Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sugar Land, TX and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,251 in Sugar Land, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Sugar Land, TX
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Sugar Land, TX Living Index
62

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

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Sugar Land, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,251

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,251 in Sugar Land, TX versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Sugar Land, TX $2,251
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,312 in Sugar Land, TX versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Sugar Land, TX $3,312
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,374 in Sugar Land, TX versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Sugar Land, TX $4,374
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Sugar Land, TX is roughly 77% 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: Sugar Land, TX is 66% above, Rio de Janeiro is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.35 $20.35

$9.38 R$47.54

116.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 $75.5

$40.00 R$203

88.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.89 $10.89

$8.34 R$42.28

30.58%

Cappuccino

$5.40 $5.40

$2.29 R$11.62

135.81%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$1.59 R$8.05

65.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.01 R$5.10

123.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.95 $5.95

$2.14 R$10.85

178.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.02 $8.02

$3.66 R$18.55

119.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.13 R$5.72

-2.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.28 $3.28

$2.09 R$10.60

56.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.36 $3.36

$1.25 R$6.36

168.80%

Eggs

$3.92 $3.92

$2.25 R$11.39

74.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.29 $11.29

$10.92 R$55.3

3.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.94 $12.94

$4.36 R$22.10

196.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.45 $16.45

$9.60 R$48.66

71.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.85 R$14.46

53.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.81 R$9.16

-19.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.58 R$8.02

87.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$1.83 R$9.28

103.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.20 R$6.10

84.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.06 R$5.35

117.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$0.75 R$3.81

140.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$0.68 R$3.45

225.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.87 $9.87

$2.94 R$14.90

235.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$7.98 R$40.43

85.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.18 R$5.98

108.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.42 R$12.26

24.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.20 R$6.10

132.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$0.83 R$4.20

78.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.16 $24.16

$8.97 R$45.48

169.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.29 R$6.53

-26.36%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$22.8K R$115.5K

50.89%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-21.41%

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

$199 $199

$134 R$681

48.03%

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

$58.2 $58.2

$10.73 R$54.4

442.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.5 $69.5

$22.84 R$116

204.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.17 $40.17

$30.16 R$153

33.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$13.94 $13.94

$7.73 R$39.17

80.34%

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

$1,523 $1,523

$584 R$2,960

160.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.0K $21.0K

$12.8K R$64.9K

64.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 $50.1

$41.12 R$208

21.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.64 $43.64

$49.26 R$250

-11.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.6 $85.6

$73.7 R$373

16.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.6 $94.6

$65.9 R$334

43.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,363 $1,363

$900 R$4,561

51.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,022 $1,022

$527 R$2,673

93.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,061 $2,061

$1,332 R$6,754

54.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,667 $1,667

$748 R$3,790

122.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,842 $1,842

$3,990 R$20.2K

-53.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,873 $1,873

$1,560 R$7,908

20.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,203 $7,203

$640 R$3,246

1024.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

11.93

-43.84%

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

Last update for Sugar Land, TX: October 17, 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

Sugar Land, TX

$1K 45.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 48.4% $495

Groceries & Markets

Sugar Land, TX

$375 16.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 43% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sugar Land, TX

$327 14.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 48.6% $159

Eating Out

Sugar Land, TX

$326 14.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 52.1% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Sugar Land, TX

$123 5.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 16% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Sugar Land, TX

$68 3%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 33% $22

Getting Around

Sugar Land, TX

$10 * 0.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 484% $49

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 $1,363 in Sugar Land, TX and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sugar Land, TX pays 1025% 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: $76.0 in Sugar Land, TX vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $375 vs $214 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sugar Land, TX

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

10:32 10:32 AM

12:32 12:32 PM

2 h ahead of Sugar Land, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,943

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

Sugar Land, TX Rio de Janeiro 8,090 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sugar Land, TX
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

Sugar Land, TX vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sugar Land, TX and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 77% in total monthly costs ($2,251 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 1025% higher in Sugar Land, TX, 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: $1,363 in Sugar Land, TX versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,523 in Sugar Land, TX 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 $76.0 in Sugar Land, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,251 in Sugar Land, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Sugar Land, TX. 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 77% less than in Sugar Land, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.