Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between River Falls, WI and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,515 in River Falls, WI, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in River Falls, WI
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River Falls, WI Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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River Falls, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,515

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in River Falls, WI and in Rio de Janeiro

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in River Falls, WI and in Rio de Janeiro actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,515 in River Falls, WI versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

River Falls, WI $2,515
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,887 in River Falls, WI versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

River Falls, WI $3,887
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,259 in River Falls, WI versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

River Falls, WI $5,259
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in River Falls, WI is roughly 97% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: River Falls, WI is 86% above, Rio de Janeiro is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.17 $22.17

$9.38 R$47.54

136.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.0 $82.0

$40.00 R$203

105.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.91 $11.91

$8.34 R$42.28

42.81%

Cappuccino

$6.49 $6.49

$2.29 R$11.62

183.41%

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

$3.07 $3.07

$1.59 R$8.05

93.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.01 R$5.10

133.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.94 $6.94

$2.14 R$10.85

224.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.10 $8.10

$3.66 R$18.55

121.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.13 R$5.72

-26.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.09 R$10.60

75.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.68 $6.68

$1.25 R$6.36

434.40%

Eggs

$3.76 $3.76

$2.25 R$11.39

67.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.23 $10.23

$10.92 R$55.3

-6.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.48 $13.48

$4.36 R$22.10

209.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.96 $18.96

$9.60 R$48.66

97.50%

Apples (1kg)

$5.89 $5.89

$2.85 R$14.46

106.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.81 R$9.16

3.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.71 $6.71

$1.58 R$8.02

324.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$1.83 R$9.28

178.14%

Potato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.20 R$6.10

261.67%

Onion (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$1.06 R$5.35

285.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 $2.34

$0.75 R$3.81

212.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$0.68 R$3.45

288.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.72 $12.72

$2.94 R$14.90

332.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.82 $15.82

$7.98 R$40.43

98.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.18 R$5.98

134.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 $5.57

$2.42 R$12.26

130.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.10 $2.10

$0.94 R$4.78

123.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.88 $4.88

$1.20 R$6.10

306.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 $1.75

$0.83 R$4.20

110.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.56 $23.56

$8.97 R$45.48

162.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.29 R$6.53

-20.16%

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

$30.3K $30.3K

$22.8K R$115.5K

33.10%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-23.43%

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

$181 $181

$134 R$681

34.51%

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

$54.8 $54.8

$10.73 R$54.4

410.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.3 $70.3

$22.84 R$116

207.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.56 $39.56

$30.16 R$153

31.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$16.10 $16.10

$7.73 R$39.17

108.28%

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

$1,365 $1,365

$584 R$2,960

133.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.8K $36.8K

$12.8K R$64.9K

187.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 $56.8

$41.12 R$208

38.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.63 $43.63

$49.26 R$250

-11.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 $98.8

$73.7 R$373

34.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$65.9 R$334

58.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 $1,534

$900 R$4,561

70.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,161 $1,161

$527 R$2,673

120.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,835 $2,835

$1,332 R$6,754

112.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,226 $2,226

$748 R$3,790

197.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,548 $2,548

$3,990 R$20.2K

-36.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,038 $2,038

$1,560 R$7,908

30.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

11.93

-44.17%

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

Last update for River Falls, WI: October 18, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

River Falls, WI

$1.2K 46.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 54.6% $634

Groceries & Markets

River Falls, WI

$454 18%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 52.9% $240

Eating Out

River Falls, WI

$364 14.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 57.1% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

River Falls, WI

$306 12.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 45.1% $138

Clothing & Footwear

River Falls, WI

$137 5.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 24.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

River Falls, WI

$72 2.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 36.4% $26

Getting Around

River Falls, WI

$22 * 0.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 170% $37

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 $1,534 in River Falls, WI and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $82.0 in River Falls, WI vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $454 vs $214 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 River Falls, WI

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

08:15 8:15 AM

10:15 10:15 AM

2 h ahead of River Falls, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,618

6,211,223

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

River Falls, WI Rio de Janeiro 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

River Falls, WI
Rio de Janeiro

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

River Falls, WI vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

River Falls, WI and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 97% in total monthly costs ($2,515 vs $1,273 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 $3,772 in River Falls, WI and $1,910 in Rio de Janeiro 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: $1,534 in River Falls, WI versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,365 in River Falls, WI versus $584 in Rio de Janeiro. 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 $82.0 in River Falls, WI. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,515 in River Falls, WI, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in River Falls, WI. 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, River Falls, WI and Rio de Janeiro 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 97% less than in River Falls, WI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.