Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rocky Mount, NC and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,059 in Rocky Mount, NC, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Rocky Mount, NC
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Rocky Mount, NC Living Index
62

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

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Rocky Mount, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,059

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,059 in Rocky Mount, NC versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Rocky Mount, NC $2,059
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,178 in Rocky Mount, NC versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Rocky Mount, NC $3,178
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,296 in Rocky Mount, NC versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Rocky Mount, NC $4,296
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Rocky Mount, NC is roughly 62% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rocky Mount, NC is 52% above, Rio de Janeiro is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.19 $18.19

$9.38 R$47.54

93.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 $70.4

$40.00 R$203

76.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 $12.17

$8.34 R$42.28

45.92%

Cappuccino

$4.82 $4.82

$2.29 R$11.62

110.48%

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

$2.28 $2.28

$1.59 R$8.05

43.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.01 R$5.10

63.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.03 $6.03

$2.14 R$10.85

181.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.00 $7.00

$3.66 R$18.55

91.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.13 R$5.72

-23.01%

White Bread (500g)

$3.70 $3.70

$2.09 R$10.60

77.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$1.25 R$6.36

157.60%

Eggs

$3.70 $3.70

$2.25 R$11.39

64.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.06 $13.06

$10.92 R$55.3

19.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 $8.83

$4.36 R$22.10

102.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.05 $17.05

$9.60 R$48.66

77.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$2.85 R$14.46

40.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.81 R$9.16

26.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.04 $4.04

$1.58 R$8.02

155.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$1.83 R$9.28

138.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.20 R$6.10

99.17%

Onion (1kg)

$3.20 $3.20

$1.06 R$5.35

201.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 $1.82

$0.75 R$3.81

142.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$0.68 R$3.45

220.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.78 $8.78

$2.94 R$14.90

198.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.22 $15.22

$7.98 R$40.43

90.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.18 R$5.98

43.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.42 R$12.26

20.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.94 R$4.78

135.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.20 R$6.10

62.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 $2.26

$0.83 R$4.20

172.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.88 $17.88

$8.97 R$45.48

99.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.29 R$6.53

-20.93%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$22.8K R$115.5K

19.08%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-24.32%

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

$179 $179

$134 R$681

33.23%

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

$70.9 $70.9

$10.73 R$54.4

561.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.6 $63.6

$22.84 R$116

178.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.02 $46.02

$30.16 R$153

52.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$14.02 $14.02

$7.73 R$39.17

81.37%

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

$787 $787

$584 R$2,960

34.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K $24.8K

$12.8K R$64.9K

93.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 $50.9

$41.12 R$208

23.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.66 $37.66

$49.26 R$250

-23.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.5 $70.5

$73.7 R$373

-4.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$65.9 R$334

73.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$975 $975

$900 R$4,561

8.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$856 $856

$527 R$2,673

62.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 $1,435

$1,332 R$6,754

7.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,633 $1,633

$748 R$3,790

118.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,693 $1,693

$3,990 R$20.2K

-57.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,704 $1,704

$1,560 R$7,908

9.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,834 $2,834

$640 R$3,246

342.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.32

11.93

-47.02%

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

Last update for Rocky Mount, NC: October 20, 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

Rocky Mount, NC

$856 41.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 38.4% $328

Groceries & Markets

Rocky Mount, NC

$371 18%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 42.4% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rocky Mount, NC

$313 15.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 46.4% $146

Eating Out

Rocky Mount, NC

$300 14.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 48% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Rocky Mount, NC

$123 6%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 15.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Rocky Mount, NC

$74 3.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 38.4% $28

Getting Around

Rocky Mount, NC

$22 * 1.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 169% $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 $975 in Rocky Mount, NC and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rocky Mount, NC pays 343% 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: $70.0 in Rocky Mount, NC vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $371 vs $214 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rocky Mount, NC

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

00:43 12:43 AM

01:43 1:43 AM

1 h ahead of Rocky Mount, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,968

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

Rocky Mount, NC Rio de Janeiro 7,490 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rocky Mount, NC
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

Rocky Mount, NC vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rocky Mount, NC and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($2,059 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 343% higher in Rocky Mount, NC, 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: $975 in Rocky Mount, NC versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $787 in Rocky Mount, NC 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 $70.0 in Rocky Mount, NC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,059 in Rocky Mount, NC, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Rocky Mount, NC. 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 62% less than in Rocky Mount, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.