Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Starkville, MS and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $1,796 in Starkville, MS, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Starkville, MS
Learn more

Starkville, MS Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

Jump to prices

Starkville, MS

🇺🇸 United States

$1,796

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,796 in Starkville, MS versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Starkville, MS $1,796
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,733 in Starkville, MS versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Starkville, MS $2,733
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,669 in Starkville, MS versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Starkville, MS $3,669
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Starkville, MS is roughly 41% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Starkville, MS is 33% above, Rio de Janeiro is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.85 $14.85

$9.38 R$47.54

58.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.8 $59.8

$40.00 R$203

49.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 $8.46

$8.34 R$42.28

1.44%

Cappuccino

$4.27 $4.27

$2.29 R$11.62

86.46%

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

$2.38 $2.38

$1.59 R$8.05

49.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.01 R$5.10

83.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.14 R$10.85

85.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 $6.94

$3.66 R$18.55

89.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.13 R$5.72

-22.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 $3.19

$2.09 R$10.60

52.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.25 R$6.36

114.40%

Eggs

$4.21 $4.21

$2.25 R$11.39

87.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.34 $9.34

$10.92 R$55.3

-14.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 $11.36

$4.36 R$22.10

160.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.05 $15.05

$9.60 R$48.66

56.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$2.85 R$14.46

33.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.81 R$9.16

-23.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.45 $3.45

$1.58 R$8.02

118.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.83 R$9.28

61.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.20 R$6.10

81.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.06 R$5.35

106.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.75 R$3.81

185.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$0.68 R$3.45

182.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.41 $8.41

$2.94 R$14.90

186.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.11 $10.11

$7.98 R$40.43

26.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.18 R$5.98

38.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 $3.30

$2.42 R$12.26

36.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.41 $4.41

$1.20 R$6.10

267.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 $1.87

$0.83 R$4.20

125.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.98 $32.98

$8.97 R$45.48

267.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.29 R$6.53

-32.56%

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

$30.4K $30.4K

$22.8K R$115.5K

33.36%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-24.29%

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

$169 $169

$134 R$681

26.02%

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

$30.57 $30.57

$10.73 R$54.4

184.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 $52.3

$22.84 R$116

129.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.28 $17.28

$30.16 R$153

-42.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$8.19 $8.19

$7.73 R$39.17

5.95%

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

$1,534 $1,534

$584 R$2,960

162.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,370 $8,370

$12.8K R$64.9K

-34.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 $72.7

$41.12 R$208

76.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.2 $52.2

$49.26 R$250

5.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.9 $86.9

$73.7 R$373

18.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$168 $168

$65.9 R$334

155.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$942 $942

$900 R$4,561

4.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 $748

$527 R$2,673

41.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 $1,584

$1,332 R$6,754

18.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 $1,349

$748 R$3,790

80.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,125 $2,125

$3,990 R$20.2K

-46.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,183 $2,183

$1,560 R$7,908

39.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,273 $4,273

$640 R$3,246

567.22%

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 Starkville, MS: October 18, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Starkville, MS

$748 41.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 29.5% $221

Groceries & Markets

Starkville, MS

$332 18.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 35.5% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Starkville, MS

$252 14%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 33.4% $84

Eating Out

Starkville, MS

$246 13.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 36.6% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Starkville, MS

$171 9.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 39.5% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Starkville, MS

$34 1.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 35.5% $12

Getting Around

Starkville, MS

$14 * 0.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 332% $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 $942 in Starkville, MS and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Starkville, MS pays 567% 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: $60.0 in Starkville, MS vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $214 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Starkville, MS

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

13:05 1:05 PM

15:05 3:05 PM

2 h ahead of Starkville, MS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,638

6,211,223

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Starkville, MS Rio de Janeiro 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Starkville, MS
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

Starkville, MS vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Starkville, MS and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($1,796 vs $1,273 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 567% higher in Starkville, MS, 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: $942 in Starkville, MS versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,534 in Starkville, MS versus $584 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 $60.0 in Starkville, MS. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,796 in Starkville, MS, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Starkville, MS. 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 41% less than in Starkville, MS. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.