Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sioux City, IA and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $2,192 in Sioux City, IA, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Sioux City, IA
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Sioux City, IA Living Index
63

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

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Sioux City, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,192

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,192 in Sioux City, IA versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro.

Sioux City, IA $2,192
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,334 in Sioux City, IA versus $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro.

Sioux City, IA $3,334
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,477 in Sioux City, IA versus $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro.

Sioux City, IA $4,477
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Living in Sioux City, IA is roughly 71% 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: Sioux City, IA is 64% above, Rio de Janeiro is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.27 $20.27

$9.98 R$49.69

103.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.2 $54.2

$40.34 R$201

34.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.45 $10.45

$8.48 R$42.23

23.23%

Cappuccino

$6.02 $6.02

$2.36 R$11.77

155.08%

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

$2.15 $2.15

$1.63 R$8.11

31.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.01 R$5.05

75.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.44 R$12.15

104.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.90 $5.90

$3.69 R$18.38

59.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.15 R$5.70

-23.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.07 R$10.31

43.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.23 $3.23

$1.29 R$6.40

150.39%

Eggs

$3.52 $3.52

$2.27 R$11.29

55.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.35 $8.35

$11.00 R$54.7

-24.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.58 $7.58

$4.31 R$21.44

75.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.89 $16.89

$9.74 R$48.49

73.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$2.83 R$14.07

69.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.84 R$9.14

-14.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$1.60 R$7.94

163.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$1.80 R$8.97

119.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.26 R$6.26

49.21%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$1.07 R$5.32

346.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 $2.32

$0.75 R$3.74

209.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$0.66 R$3.28

228.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.13 $9.13

$3.05 R$15.16

199.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.11 $15.11

$8.18 R$40.72

84.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.19 R$5.90

41.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.39 R$11.88

23.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.01 R$5.04

83.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.11 $47.11

$50.2 R$250

-6.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.27 R$6.31

56.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 $1.26

$0.90 R$4.50

40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.21 $20.21

$9.44 R$46.99

114.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.33 R$6.63

-34.59%

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

$36.3K $36.3K

$23.4K R$116.6K

54.75%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$33.6K R$167.1K

-25.98%

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

$165 $165

$134 R$664

23.58%

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

$52.4 $52.4

$12.23 R$60.9

328.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.9 $68.9

$22.65 R$113

204.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.8 $98.8

$31.56 R$157

213.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.20 $20.20

$30.87 R$154

-34.56%

Cinema Ticket

$15.17 $15.17

$8.23 R$40.95

84.33%

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

$1,089 $1,089

$603 R$3,002

80.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K $11.8K

$13.2K R$65.9K

-10.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.23 $43.23

$41.62 R$207

3.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.84 $21.84

$49.94 R$249

-56.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.7 $76.7

$75.0 R$373

2.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.8 $88.8

$68.3 R$340

29.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 $947

$905 R$4,506

4.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$945 $945

$527 R$2,625

79.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 $1,480

$1,346 R$6,700

9.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,690 $1,690

$774 R$3,854

118.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,540 $1,540

$3,981 R$19.8K

-61.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,535 $1,535

$1,562 R$7,775

-1.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,593 $3,593

$643 R$3,200

458.75%

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 Sioux City, IA: October 6, 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

Sioux City, IA

$945 43.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 44.2% $417

Groceries & Markets

Sioux City, IA

$344 15.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 37.7% $130

Eating Out

Sioux City, IA

$318 14.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 48.5% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sioux City, IA

$286 13.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 41.2% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Sioux City, IA

$129 5.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 62.8% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Sioux City, IA

$104 4.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 1.9% $2

Getting Around

Sioux City, IA

$63 2.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 4.4% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $947 in Sioux City, IA and $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sioux City, IA pays 459% 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: $54.0 in Sioux City, IA vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sioux City, IA

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

02:55 2:55 AM

04:55 4:55 AM

2 h ahead of Sioux City, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,797

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

Sioux City, IA Rio de Janeiro 9,090 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Sioux City, IA
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

Sioux City, IA vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sioux City, IA and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 71% in total monthly costs ($2,192 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 459% higher in Sioux City, IA, 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: $947 in Sioux City, IA 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 $54.0 in Sioux City, IA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,192 per month in Sioux City, IA versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro – a 71% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,192 in Sioux City, IA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Sioux City, IA. 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 71% less than in Sioux City, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.