Cost of Living Comparison Between Santos and Rio de Janeiro Cost of Living Comparison Between Santos and Rio de Janeiro

😐 Solo nomad: Santos is 2% more expensive than Rio de Janeiro without rent, and 0.3% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Santos is 1.9% more expensive than Rio de Janeiro without rent, and 3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santos
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.49 R$28.81
$7.31 R$38.38
-24.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.33 R$144
$36.07 R$189
-24.23%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.87 R$30.83
$6.33 R$33.25
-7.27%
Cappuccino
$2.05 R$10.78
$1.90 R$9.98
7.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.25 R$6.55
$1.33 R$6.99
-6.02%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 R$4.87
$0.85 R$4.45
9.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.03 R$10.63
$1.77 R$9.29
14.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.65 R$13.92
$2.74 R$14.38
-3.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santos
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.06 R$5.57
$1.15 R$6.05
-7.83%
White Bread (500g)
$1.61 R$8.48
$1.72 R$9.05
-6.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.39 R$7.30
$1.47 R$7.74
-5.44%
Eggs
$2.94 R$15.44
$2.03 R$10.66
44.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.45 R$65.3
$7.85 R$41.21
58.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.09 R$21.46
$3.50 R$18.36
16.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.72 R$45.76
$8.31 R$43.64
4.93%
Apples (1kg)
$1.60 R$8.40
$2.40 R$12.61
-33.33%
Banana (1kg)
$1.20 R$6.28
$1.55 R$8.15
-22.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.15 R$11.27
$1.50 R$7.85
43.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.81 R$9.53
$1.54 R$8.10
17.53%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 R$6.93
$1.24 R$6.49
6.45%
Onion (1kg)
$1.28 R$6.70
$1.11 R$5.81
15.32%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.10 R$5.78
$0.69 R$3.63
59.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 R$6.86
$0.57 R$3.00
129.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.17 R$11.40
$1.96 R$10.27
10.71%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.51 R$39.45
$7.55 R$39.64
-0.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 R$7.16
$1.23 R$6.45
10.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 R$10.79
$2.06 R$10.83
-
🚌 Getting Around
Santos
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.96 R$5.02
$1.29 R$6.79
-25.58%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.49 R$239
$38.76 R$204
17.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 R$6.67
$1.12 R$5.89
13.39%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.83 R$4.37
$0.70 R$3.69
18.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.43 R$75.8
$7.47 R$39.22
93.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.07 R$5.64
$1.12 R$5.89
-4.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K R$110.4K
$20.4K R$107.2K
3.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.3K R$148.4K
$27.3K R$143.1K
3.71%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santos
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$85.4 R$449
$105 R$550
-18.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.11 R$63.6
$12.03 R$63.2
0.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.42 R$112
$18.56 R$97.4
15.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santos
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$22.21 R$117
$26.24 R$138
-15.36%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$48.40 R$254
$23.71 R$124
104.13%
Cinema Ticket
$7.87 R$41.34
$6.47 R$33.96
21.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santos
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$287 R$1,506
$542 R$2,844
-47.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,939 R$41.7K
$11.7K R$61.3K
-31.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santos
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$47.05 R$247
$44.73 R$235
5.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.00 R$205
$42.51 R$223
-8.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.6 R$413
$75.9 R$399
3.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$41.18 R$216
$62.1 R$326
-33.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santos
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$410 R$2,153
$430 R$2,256
-4.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$331 R$1,740
$328 R$1,721
1.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$806 R$4,231
$853 R$4,479
-5.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$534 R$2,801
$585 R$3,069
-8.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,297 R$12.1K
$2,775 R$14.6K
-17.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,594 R$8,371
$1,274 R$6,691
25.12%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santos
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$571 R$2,999
$506 R$2,657
12.87%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12
11.33
5.91%

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

Last update for Santos: February 28, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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