Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Timbo and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Timbo: $713 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Timbo
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Timbo Living Index
57

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

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Timbo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$713

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $713 in Timbo versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro.

Timbo $713
Rio de Janeiro $1,182

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,166 in Timbo versus $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro.

Timbo $1,166
Rio de Janeiro $1,750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,618 in Timbo versus $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro.

Timbo $1,618
Rio de Janeiro $2,318

Living in Timbo costs roughly 40% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Timbo 48% lower, Rio de Janeiro 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 R$24.77

$9.08 R$48.58

-49.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.18 R$199

$37.25 R$199

-0.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.69 R$19.73

$8.02 R$42.91

-53.99%

Cappuccino

$1.83 R$9.80

$2.19 R$11.72

-16.44%

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

$1.04 R$5.59

$1.46 R$7.83

-28.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.57

$0.99 R$5.28

-32.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.80 R$9.62

$2.03 R$10.85

-11.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 R$12.15

$3.45 R$18.45

-34.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 R$4.28

$1.06 R$5.67

-24.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 R$7.58

$1.98 R$10.62

-28.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 R$4.35

$1.17 R$6.28

-30.77%

Eggs

$1.75 R$9.37

$2.21 R$11.81

-20.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.48 R$40.03

$10.11 R$54.1

-26.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 R$17.93

$4.12 R$22.02

-18.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.85 R$36.65

$9.17 R$49.08

-25.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.71

$2.72 R$14.55

-40.07%

Banana (1kg)

$0.66 R$3.56

$1.71 R$9.15

-61.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.71 R$3.81

$1.53 R$8.19

-53.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.64

$1.66 R$8.89

-25.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 R$4.35

$1.14 R$6.09

-28.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 R$3.67

$0.99 R$5.32

-30.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 R$3.27

$0.65 R$3.46

-6.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.36

$0.60 R$3.20

36.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.47 R$7.87

$2.79 R$14.96

-47.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.52 R$24.19

$7.48 R$40.03

-39.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 R$5.57

$1.09 R$5.84

-4.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 R$10.22

$2.33 R$12.49

-18.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 R$5.21

$0.90 R$4.79

7.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.37 R$227

$53.0 R$284

-20.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 R$6.64

$1.17 R$6.24

5.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 R$4.14

$0.78 R$4.18

-1.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.66 R$30.28

$8.37 R$44.79

-32.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 R$4.76

$1.21 R$6.49

-26.45%

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

$21.6K R$115.4K

$21.5K R$114.9K

0.48%

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

$25.3K R$135.5K

$31.1K R$166.6K

-18.64%

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

$53.2 R$285

$124 R$666

-57.25%

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

$11.90 R$63.7

$10.03 R$53.7

18.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.65 R$116

$20.88 R$112

3.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.66 R$132

$28.35 R$152

-13.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.10 R$145

$29.33 R$157

-7.60%

Cinema Ticket

$5.55 R$29.70

$7.62 R$40.75

-27.17%

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

$226 R$1,208

$563 R$3,012

-59.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,639 R$14.1K

$12.0K R$64.5K

-78.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.86 R$160

$39.25 R$210

-23.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.53 R$201

$46.36 R$248

-19.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.2 R$301

$68.4 R$366

-17.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$45.69 R$245

$63.4 R$339

-27.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$330 R$1,764

$776 R$4,153

-57.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$225 R$1,207

$473 R$2,532

-52.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$639 R$3,419

$1,391 R$7,443

-54.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$443 R$2,368

$739 R$3,954

-40.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,604 R$8,583

$3,393 R$18.2K

-52.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,156 R$6,187

$1,570 R$8,403

-26.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$645 R$3,452

$597 R$3,194

8.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

-7.80%

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

Last update for Timbo: October 26, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Timbo

$225 31.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40% 110% $248

Groceries & Markets

Timbo

$147 20.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17% 36.3% $53

Eating Out

Timbo

$90 12.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7% 65.6% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Timbo

$87 12.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1% 79.1% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Timbo

$76 10.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3% 28.4% $22

Getting Around

Timbo

$51 7.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2% 20% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Timbo

$36 5%

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7% 21.9% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $330 in Timbo and $776 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Timbo pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37 in Timbo vs $37 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $147 vs $201 per month, with Timbo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Timbo

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

06:13 6:13 AM

Same time as Timbo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,099

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Timbo Rio de Janeiro 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Timbo
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

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

Timbo and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($713 vs $1,182 including rent). Timbo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 8% higher in Timbo, 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: $330 in Timbo versus $776 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $226 in Timbo versus $563 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Timbo runs roughly 20% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your 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.