Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rockville, MD and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $3,127 in Rockville, MD, rent and utilities included – about $22,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

152

Cost of Living Index in Rockville, MD
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Rockville, MD Living Index
63

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

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Rockville, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,127

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,127 in Rockville, MD versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro.

Rockville, MD $3,127
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,604 in Rockville, MD versus $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro.

Rockville, MD $4,604
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,082 in Rockville, MD versus $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro.

Rockville, MD $6,082
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Living in Rockville, MD is roughly 143% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rockville, MD is 133% above, Rio de Janeiro is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.16 $22.16

$9.98 R$49.69

122.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.7 $73.7

$40.34 R$201

82.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 $10.43

$8.48 R$42.23

23.00%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$2.36 R$11.77

126.69%

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

$2.48 $2.48

$1.63 R$8.11

52.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.01 R$5.05

75.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.71 $6.71

$2.44 R$12.15

175.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.68 $7.68

$3.69 R$18.38

108.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.15 R$5.70

-1.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.07 R$10.31

43.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.29 R$6.40

103.10%

Eggs

$3.95 $3.95

$2.27 R$11.29

74.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.67 $9.67

$11.00 R$54.7

-12.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.23 $9.23

$4.31 R$21.44

114.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.18 $18.18

$9.74 R$48.49

86.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$2.83 R$14.07

61.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.84 R$9.14

-30.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$1.60 R$7.94

185.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$1.80 R$8.97

116.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.26 R$6.26

101.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.07 R$5.32

142.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.66 $2.66

$0.75 R$3.74

254.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$0.66 R$3.28

163.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 $14.00

$3.05 R$15.16

359.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.53 $14.53

$8.18 R$40.72

77.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.19 R$5.90

105.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$2.39 R$11.88

52.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.23 $4.23

$1.01 R$5.04

318.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

$50.2 R$250

177.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 $4.97

$1.27 R$6.31

291.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 $1.10

$0.90 R$4.50

22.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.34 $23.34

$9.44 R$46.99

147.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.33 R$6.63

-23.31%

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

$34.9K $34.9K

$23.4K R$116.6K

48.83%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$33.6K R$167.1K

-23.98%

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

$300 $300

$134 R$664

124.69%

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

$51.0 $51.0

$12.23 R$60.9

317.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.9 $58.9

$22.65 R$113

160.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.95 $41.95

$31.56 R$157

32.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.64 $12.64

$30.87 R$154

-59.05%

Cinema Ticket

$16.35 $16.35

$8.23 R$40.95

98.66%

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

$1,902 $1,902

$603 R$3,002

215.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.4K $27.4K

$13.2K R$65.9K

106.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.57 $45.57

$41.62 R$207

9.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.27 $40.27

$49.94 R$249

-19.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.1 $87.1

$75.0 R$373

16.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 $129

$68.3 R$340

88.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 $2,107

$905 R$4,506

132.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,634 $1,634

$527 R$2,625

209.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,765 $3,765

$1,346 R$6,700

179.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,911 $2,911

$774 R$3,854

275.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,396 $4,396

$3,981 R$19.8K

10.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,437 $2,437

$1,562 R$7,775

56.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,212 $6,212

$643 R$3,200

866.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

11.93

-45.85%

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

Last update for Rockville, MD: October 4, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rockville, MD

$1.6K 52.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 67.7% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rockville, MD

$410 13.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 58.9% $242

Groceries & Markets

Rockville, MD

$358 11.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 40.1% $143

Eating Out

Rockville, MD

$339 10.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 51.6% $175

Getting Around

Rockville, MD

$167 5.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 64% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Rockville, MD

$136 4.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 22.1% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Rockville, MD

$75 2.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 35.7% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,107 in Rockville, MD and $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rockville, MD pays 866% 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 Rockville, MD vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $358 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rockville, MD

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

00:00 12:00 AM

01:00 1:00 AM

1 h ahead of Rockville, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,139

6,211,223

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 BRL = 0.201 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 4.98 BRL (1 BRL = 0.201 USD). 1 EUR = 5.58 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

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Rockville, MD Rio de Janeiro 7,740 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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Rockville, MD
Rio de Janeiro

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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

Rockville, MD vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rockville, MD and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 143% in total monthly costs ($3,127 vs $1,285 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 866% higher in Rockville, MD, 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: $2,107 in Rockville, MD versus $905 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 Rockville, MD. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,127 per month in Rockville, MD versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro – a 143% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,127 in Rockville, MD, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Rockville, MD. 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 143% less than in Rockville, MD. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.