Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rockford, IL and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,166 in Rockford, IL, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Rockford, IL
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Rockford, IL Living Index
62

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

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Rockford, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,166

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rockford, IL 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 Rockford, IL and in Rio de Janeiro actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,166 in Rockford, IL versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Rockford, IL $2,166
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,480 in Rockford, IL versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Rockford, IL $3,480
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,794 in Rockford, IL versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Rockford, IL $4,794
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Rockford, IL is roughly 70% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rockford, IL is 60% above, Rio de Janeiro is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.72 $15.72

$9.38 R$47.54

67.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.6 $73.6

$40.00 R$203

84.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.97 $9.97

$8.34 R$42.28

19.54%

Cappuccino

$5.03 $5.03

$2.29 R$11.62

119.65%

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

$2.82 $2.82

$1.59 R$8.05

77.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.01 R$5.10

97.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.59 $4.59

$2.14 R$10.85

114.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 $6.83

$3.66 R$18.55

86.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.13 R$5.72

-27.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.09 R$10.60

62.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$1.25 R$6.36

324.00%

Eggs

$2.91 $2.91

$2.25 R$11.39

29.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 $10.07

$10.92 R$55.3

-7.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.99 $13.99

$4.36 R$22.10

220.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.79 $16.79

$9.60 R$48.66

74.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$2.85 R$14.46

67.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.81 R$9.16

-15.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$1.58 R$8.02

139.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$1.83 R$9.28

181.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.20 R$6.10

104.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.06 R$5.35

144.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.75 R$3.81

197.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$0.68 R$3.45

172.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.97 $10.97

$2.94 R$14.90

273.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.82 $15.82

$7.98 R$40.43

98.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.18 R$5.98

68.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$2.42 R$12.26

-23.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 $1.52

$0.94 R$4.78

61.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.5 $55.5

$50.3 R$255

10.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.20 R$6.10

129.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.83 R$4.20

90.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.70 $20.70

$8.97 R$45.48

130.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.29 R$6.53

-19.38%

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

$33.5K $33.5K

$22.8K R$115.5K

47.09%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-22.97%

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

$192 $192

$134 R$681

43.13%

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

$45.71 $45.71

$10.73 R$54.4

326.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.1 $71.1

$22.84 R$116

211.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.82 $41.82

$30.16 R$153

38.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.44 $25.44

$31.49 R$160

-19.21%

Cinema Ticket

$14.03 $14.03

$7.73 R$39.17

81.50%

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

$520 $520

$584 R$2,960

-10.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,074 $4,074

$12.8K R$64.9K

-68.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.23 $45.23

$41.12 R$208

10.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.80 $35.80

$49.26 R$250

-27.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.1 $93.1

$73.7 R$373

26.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$65.9 R$334

71.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 $1,293

$900 R$4,561

43.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$925 $925

$527 R$2,673

75.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,298 $2,298

$1,332 R$6,754

72.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 $2,040

$748 R$3,790

172.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,476 $1,476

$3,990 R$20.2K

-63.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,421 $1,421

$1,560 R$7,908

-8.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,398 $3,398

$640 R$3,246

430.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

11.93

-45.60%

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

Last update for Rockford, IL: 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

Rockford, IL

$925 42.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 43% $398

Groceries & Markets

Rockford, IL

$389 17.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 45% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rockford, IL

$309 14.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 45.7% $141

Eating Out

Rockford, IL

$272 12.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 42.6% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Rockford, IL

$129 6%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 19.8% $26

Getting Around

Rockford, IL

$72 3.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 17.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Rockford, IL

$70 3.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 34.7% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,293 in Rockford, IL and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rockford, IL pays 431% 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: $74.0 in Rockford, IL vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $214 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rockford, IL

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

22:54 10:54 PM

00:54 12:54 AM

2 h ahead of Rockford, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

148,655

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 →

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Rockford, IL Rio de Janeiro 8,640 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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Rockford, IL
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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

Rockford, IL vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rockford, IL and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 70% in total monthly costs ($2,166 vs $1,273 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 431% higher in Rockford, IL, 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: $1,293 in Rockford, IL versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $74.0 in Rockford, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,166 per month in Rockford, IL versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro – a 70% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,166 in Rockford, IL, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Rockford, IL. 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.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Rockford, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.