Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salem, MA and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $3,511 in Salem, MA, rent and utilities included – about $26,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

171

Cost of Living Index in Salem, MA
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Salem, MA Living Index
62

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

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Salem, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,511

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,511 in Salem, MA versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Salem, MA $3,511
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,880 in Salem, MA versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Salem, MA $4,880
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,248 in Salem, MA versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Salem, MA $6,248
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Salem, MA is roughly 176% 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: Salem, MA is 159% above, Rio de Janeiro is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.63 $24.63

$9.38 R$47.54

162.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.2 $98.2

$40.00 R$203

145.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.20 $11.20

$8.34 R$42.28

34.29%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$2.29 R$11.62

120.09%

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

$2.46 $2.46

$1.59 R$8.05

54.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.01 R$5.10

113.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 $8.13

$2.14 R$10.85

279.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 $7.19

$3.66 R$18.55

96.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.13 R$5.72

11.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.09 R$10.60

69.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$1.25 R$6.36

254.40%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$2.25 R$11.39

92.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 $12.22

$10.92 R$55.3

11.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.72 $11.72

$4.36 R$22.10

168.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.43 $17.43

$9.60 R$48.66

81.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.85 R$14.46

61.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.81 R$9.16

-13.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$1.58 R$8.02

165.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$1.83 R$9.28

159.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.20 R$6.10

134.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.06 R$5.35

173.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 $2.55

$0.75 R$3.81

240.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.68 R$3.45

227.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.02 $11.02

$2.94 R$14.90

274.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.29 $15.29

$7.98 R$40.43

91.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.18 R$5.98

51.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 $3.42

$2.42 R$12.26

41.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.89 $1.89

$0.94 R$4.78

101.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.09 $40.09

$50.3 R$255

-20.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.20 R$6.10

150.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.83 R$4.20

85.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.85 $31.85

$8.97 R$45.48

255.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.29 R$6.53

-31.01%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$22.8K R$115.5K

13.64%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-20.92%

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

$179 $179

$134 R$681

33.13%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$10.73 R$54.4

453.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.8 $63.8

$22.84 R$116

179.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.17 $42.17

$30.16 R$153

39.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$14.49 $14.49

$7.73 R$39.17

87.45%

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

$1,266 $1,266

$584 R$2,960

116.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$12.8K R$64.9K

84.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 $84.2

$41.12 R$208

104.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.8 $56.8

$49.26 R$250

15.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.7 $97.7

$73.7 R$373

32.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.1 $98.1

$65.9 R$334

48.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,339 $2,339

$900 R$4,561

159.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,162 $2,162

$527 R$2,673

310.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,928 $3,928

$1,332 R$6,754

194.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,135 $3,135

$748 R$3,790

319.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,748 $2,748

$3,990 R$20.2K

-31.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,332 $2,332

$1,560 R$7,908

49.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,532 $9,532

$640 R$3,246

1388.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.93

-44.93%

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

Last update for Salem, MA: October 19, 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

Salem, MA

$2.2K 61.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 75.6% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Salem, MA

$401 11.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 46.7% $187

Eating Out

Salem, MA

$365 10.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 57.2% $209

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salem, MA

$302 8.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 44.4% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Salem, MA

$152 4.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 31.7% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Salem, MA

$71 2%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 35.9% $26

Getting Around

Salem, MA

$58 1.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 1.8% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,339 in Salem, MA and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Salem, MA pays 1388% 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: $98.0 in Salem, MA vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $401 vs $214 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Salem, MA

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

11:20 11:20 AM

12:20 12:20 PM

1 h ahead of Salem, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

155,469

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

BRL to USD in detail →

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Salem, MA Rio de Janeiro 7,810 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Salem, MA
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

Salem, MA vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Salem, MA and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 176% in total monthly costs ($3,511 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 1388% higher in Salem, MA, 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: $2,339 in Salem, MA 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 $98.0 in Salem, MA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,511 per month in Salem, MA versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro – a 176% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,511 in Salem, MA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Salem, MA. 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, Salem, MA 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 176% less than in Salem, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.