Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Teresopolis and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Teresopolis: $661 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Teresopolis
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Teresopolis Living Index
62

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

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Teresopolis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$661

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $661 in Teresopolis versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Teresopolis $661
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,120 in Teresopolis versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Teresopolis $1,120
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,580 in Teresopolis versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Teresopolis $1,580
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Teresopolis costs roughly 48% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Teresopolis 51% lower, Rio de Janeiro 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.55 R$17.99

$9.38 R$47.54

-62.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.21 R$143

$40.00 R$203

-29.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.95 R$35.23

$8.34 R$42.28

-16.67%

Cappuccino

$1.76 R$8.95

$2.29 R$11.62

-23.14%

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

$1.41 R$7.14

$1.59 R$8.05

-11.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 R$3.13

$1.01 R$5.10

-38.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.14 R$10.85

-42.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 R$25.45

$3.66 R$18.55

37.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 R$5.04

$1.13 R$5.72

-12.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 R$7.64

$2.09 R$10.60

-27.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.93

$1.25 R$6.36

9.60%

Eggs

$2.01 R$10.19

$2.25 R$11.39

-10.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.11 R$46.19

$10.92 R$55.3

-16.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 R$17.49

$4.36 R$22.10

-20.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.16 R$41.36

$9.60 R$48.66

-15.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R$9.47

$2.85 R$14.46

-34.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.09

$1.81 R$9.16

-33.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 R$4.90

$1.58 R$8.02

-38.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.38

$1.83 R$9.28

-31.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 R$3.55

$1.20 R$6.10

-41.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 R$4.14

$1.06 R$5.35

-22.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 R$2.85

$0.75 R$3.81

-25.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 R$4.06

$0.68 R$3.45

17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.60 R$8.12

$2.94 R$14.90

-45.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 R$30.55

$7.98 R$40.43

-24.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 R$7.10

$1.18 R$5.98

18.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 R$7.21

$2.42 R$12.26

-41.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 R$4.65

$0.94 R$4.78

-2.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.82 R$182

$50.3 R$255

-28.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 R$5.23

$1.20 R$6.10

-14.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 R$5.27

$0.83 R$4.20

25.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 R$12.30

$8.97 R$45.48

-72.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.29 R$6.53

-0.78%

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

$20.9K R$105.9K

$22.8K R$115.5K

-8.30%

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

$30.9K R$156.5K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-9.09%

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

$29.33 R$149

$134 R$681

-78.16%

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

$23.98 R$122

$10.73 R$54.4

123.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.63 R$94.5

$22.84 R$116

-18.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.64 R$150

$30.16 R$153

-1.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.16 R$102

$31.49 R$160

-35.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 R$34.26

$7.73 R$39.17

-12.55%

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

$145 R$737

$584 R$2,960

-75.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,629 R$13.3K

$12.8K R$64.9K

-79.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.55 R$130

$41.12 R$208

-37.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.07 R$137

$49.26 R$250

-45.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.4 R$342

$73.7 R$373

-8.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.75 R$242

$65.9 R$334

-27.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 R$1,824

$900 R$4,561

-60.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 R$800

$527 R$2,673

-70.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$533 R$2,701

$1,332 R$6,754

-60.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R$2,017

$748 R$3,790

-46.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,181 R$5,988

$3,990 R$20.2K

-70.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$489 R$2,478

$640 R$3,246

-23.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

11.93

-10.56%

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

Last update for Teresopolis: 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.

Groceries & Markets

Teresopolis

$172 26%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 24.4% $42

Accommodation & Living

Teresopolis

$158 23.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 234% $369

Eating Out

Teresopolis

$95 14.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 64.7% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Teresopolis

$76 11.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 37% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Teresopolis

$72 10.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 133% $96

Getting Around

Teresopolis

$46 6.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 30% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Teresopolis

$43 6.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 5.7% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $360 in Teresopolis and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 31% 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: $28.00 in Teresopolis vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $172 vs $214 per month, with Teresopolis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Teresopolis

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

07:50 7:50 AM

Same time as Teresopolis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,123

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Teresopolis vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Teresopolis and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 93% in total monthly costs ($661 vs $1,273 including rent). Teresopolis is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Rio de Janeiro. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $360 in Teresopolis versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Teresopolis – a meal for two runs $28.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $661 per month in Teresopolis versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro – a 93% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $661 in Teresopolis versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Teresopolis but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Teresopolis 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 Teresopolis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.