Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Fe, NM and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $2,916 in Santa Fe, NM, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in Santa Fe, NM
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Santa Fe, NM Living Index
63

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

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Santa Fe, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,916

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,916 in Santa Fe, NM versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro.

Santa Fe, NM $2,916
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,885 in Santa Fe, NM versus $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro.

Santa Fe, NM $3,885
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,854 in Santa Fe, NM versus $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro.

Santa Fe, NM $4,854
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Living in Santa Fe, NM is roughly 127% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Fe, NM is 118% above, Rio de Janeiro is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 $16.87

$9.98 R$49.69

69.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 $69.1

$40.34 R$201

71.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.05 $10.05

$8.48 R$42.23

18.51%

Cappuccino

$4.91 $4.91

$2.36 R$11.77

108.05%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$1.63 R$8.11

80.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.01 R$5.05

130.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.91 $5.91

$2.44 R$12.15

142.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.91 $6.91

$3.69 R$18.38

87.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.15 R$5.70

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.07 R$10.31

57.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$1.29 R$6.40

241.09%

Eggs

$4.31 $4.31

$2.27 R$11.29

89.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.88 $11.88

$11.00 R$54.7

8.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.42 $9.42

$4.31 R$21.44

118.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 $16.87

$9.74 R$48.49

73.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$2.83 R$14.07

67.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.84 R$9.14

-20.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$1.60 R$7.94

146.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$1.80 R$8.97

137.22%

Potato (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.26 R$6.26

146.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.07 R$5.32

91.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.75 R$3.74

160.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$0.66 R$3.28

287.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.37 $10.37

$3.05 R$15.16

240.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.89 $15.89

$8.18 R$40.72

94.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.19 R$5.90

71.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.39 R$11.88

52.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.04

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 $3.54

$1.27 R$6.31

178.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.90 R$4.50

125.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.54 $32.54

$9.44 R$46.99

244.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.33 R$6.63

-27.82%

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

$31.0K $31.0K

$23.4K R$116.6K

32.22%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$33.6K R$167.1K

-26.24%

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

$158 $158

$134 R$664

18.27%

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

$44.76 $44.76

$12.23 R$60.9

265.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.8 $73.8

$22.65 R$113

225.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$87.9 $87.9

$31.56 R$157

178.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$13.17 $13.17

$8.23 R$40.95

60.02%

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

$1,326 $1,326

$603 R$3,002

119.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K $15.2K

$13.2K R$65.9K

14.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 $54.5

$41.62 R$207

31.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.46 $43.46

$49.94 R$249

-12.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 $78.9

$75.0 R$373

5.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$68.3 R$340

76.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,307 $2,307

$905 R$4,506

154.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 $1,700

$527 R$2,625

222.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,584 $3,584

$1,346 R$6,700

166.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 $2,241

$774 R$3,854

189.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,631 $6,631

$3,981 R$19.8K

66.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,202 $4,202

$1,562 R$7,775

168.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,757 $3,757

$643 R$3,200

484.35%

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 Santa Fe, NM: 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

Santa Fe, NM

$1.7K 58.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 69% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Santa Fe, NM

$381 13.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 43.6% $166

Eating Out

Santa Fe, NM

$289 9.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 43.2% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Fe, NM

$276 9.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 39.1% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Fe, NM

$134 4.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 21% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Fe, NM

$114 3.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 58% $66

Getting Around

Santa Fe, NM

$14 * 0.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 338% $46

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 $2,307 in Santa Fe, NM and $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Fe, NM pays 484% 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: $69.0 in Santa Fe, NM vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $381 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Fe, NM

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

22:48 10:48 PM

01:48 1:48 AM

3 h ahead of Santa Fe, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

87,505

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Fe, NM Rio de Janeiro 9,270 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Fe, NM
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

Santa Fe, NM vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Fe, NM and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 127% in total monthly costs ($2,916 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 484% higher in Santa Fe, NM, 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: $2,307 in Santa Fe, NM versus $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,326 in Santa Fe, NM versus $603 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 $69.0 in Santa Fe, NM. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,916 in Santa Fe, NM, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Santa Fe, NM. 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 127% less than in Santa Fe, NM. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.