Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Staten Island, NY and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,998 in Staten Island, NY, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Staten Island, NY
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Staten Island, NY Living Index
62

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

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Staten Island, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,998

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,998 in Staten Island, NY versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Staten Island, NY $2,998
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,498 in Staten Island, NY versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Staten Island, NY $4,498
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,998 in Staten Island, NY versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Staten Island, NY $5,998
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Staten Island, NY is roughly 135% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Staten Island, NY is 121% above, Rio de Janeiro is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.72 $23.72

$9.38 R$47.54

152.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.8 $88.8

$40.00 R$203

122.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 $13.47

$8.34 R$42.28

61.51%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$2.29 R$11.62

185.59%

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

$2.67 $2.67

$1.59 R$8.05

67.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.01 R$5.10

62.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.83 $7.83

$2.14 R$10.85

265.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.17 $8.17

$3.66 R$18.55

123.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.13 R$5.72

9.73%

White Bread (500g)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.09 R$10.60

135.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.76 $6.76

$1.25 R$6.36

440.80%

Eggs

$5.84 $5.84

$2.25 R$11.39

159.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 $17.44

$10.92 R$55.3

59.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.00 $14.00

$4.36 R$22.10

221.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.21 $19.21

$9.60 R$48.66

100.10%

Apples (1kg)

$6.79 $6.79

$2.85 R$14.46

138.25%

Banana (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.81 R$9.16

92.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.09 $6.09

$1.58 R$8.02

285.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.81 $6.81

$1.83 R$9.28

272.13%

Potato (1kg)

$4.09 $4.09

$1.20 R$6.10

240.83%

Onion (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$1.06 R$5.35

305.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$0.75 R$3.81

270.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 $2.85

$0.68 R$3.45

319.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.80 $17.80

$2.94 R$14.90

505.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.73 $14.73

$7.98 R$40.43

84.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.18 R$5.98

49.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.42 R$12.26

51.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 $2.98

$0.94 R$4.78

217.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.20 R$6.10

151.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.83 R$4.20

166.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.69 $42.69

$8.97 R$45.48

375.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.29 R$6.53

-10.85%

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

$32.6K $32.6K

$22.8K R$115.5K

42.97%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-22.61%

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

$213 $213

$134 R$681

58.80%

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

$75.0 $75.0

$10.73 R$54.4

598.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.2 $64.2

$22.84 R$116

180.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$115 $115

$30.16 R$153

280.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$20.36 $20.36

$7.73 R$39.17

163.39%

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

$2,001 $2,001

$584 R$2,960

242.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K $16.3K

$12.8K R$64.9K

27.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 $71.9

$41.12 R$208

74.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.12 $37.12

$49.26 R$250

-24.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$73.7 R$373

38.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$65.9 R$334

60.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,851 $1,851

$900 R$4,561

105.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,423 $1,423

$527 R$2,673

169.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,379 $3,379

$1,332 R$6,754

153.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,470 $2,470

$748 R$3,790

230.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,817 $6,817

$640 R$3,246

964.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

11.93

-43.00%

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

Last update for Staten Island, NY: October 19, 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

Staten Island, NY

$1.4K 47.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 62.9% $896

Groceries & Markets

Staten Island, NY

$517 17.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 58.7% $303

Eating Out

Staten Island, NY

$381 12.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 59.1% $225

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Staten Island, NY

$352 11.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 52.4% $185

Sport & Entertainment

Staten Island, NY

$156 5.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 70.7% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Staten Island, NY

$143 4.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 27.5% $39

Getting Around

Staten Island, NY

$26 * 0.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 129% $33

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 $1,851 in Staten Island, NY and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Staten Island, NY pays 965% 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: $89.0 in Staten Island, NY vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $517 vs $214 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Staten Island, NY

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

10:49 10:49 AM

11:49 11:49 AM

1 h ahead of Staten Island, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

495,747

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 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

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Between locations

Staten Island, NY Rio de Janeiro 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Staten Island, NY
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

Staten Island, NY vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Staten Island, NY and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 135% in total monthly costs ($2,998 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 965% higher in Staten Island, NY, 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: $1,851 in Staten Island, NY versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,001 in Staten Island, NY 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 $89.0 in Staten Island, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,998 in Staten Island, NY, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Staten Island, NY. 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, Staten Island, NY 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 135% less than in Staten Island, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.