Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Wallingford, CT

For one person, living costs are similar in Rio de Janeiro and in Wallingford, CT: $1,273 and $1,225 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Wallingford, CT
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Wallingford, CT Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Wallingford, CT

🇺🇸 United States

$1,225

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Wallingford, CT

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,225 in Wallingford, CT.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Wallingford, CT $1,225

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,978 in Wallingford, CT.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Wallingford, CT $1,978

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,731 in Wallingford, CT.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Wallingford, CT $2,731

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 4% more expensive than in Wallingford, CT, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 6% lower, Wallingford, CT 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$20.10 $20.10

-53.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$74.8 $74.8

-46.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$12.79 $12.79

-34.79%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$5.06 $5.06

-54.74%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$2.85 $2.85

-44.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$2.47 $2.47

-59.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$6.06 $6.06

-64.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$8.84 $8.84

-58.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.04 $1.04

8.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$4.48 $4.48

-53.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$7.37 $7.37

-83.04%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$5.82 $5.82

-61.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$10.53 $10.53

3.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$10.58 $10.58

-58.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$18.87 $18.87

-49.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$5.61 $5.61

-49.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$2.30 $2.30

-21.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$3.28 $3.28

-51.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$3.01 $3.01

-39.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$2.15 $2.15

-44.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$2.45 $2.45

-56.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$2.75 $2.75

-72.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$2.55 $2.55

-73.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$13.77 $13.77

-78.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$17.17 $17.17

-53.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$1.88 $1.88

-37.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$2.78 $2.78

-12.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$2.97 $2.97

-59.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$2.13 $2.13

-61.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$42.66 $42.66

-78.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.12 $1.12

15.18%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$27.8K $27.8K

-18.02%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$26.2K $26.2K

29.85%

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

$134 R$681

$183 $183

-26.75%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$37.23 $37.23

-71.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$58.4 $58.4

-60.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$24.98 $24.98

20.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$12.63 $12.63

-38.80%

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

$584 R$2,960

$2,132 $2,132

-72.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$61.9K $61.9K

-79.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$38.48 $38.48

6.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$16.52 $16.52

198.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$101 $101

-26.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$137 $137

-51.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$1,620 $1,620

-44.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

$4,723 $4,723

-86.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.51

83.26%

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 Wallingford, CT: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Wallingford, CT

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Wallingford, CT

$421 34.4% 97.2% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Wallingford, CT

$279 22.8% 66.2% $111

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Wallingford, CT

$329 26.9% 111% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Wallingford, CT

$132 10.8% 27.4% $28

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Wallingford, CT

$14 * 1.1% 77.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Wallingford, CT

$50 4.1% 10.2% $4.6

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 $900 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,620 in Wallingford, CT. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wallingford, CT pays 637% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $75.0 in Wallingford, CT for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $421 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇺🇸 Wallingford, CT

🕒 Local time

18:50 6:50 PM

17:50 5:50 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

44,740

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Wallingford, CT 7,780 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Wallingford, CT

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 Wallingford, CT: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Wallingford, CT differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,273 vs $1,225 including rent). Wallingford, CT is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 637% lower in Wallingford, CT. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,620 in Wallingford, CT. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $584 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,132 in Wallingford, CT. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Wallingford, CT – a meal for two runs $75.0 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,225 in Wallingford, CT versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Wallingford, CT but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Wallingford, CT 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 Wallingford, CT 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 Wallingford, CT gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.