Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Trancoso and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Trancoso: $767 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Trancoso
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Trancoso Living Index
57

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

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Trancoso

🇧🇷 Brazil

$767

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $767 in Trancoso versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro.

Trancoso $767
Rio de Janeiro $1,182

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,226 in Trancoso versus $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro.

Trancoso $1,226
Rio de Janeiro $1,750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,685 in Trancoso versus $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro.

Trancoso $1,685
Rio de Janeiro $2,318

Living in Trancoso costs roughly 35% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Trancoso 44% lower, Rio de Janeiro 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.24 R$28.04

$9.08 R$48.58

-42.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.08 R$150

$37.25 R$199

-24.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.38 R$34.16

$8.02 R$42.91

-20.45%

Cappuccino

$1.82 R$9.72

$2.19 R$11.72

-16.89%

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

$1.13 R$6.02

$1.46 R$7.83

-22.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 R$3.49

$0.99 R$5.28

-34.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 R$9.40

$2.03 R$10.85

-13.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 R$14.21

$3.45 R$18.45

-23.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 R$5.31

$1.06 R$5.67

-6.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 R$7.92

$1.98 R$10.62

-25.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 R$6.07

$1.17 R$6.28

-3.42%

Eggs

$1.94 R$10.39

$2.21 R$11.81

-12.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.09 R$43.28

$10.11 R$54.1

-19.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.51 R$18.76

$4.12 R$22.02

-14.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.45 R$39.87

$9.17 R$49.08

-18.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 R$11.17

$2.72 R$14.55

-23.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.71

$1.71 R$9.15

-26.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 R$6.14

$1.53 R$8.19

-24.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 R$7.76

$1.66 R$8.89

-12.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 R$6.14

$1.14 R$6.09

0.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 R$5.62

$0.99 R$5.32

6.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 R$3.85

$0.65 R$3.46

10.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 R$3.32

$0.60 R$3.20

3.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.09 R$11.17

$2.79 R$14.96

-25.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.60 R$40.69

$7.48 R$40.03

1.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.63

$1.09 R$5.84

13.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 R$11.26

$2.33 R$12.49

-9.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 R$4.89

$0.90 R$4.79

1.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.05 R$209

$53.0 R$284

-26.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 R$5.95

$1.17 R$6.24

-5.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R$4.09

$0.78 R$4.18

-2.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.22 R$33.27

$8.37 R$44.79

-25.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 R$5.79

$1.21 R$6.49

-10.74%

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

$20.6K R$110.2K

$21.5K R$114.9K

-4.07%

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

$27.1K R$145.3K

$31.1K R$166.6K

-12.81%

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

$59.6 R$319

$124 R$666

-52.13%

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

$13.62 R$72.9

$10.03 R$53.7

35.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.45 R$98.7

$20.88 R$112

-11.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.22 R$119

$28.35 R$152

-21.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.94 R$117

$29.33 R$157

-25.20%

Cinema Ticket

$6.32 R$33.82

$7.62 R$40.75

-17.06%

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

$281 R$1,502

$563 R$3,012

-50.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,503 R$34.8K

$12.0K R$64.5K

-46.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.47 R$254

$39.25 R$210

20.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.45 R$227

$46.36 R$248

-8.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.1 R$402

$68.4 R$366

9.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.8 R$341

$63.4 R$339

0.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$317 R$1,694

$776 R$4,153

-59.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$214 R$1,143

$473 R$2,532

-54.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$584 R$3,128

$1,391 R$7,443

-57.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$421 R$2,254

$739 R$3,954

-42.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,451 R$7,765

$3,393 R$18.2K

-57.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,027 R$5,495

$1,570 R$8,403

-34.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,194

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.92

11.93

-8.47%

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

Last update for Trancoso: October 27, 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

Trancoso

$214 27.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40% 122% $260

Groceries & Markets

Trancoso

$172 22.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17% 16.5% $28

Eating Out

Trancoso

$104 13.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7% 43.9% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Trancoso

$103 13.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3% 5% $5.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Trancoso

$92 12%

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1% 69.5% $64

Getting Around

Trancoso

$48 6.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2% 29.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Trancoso

$35 4.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7% 25% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $317 in Trancoso and $776 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $28 in Trancoso vs $37 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $172 vs $201 per month, with Trancoso cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Trancoso

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

Same time as Trancoso

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,618

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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Trancoso Rio de Janeiro 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Trancoso
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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

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

Trancoso and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 54% in total monthly costs ($767 vs $1,182 including rent). Trancoso is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,151 in Trancoso and $1,774 in Rio de Janeiro to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $317 in Trancoso versus $776 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Trancoso – a meal for two runs $28 versus $37 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $767 per month in Trancoso versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro – a 54% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $767 in Trancoso versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Trancoso but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Trancoso 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 Trancoso gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.