Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Portland, ME and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $2,994 in South Portland, ME, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in South Portland, ME
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South Portland, ME Living Index
63

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

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South Portland, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,994

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,994 in South Portland, ME versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro.

South Portland, ME $2,994
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,563 in South Portland, ME versus $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro.

South Portland, ME $4,563
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,131 in South Portland, ME versus $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro.

South Portland, ME $6,131
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Living in South Portland, ME is roughly 133% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: South Portland, ME is 123% above, Rio de Janeiro is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.56 $24.56

$9.98 R$49.69

146.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$40.34 R$201

197.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.81 $14.81

$8.48 R$42.23

74.65%

Cappuccino

$5.13 $5.13

$2.36 R$11.77

117.37%

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

$3.03 $3.03

$1.63 R$8.11

85.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.01 R$5.05

134.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.84 $7.84

$2.44 R$12.15

221.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.69 R$18.38

118.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.15 R$5.70

-10.43%

White Bread (500g)

$4.56 $4.56

$2.07 R$10.31

120.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.23 $7.23

$1.29 R$6.40

460.47%

Eggs

$3.93 $3.93

$2.27 R$11.29

73.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.46 $15.46

$11.00 R$54.7

40.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.02 $10.02

$4.31 R$21.44

132.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.91 $15.91

$9.74 R$48.49

63.35%

Apples (1kg)

$5.06 $5.06

$2.83 R$14.07

78.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.84 R$9.14

-7.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$1.60 R$7.94

240.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.38 $7.38

$1.80 R$8.97

310.00%

Potato (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$1.26 R$6.26

253.97%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.07 R$5.32

250.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.02 $3.02

$0.75 R$3.74

302.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$0.66 R$3.28

281.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.11 $11.11

$3.05 R$15.16

264.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.80 $14.80

$8.18 R$40.72

80.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.19 R$5.90

56.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 $2.59

$2.39 R$11.88

8.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.01 R$5.04

104.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.27 R$6.31

61.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.90 R$4.50

75.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.11 $11.11

$9.44 R$46.99

17.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.33 R$6.63

-18.05%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$23.4K R$116.6K

53.91%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$33.6K R$167.1K

-25.21%

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

$239 $239

$134 R$664

78.72%

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

$69.9 $69.9

$12.23 R$60.9

471.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.1 $78.1

$22.65 R$113

244.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.0 $61.0

$31.56 R$157

93.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.63 $29.63

$30.87 R$154

-4.02%

Cinema Ticket

$15.21 $15.21

$8.23 R$40.95

84.81%

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

$402 $402

$603 R$3,002

-33.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K $15.2K

$13.2K R$65.9K

15.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 $52.3

$41.62 R$207

25.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.3 $52.3

$49.94 R$249

4.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$75.0 R$373

37.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$68.3 R$340

96.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,933 $1,933

$905 R$4,506

113.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 $1,521

$527 R$2,625

188.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,149 $3,149

$1,346 R$6,700

133.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,643 $2,643

$774 R$3,854

241.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,801 $2,801

$3,981 R$19.8K

-29.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,405 $2,405

$1,562 R$7,775

53.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,254 $4,254

$643 R$3,200

561.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

11.93

-44.26%

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

Last update for South Portland, ME: October 3, 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

South Portland, ME

$1.5K 50.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 65.3% $993

Groceries & Markets

South Portland, ME

$446 14.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 51.9% $232

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Portland, ME

$387 12.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 56.4% $218

Eating Out

South Portland, ME

$379 12.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 56.8% $216

Clothing & Footwear

South Portland, ME

$154 5.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 31.4% $48

Sport & Entertainment

South Portland, ME

$91 3.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 47.5% $43

Getting Around

South Portland, ME

$18 * 0.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 229% $42

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 $1,933 in South Portland, ME and $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

South Portland, ME pays 562% 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: $120 in South Portland, ME vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $446 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 South Portland, ME

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

05:03 5:03 AM

06:03 6:03 AM

1 h ahead of South Portland, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,498

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 →

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Between locations

South Portland, ME Rio de Janeiro 7,900 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

South Portland, ME
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

South Portland, ME vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

South Portland, ME and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 133% in total monthly costs ($2,994 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 562% higher in South Portland, ME, 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: $1,933 in South Portland, ME versus $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $402 in South Portland, ME 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 $120 in South Portland, ME. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,994 in South Portland, ME, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in South Portland, ME. 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, South Portland, ME 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 133% less than in South Portland, ME. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.