121.7K

-5.13%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$34.5K R$174.8K

-1.52%

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

$134 R$681

$93.4 R$473

43.86%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$11.26 R$57.1

-4.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$22.29 R$113

2.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$29.24 R$148

3.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$7.24 R$36.71

6.77%

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

$584 R$2,960

$151 R$767

285.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$3,005 R$15.2K

326.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$45.66 R$231

-9.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$39.90 R$202

23.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$50.6 R$256

45.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$92.9 R$471

-29.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$276 R$1,400

225.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$198 R$1,002

166.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$592 R$3,000

125.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$379 R$1,923

97.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$819 R$4,150

387.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$683 R$3,460

128.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

$301 R$1,526

112.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.68

2.14%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Last update for Volta Redonda: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Volta Redonda

$198 24.6% 62.5% $330

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Volta Redonda

$182 22.7% 14.8% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Volta Redonda

$127 15.8% 24.4% $41

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Volta Redonda

$104 13% 33.3% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Volta Redonda

$103 12.8% 0.4% $0.4

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Volta Redonda

$45 5.7% 23.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Volta Redonda

$44 5.5% 4.1% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $900 in Rio de Janeiro and $276 in Volta Redonda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 113% 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: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $40.00 in Volta Redonda. Groceries flip the comparison at $214 vs $182, with Volta Redonda cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Volta Redonda

🕒 Local time

07:50 7:50 AM

Same time as Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

261,563

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Volta Redonda 100 km

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Volta Redonda

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 Volta Redonda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Volta Redonda differ by about 59% in total monthly costs ($1,273 vs $803 including rent). Volta Redonda is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 113% 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: $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $276 in Volta Redonda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you'll spend $1,273 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $803 in Volta Redonda – a 59% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $803 in Volta Redonda versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Volta Redonda but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Volta Redonda 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 Volta Redonda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.