Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tupelo, MS and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $1,849 in Tupelo, MS, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Tupelo, MS
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Tupelo, MS Living Index
63

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

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Tupelo, MS

🇺🇸 United States

$1,849

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,849 in Tupelo, MS versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro.

Tupelo, MS $1,849
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,683 in Tupelo, MS versus $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro.

Tupelo, MS $2,683
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,516 in Tupelo, MS versus $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro.

Tupelo, MS $3,516
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Living in Tupelo, MS is roughly 44% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tupelo, MS is 38% above, Rio de Janeiro is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.18 $17.18

$9.98 R$49.69

72.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.5 $72.5

$40.34 R$201

79.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 $11.13

$8.48 R$42.23

31.25%

Cappuccino

$4.86 $4.86

$2.36 R$11.77

105.93%

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

$2.38 $2.38

$1.63 R$8.11

46.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.01 R$5.05

84.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 $6.17

$2.44 R$12.15

152.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.34 $7.34

$3.69 R$18.38

98.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.15 R$5.70

-28.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.07 R$10.31

44.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.29 R$6.40

16.28%

Eggs

$4.38 $4.38

$2.27 R$11.29

92.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.40 $9.40

$11.00 R$54.7

-14.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.44 $7.44

$4.31 R$21.44

72.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 $14.25

$9.74 R$48.49

46.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.83 R$14.07

3.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.84 R$9.14

-41.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$1.60 R$7.94

107.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.80 R$8.97

20.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.26 R$6.26

107.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.07 R$5.32

105.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.91 $1.91

$0.75 R$3.74

154.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$0.66 R$3.28

175.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.87 $7.87

$3.05 R$15.16

158.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.18 $14.18

$8.18 R$40.72

73.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.19 R$5.90

38.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.39 R$11.88

36.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.01 R$5.04

92.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.27 R$6.31

244.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 $1.92

$0.90 R$4.50

113.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.52 $32.52

$9.44 R$46.99

244.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 $0.69

$1.33 R$6.63

-48.12%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$23.4K R$116.6K

46.91%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$33.6K R$167.1K

-24.20%

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

$167 $167

$134 R$664

25.36%

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

$65.8 $65.8

$12.23 R$60.9

437.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.4 $71.4

$22.65 R$113

215.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.58 $40.58

$31.56 R$157

28.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$12.18 $12.18

$8.23 R$40.95

48.00%

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

$1,558 $1,558

$603 R$3,002

158.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,513 $8,513

$13.2K R$65.9K

-35.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.3 $73.3

$41.62 R$207

76.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.9 $52.9

$49.94 R$249

6.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 $86.4

$75.0 R$373

15.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 $151

$68.3 R$340

120.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$684 $684

$905 R$4,506

-24.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$704 $704

$527 R$2,625

33.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 $1,410

$1,346 R$6,700

4.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 $1,005

$774 R$3,854

29.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,457 $1,457

$3,981 R$19.8K

-63.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,502 $1,502

$1,562 R$7,775

-3.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,621 $2,621

$643 R$3,200

307.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

11.93

-44.26%

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

Last update for Tupelo, MS: October 4, 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

Tupelo, MS

$704 38%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 25.1% $176

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tupelo, MS

$305 16.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 44.7% $136

Groceries & Markets

Tupelo, MS

$300 16.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 28.5% $85

Eating Out

Tupelo, MS

$292 15.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 43.8% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Tupelo, MS

$163 8.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 35.3% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Tupelo, MS

$65 3.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 26.1% $17

Getting Around

Tupelo, MS

$22 * 1.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 176% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $684 in Tupelo, MS and $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tupelo, MS pays 308% 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 Tupelo, MS vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $300 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Tupelo, MS

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

08:47 8:47 AM

10:47 10:47 AM

2 h ahead of Tupelo, MS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,114

6,211,223

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 BRL = 0.201 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 4.98 BRL (1 BRL = 0.201 USD). 1 EUR = 5.58 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tupelo, MS Rio de Janeiro 7,970 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Tupelo, MS
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

Tupelo, MS vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tupelo, MS and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($1,849 vs $1,285 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 308% higher in Tupelo, MS, 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: $684 in Tupelo, MS versus $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,558 in Tupelo, MS versus $603 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $73.0 in Tupelo, MS. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,849 in Tupelo, MS, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Tupelo, MS. 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 44% less than in Tupelo, MS. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.