Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Texas City, TX and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $1,965 in Texas City, TX, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Texas City, TX
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Texas City, 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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Texas City, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$1,965

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,965 in Texas City, TX versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Texas City, TX $1,965
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,877 in Texas City, TX versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Texas City, TX $2,877
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,788 in Texas City, TX versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Texas City, TX $3,788
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Texas City, TX is roughly 54% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Texas City, TX is 45% above, Rio de Janeiro is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.03 $18.03

$9.38 R$47.54

92.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.8 $74.8

$40.00 R$203

86.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.94 $9.94

$8.34 R$42.28

19.18%

Cappuccino

$4.15 $4.15

$2.29 R$11.62

81.22%

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

$1.33 $1.33

$1.59 R$8.05

-16.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.01 R$5.10

95.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.97 $5.97

$2.14 R$10.85

178.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.14 $7.14

$3.66 R$18.55

95.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.72 $0.72

$1.13 R$5.72

-36.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.09 R$10.60

27.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$1.25 R$6.36

156.80%

Eggs

$3.91 $3.91

$2.25 R$11.39

73.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.68 $6.68

$10.92 R$55.3

-38.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.22 $14.22

$4.36 R$22.10

226.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.63 $10.63

$9.60 R$48.66

10.73%

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)

$4.36 $4.36

$1.58 R$8.02

175.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$1.83 R$9.28

138.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.20 R$6.10

113.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.06 R$5.35

116.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.75 R$3.81

136.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$0.68 R$3.45

222.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.17 $8.17

$2.94 R$14.90

177.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.84 $9.84

$7.98 R$40.43

23.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.18 R$5.98

148.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 $3.30

$2.42 R$12.26

36.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.94 R$4.78

4.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.06 $40.06

$50.3 R$255

-20.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.20 R$6.10

134.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.83 R$4.20

92.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 $19.83

$8.97 R$45.48

121.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.29 R$6.53

-36.43%

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

$34.2K $34.2K

$22.8K R$115.5K

50.02%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-22.51%

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

$223 $223

$134 R$681

65.66%

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

$25.31 $25.31

$10.73 R$54.4

135.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.3 $69.3

$22.84 R$116

203.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.86 $14.86

$30.16 R$153

-50.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

Cinema Ticket

$14.16 $14.16

$7.73 R$39.17

83.18%

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

$1,224 $1,224

$584 R$2,960

109.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.0K $21.0K

$12.8K R$64.9K

64.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 $53.1

$41.12 R$208

29.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.70 $42.70

$49.26 R$250

-13.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.8 $63.8

$73.7 R$373

-13.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$65.9 R$334

55.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,072 $1,072

$900 R$4,561

19.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$809 $809

$527 R$2,673

53.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 $1,671

$1,332 R$6,754

25.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 $1,263

$748 R$3,790

68.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,114 $9,114

$3,990 R$20.2K

128.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,687 $7,687

$1,560 R$7,908

392.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,708 $4,708

$640 R$3,246

635.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

11.93

-45.26%

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

Last update for Texas City, TX: 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

Texas City, TX

$809 41.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 34.8% $282

Groceries & Markets

Texas City, TX

$342 17.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 37.5% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Texas City, TX

$317 16.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 47.1% $149

Eating Out

Texas City, TX

$281 14.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 44.5% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Texas City, TX

$118 6%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 12.2% $14

Getting Around

Texas City, TX

$55 2.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 8.5% $4.6

Sport & Entertainment

Texas City, TX

$43 2.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 5.7% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,072 in Texas City, TX and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Texas City, TX pays 635% 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: $75.0 in Texas City, TX vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $342 vs $214 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Texas City, TX

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

12:47 12:47 PM

14:47 2:47 PM

2 h ahead of Texas City, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,099

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

Texas City, TX Rio de Janeiro 8,020 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Texas City, 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

Texas City, TX vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Texas City, TX and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 54% in total monthly costs ($1,965 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 635% higher in Texas City, 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: $1,072 in Texas City, TX 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 Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $75.0 in Texas City, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,965 per month in Texas City, TX versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro – a 54% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,965 in Texas City, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Texas City, 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 54% less than in Texas City, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.