Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tulsa, OK and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $2,298 in Tulsa, OK, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Tulsa, OK
🇺🇸 United States
$2,298
/mo nomad
Rio de Janeiro
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,285
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,298 in Tulsa, OK versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro.

  • Tulsa, OK $2,298
  • Rio de Janeiro $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,423 in Tulsa, OK versus $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro.

  • Tulsa, OK $3,423
  • Rio de Janeiro $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,548 in Tulsa, OK versus $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro.

  • Tulsa, OK $4,548
  • Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Living in Tulsa, OK is roughly 79% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tulsa, OK is 71% above, Rio de Janeiro is 4% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tulsa, OK
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.26 $16.26
$9.98 R$49.83
62.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.5 $73.5
$40.34 R$201
82.08%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.87 $9.87
$8.48 R$42.35
16.39%
Cappuccino
$5.14 $5.14
$2.36 R$11.80
117.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 $2.29
$1.63 R$8.13
40.49%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 $1.72
$1.01 R$5.06
70.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.89 $4.89
$2.44 R$12.19
100.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.82 $6.82
$3.69 R$18.43
84.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tulsa, OK
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.10 $1.10
$1.15 R$5.72
-4.35%
White Bread (500g)
$3.44 $3.44
$2.07 R$10.34
66.18%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.74 $5.74
$1.29 R$6.42
344.96%
Eggs
$4.10 $4.10
$2.27 R$11.32
80.62%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.99 $14.99
$11.00 R$54.9
36.27%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.17 $12.17
$4.31 R$21.51
182.37%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.67 $15.67
$9.74 R$48.63
60.88%
Apples (1kg)
$4.40 $4.40
$2.83 R$14.12
55.48%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 $1.73
$1.84 R$9.17
-5.98%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.72 $3.72
$1.60 R$7.96
132.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.83 $3.83
$1.80 R$9.00
112.78%
Potato (1kg)
$2.68 $2.68
$1.26 R$6.28
112.70%
Onion (1kg)
$2.89 $2.89
$1.07 R$5.34
170.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.93 $1.93
$0.75 R$3.75
157.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.27 $2.27
$0.66 R$3.29
243.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.88 $9.88
$3.05 R$15.21
223.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.26 $13.26
$8.18 R$40.84
62.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.92 $1.92
$1.19 R$5.92
61.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.66 $4.66
$2.39 R$11.92
94.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Tulsa, OK
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.77 $1.77
$1.01 R$5.06
75.25%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.51 $44.51
$50.2 R$250
-11.25%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.99 $1.99
$1.27 R$6.33
56.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.21 $1.21
$0.90 R$4.51
34.44%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.71 $29.71
$9.44 R$47.13
214.72%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.93 $0.93
$1.33 R$6.65
-30.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.4K $35.4K
$23.4K R$117.0K
51.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.2K $25.2K
$33.6K R$167.6K
-25.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tulsa, OK
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$241 $241
$134 R$666
80.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$70.6 $70.6
$12.23 R$61.0
477.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$64.6 $64.6
$22.65 R$113
185.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tulsa, OK
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.08 $48.08
$31.56 R$158
52.34%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.81 $19.81
$30.87 R$154
-35.83%
Cinema Ticket
$14.71 $14.71
$8.23 R$41.07
78.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tulsa, OK
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,156 $1,156
$603 R$3,011
91.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.6K $25.6K
$13.2K R$66.1K
93.65%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tulsa, OK
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$74.5 $74.5
$41.62 R$208
79.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$62.6 $62.6
$49.94 R$249
25.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$122 $122
$75.0 R$375
62.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$149 $149
$68.3 R$341
118.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tulsa, OK
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,250 $1,250
$905 R$4,519
38.06%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$911 $911
$527 R$2,633
72.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,023 $2,023
$1,346 R$6,720
50.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,515 $1,515
$774 R$3,865
95.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,798 $1,798
$3,981 R$19.9K
-54.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,688 $1,688
$1,562 R$7,798
8.06%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tulsa, OK
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,507 $3,507
$643 R$3,210
445.34%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.59
11.93
-44.76%

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

Last update for Tulsa, OK: October 5, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tulsa, OK
$911
Rio de Janeiro
$527 42.1% $384
Groceries & Markets
Tulsa, OK
$398
Rio de Janeiro
$215 46.1% $184
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tulsa, OK
$377
Rio de Janeiro
$168 55.3% $208
Eating Out
Tulsa, OK
$276
Rio de Janeiro
$164 40.5% $112
Clothing & Footwear
Tulsa, OK
$184
Rio de Janeiro
$106 42.4% $78
Sport & Entertainment
Tulsa, OK
$77
Rio de Janeiro
$48 38% $29
Getting Around
Tulsa, OK
$60
Rio de Janeiro
$60 0.6% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,250 in Tulsa, OK and $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tulsa, OK pays 445% 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: $73.0 in Tulsa, OK vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $398 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Tulsa, OK
🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro
🕒 Local time
08:50 8:50 AM
10:50 10:50 AM
2 h ahead of Tulsa, OK
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
413,066
6,211,223
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tulsa, OK Rio de Janeiro 8,590 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tulsa, OK
  • 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
Tulsa, OK vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Tulsa, OK and in Rio de Janeiro?
Tulsa, OK and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 79% in total monthly costs ($2,298 vs $1,285 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Tulsa, OK or Rio de Janeiro?
Average pay runs 445% higher in Tulsa, OK, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Tulsa, OK and in Rio de Janeiro?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,250 in Tulsa, OK versus $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $73.0 in Tulsa, OK. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Tulsa, OK or Rio de Janeiro?
All in, you'll spend $2,298 per month in Tulsa, OK versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro – a 79% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,298 in Tulsa, OK, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Tulsa, OK. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Tulsa, OK and Rio de Janeiro?
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.
Where should expats move: Tulsa, OK or Rio de Janeiro?
Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Tulsa, OK. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Tulsa, OK vs other spots: cost of living compared

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