Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salt Lake City, UT and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $2,740 in Salt Lake City, UT, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in Salt Lake City, UT
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Salt Lake City, UT Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Salt Lake City, UT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,740

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Salt Lake City, UT 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 Salt Lake City, UT and in Rio de Janeiro actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,740 in Salt Lake City, UT versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro.

Salt Lake City, UT $2,740
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,899 in Salt Lake City, UT versus $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro.

Salt Lake City, UT $3,899
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,058 in Salt Lake City, UT versus $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro.

Salt Lake City, UT $5,058
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Living in Salt Lake City, UT is roughly 113% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Salt Lake City, UT is 104% above, Rio de Janeiro is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.91 $17.91

$9.98 R$50.1

79.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.3 $73.3

$40.34 R$202

81.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 $10.16

$8.48 R$42.57

19.81%

Cappuccino

$5.12 $5.12

$2.36 R$11.86

116.95%

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

$2.28 $2.28

$1.63 R$8.18

39.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.01 R$5.09

70.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.06 $6.06

$2.44 R$12.25

148.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.97 $7.97

$3.69 R$18.53

115.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.15 R$5.75

-22.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.92 $3.92

$2.07 R$10.40

89.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$1.29 R$6.45

225.58%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.27 R$11.38

82.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.04 $12.04

$11.00 R$55.2

9.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.45 $12.45

$4.31 R$21.62

188.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.55 $17.55

$9.74 R$48.88

80.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$2.83 R$14.19

40.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.84 R$9.21

-22.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$1.60 R$8.01

123.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$1.80 R$9.04

126.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.26 R$6.31

76.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.07 R$5.37

132.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 $1.93

$0.75 R$3.77

157.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$0.66 R$3.31

181.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.06 $10.06

$3.05 R$15.29

229.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$8.18 R$41.05

79.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.19 R$5.95

126.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.39 R$11.98

42.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.01 R$5.08

140.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.7 $83.7

$50.2 R$252

66.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.27 R$6.37

92.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.28 $2.28

$0.90 R$4.53

153.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.47 $25.47

$9.44 R$47.37

169.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.33 R$6.69

-12.03%

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

$37.3K $37.3K

$23.4K R$117.6K

59.14%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$33.6K R$168.5K

-24.15%

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

$191 $191

$134 R$670

43.18%

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

$48.41 $48.41

$12.23 R$61.4

295.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.2 $78.2

$22.65 R$114

245.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.17 $34.17

$31.56 R$158

8.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.04 $27.04

$30.87 R$155

-12.41%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 $15.09

$8.23 R$41.29

83.35%

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

$1,316 $1,316

$603 R$3,027

118.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K $20.6K

$13.2K R$66.4K

55.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 $70.7

$41.62 R$209

69.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.22 $45.22

$49.94 R$251

-9.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$75.0 R$377

46.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$68.3 R$343

57.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 $1,632

$905 R$4,543

80.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,371 $1,371

$527 R$2,647

159.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,889 $2,889

$1,346 R$6,755

114.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,141 $2,141

$774 R$3,885

176.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,154 $4,154

$3,981 R$20.0K

4.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,972 $2,972

$1,562 R$7,838

90.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,304 $4,304

$643 R$3,227

569.38%

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 Salt Lake City, UT: 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

Salt Lake City, UT

$1.4K 50.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 61.5% $843

Groceries & Markets

Salt Lake City, UT

$387 14.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 44.5% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salt Lake City, UT

$318 11.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 47% $149

Eating Out

Salt Lake City, UT

$297 11%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 44.9% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Salt Lake City, UT

$150 5.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 29.5% $44

Getting Around

Salt Lake City, UT

$107 4%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 44.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Salt Lake City, UT

$64 2.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 25.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,632 in Salt Lake City, UT and $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Salt Lake City, UT pays 569% 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: $73.0 in Salt Lake City, UT vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $387 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Salt Lake City, UT

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

22:45 10:45 PM

01:45 1:45 AM

3 h ahead of Salt Lake City, UT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

200,133

6,211,223

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.63 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Salt Lake City, UT Rio de Janeiro 10,010 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Salt Lake City, UT
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

Salt Lake City, UT vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Salt Lake City, UT and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 113% in total monthly costs ($2,740 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 569% higher in Salt Lake City, UT, 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: $1,632 in Salt Lake City, UT 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 $73.0 in Salt Lake City, UT. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,740 per month in Salt Lake City, UT versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro – a 113% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,740 in Salt Lake City, UT, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Salt Lake City, UT. 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, Salt Lake City, UT 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 113% less than in Salt Lake City, UT. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.