Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rostov-on-Don and Porto Alegre

For one person, living is cheaper in Porto Alegre: $994 a month against $1,137 in Rostov-on-Don, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year.

Rostov-on-Don
🇷🇺 Russia
$1,137
/mo nomad
Porto Alegre
🇧🇷 Brazil
$994
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rostov-on-Don and in Porto Alegre

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Rostov-on-Don and in Porto Alegre actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,137 in Rostov-on-Don versus $994 in Porto Alegre.

  • Rostov-on-Don $1,137
  • Porto Alegre $994

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,585 in Rostov-on-Don versus $1,550 in Porto Alegre.

  • Rostov-on-Don $1,585
  • Porto Alegre $1,550

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,032 in Rostov-on-Don versus $2,107 in Porto Alegre.

  • Rostov-on-Don $2,032
  • Porto Alegre $2,107

Living in Rostov-on-Don is roughly 14% more expensive than in Porto Alegre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rostov-on-Don 16% lower, Porto Alegre 26% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rostov-on-Don
Porto Alegre
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.08 ₽924
$8.02 R$40.64
38.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$25.08 ₽2,093
$39.38 R$200
-36.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.73 ₽479
$7.11 R$36.02
-19.41%
Cappuccino
$2.87 ₽239
$2.49 R$12.60
15.26%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.11 ₽92.7
$1.40 R$7.08
-20.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ₽40.72
$1.05 R$5.31
-53.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.18 ₽98.7
$2.32 R$11.77
-49.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.94 ₽245
$3.04 R$15.42
-3.29%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rostov-on-Don
Porto Alegre
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.09 ₽90.9
$1.03 R$5.23
5.83%
White Bread (500g)
$0.74 ₽61.6
$1.65 R$8.35
-55.15%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.28 ₽106
$1.07 R$5.41
19.63%
Eggs
$1.43 ₽119
$2.48 R$12.58
-42.34%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.51 ₽794
$10.23 R$51.8
-7.04%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.16 ₽430
$4.91 R$24.88
5.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.15 ₽680
$9.72 R$49.29
-16.15%
Apples (1kg)
$1.43 ₽119
$2.36 R$11.95
-39.41%
Banana (1kg)
$1.82 ₽152
$1.45 R$7.35
25.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.44 ₽120
$1.41 R$7.15
2.13%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.30 ₽192
$1.65 R$8.36
39.39%
Potato (1kg)
$0.68 ₽56.8
$1.26 R$6.40
-46.03%
Onion (1kg)
$0.60 ₽49.87
$1.08 R$5.49
-44.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.05 ₽87.9
$0.91 R$4.64
15.38%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.65 ₽54.6
$0.82 R$4.17
-20.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.74 ₽229
$2.55 R$12.92
7.45%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.18 ₽516
$7.80 R$39.53
-20.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 ₽74.3
$1.12 R$5.68
-20.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 ₽166
$2.15 R$10.87
-7.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Rostov-on-Don
Porto Alegre
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.54 ₽45.22
$0.96 R$4.87
-43.75%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$14.45 ₽1,206
$60.2 R$305
-75.99%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.65 ₽305
$1.25 R$6.36
192.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.14 ₽11.52
$0.79 R$3.99
-82.28%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.97 ₽331
$8.06 R$40.84
-50.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 ₽69.2
$1.32 R$6.68
-37.12%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$51.8K ₽4.3M
$23.8K R$120.5K
117.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.6K ₽3.4M
$34.1K R$172.7K
19.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rostov-on-Don
Porto Alegre
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$126 ₽10.5K
$76.6 R$388
63.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.31 ₽610
$12.19 R$61.8
-40.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$8.70 ₽726
$22.10 R$112
-60.63%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rostov-on-Don
Porto Alegre
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$33.62 ₽2,806
$29.80 R$151
12.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.13 ₽1,764
$30.37 R$154
-30.42%
Cinema Ticket
$5.46 ₽456
$7.08 R$35.89
-22.88%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rostov-on-Don
Porto Alegre
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$368 ₽30.7K
$563 R$2,852
-34.56%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$23.7K R$120.3K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rostov-on-Don
Porto Alegre
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.0 ₽4,671
$50.6 R$257
10.53%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.81 ₽3,740
$57.0 R$289
-21.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 ₽9,045
$103 R$524
4.90%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 ₽8,809
$80.3 R$407
31.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rostov-on-Don
Porto Alegre
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$633 ₽52.8K
$483 R$2,451
30.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$467 ₽39.0K
$277 R$1,404
68.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$908 ₽75.8K
$783 R$3,969
16.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$576 ₽48.1K
$449 R$2,274
28.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,350 ₽196.1K
$1,698 R$8,607
38.39%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,486 ₽124.0K
$1,279 R$6,483
16.18%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rostov-on-Don
Porto Alegre
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$834 ₽69.6K
$545 R$2,760
53.15%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
19.83
11.5
72.43%

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

Last update for Rostov-on-Don: October 12, 2026

Last update for Porto Alegre: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Rostov-on-Don
$460
Porto Alegre
$284 38.3% $177
Groceries & Markets
Rostov-on-Don
$177
Porto Alegre
$207 17% $30
Eating Out
Rostov-on-Don
$156
Porto Alegre
$144 7.6% $12
Clothing & Footwear
Rostov-on-Don
$140
Porto Alegre
$132 5.1% $7.2
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rostov-on-Don
$140
Porto Alegre
$112 19.7% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Rostov-on-Don
$44
Porto Alegre
$44 1.2% $0.5
Getting Around
Rostov-on-Don
$21
Porto Alegre
$70 239% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $624 in Rostov-on-Don and $489 in Porto Alegre. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rostov-on-Don pays 49% 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: $25.00 in Rostov-on-Don vs $40.00 in Porto Alegre for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $177 vs $207 per month, with Rostov-on-Don cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇷🇺 Rostov-on-Don
🇧🇷 Porto Alegre
🕒 Local time
12:36 12:36 PM
06:36 6:36 AM
6 h behind Rostov-on-Don
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,114,806
1,332,833
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Rostov-on-Don Porto Alegre 12,470 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Rostov-on-Don
  • Porto Alegre

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Rostov-on-Don vs Porto Alegre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Rostov-on-Don or Porto Alegre?
Porto Alegre wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Rostov-on-Don. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Porto Alegre the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Rostov-on-Don or in Porto Alegre?
Average pay runs 49% higher in Rostov-on-Don, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Rostov-on-Don compared to Porto Alegre?
Rent for a central apartment: $624 in Rostov-on-Don versus $489 in Porto Alegre. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Rostov-on-Don and in Porto Alegre?
Dining out is cheaper in Porto Alegre – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $25.00 in Rostov-on-Don. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Rostov-on-Don compared to Porto Alegre?
All in, you'll spend $1,137 per month in Rostov-on-Don versus $994 in Porto Alegre – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Rostov-on-Don or in Porto Alegre?
At $994 in Porto Alegre versus $1,137 in Rostov-on-Don, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Porto Alegre but tight or insufficient in Rostov-on-Don. The gap between the two cities makes Porto Alegre the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Rostov-on-Don or Porto Alegre?
Both work as nomad bases, but Porto Alegre delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $994 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Porto Alegre hard to pass up.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Porto Alegre gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Rostov-on-Don. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Rostov-on-Don vs other spots: cost of living compared

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