Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varginha and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Varginha: $692 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Varginha
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Varginha Living Index
57

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

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Varginha

🇧🇷 Brazil

$692

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $692 in Varginha versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro.

Varginha $692
Rio de Janeiro $1,182

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,096 in Varginha versus $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro.

Varginha $1,096
Rio de Janeiro $1,750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,501 in Varginha versus $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro.

Varginha $1,501
Rio de Janeiro $2,318

Living in Varginha costs roughly 41% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Varginha 49% lower, Rio de Janeiro 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.22 R$43.96

$9.08 R$48.54

-9.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.48 R$120

$37.25 R$199

-39.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.44 R$34.44

$8.02 R$42.87

-19.70%

Cappuccino

$0.97 R$5.19

$2.19 R$11.71

-55.71%

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

$0.82 R$4.38

$1.46 R$7.82

-43.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 R$2.90

$0.99 R$5.27

-45.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.32 R$7.03

$2.03 R$10.84

-34.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 R$17.76

$3.45 R$18.43

-3.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 R$4.67

$1.06 R$5.66

-17.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 R$8.20

$1.98 R$10.61

-22.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 R$5.14

$1.17 R$6.27

-17.95%

Eggs

$1.35 R$7.22

$2.21 R$11.80

-38.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 R$45.07

$10.11 R$54.1

-16.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 R$18.44

$4.12 R$22.00

-16.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.29 R$44.30

$9.17 R$49.04

-9.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.32 R$7.05

$2.72 R$14.54

-51.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 R$7.06

$1.71 R$9.15

-22.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.95 R$5.09

$1.53 R$8.18

-37.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.90 R$4.80

$1.66 R$8.89

-45.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 R$5.07

$1.14 R$6.09

-16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 R$4.81

$0.99 R$5.32

-9.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 R$2.45

$0.65 R$3.46

-29.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 R$3.38

$0.60 R$3.20

5.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.00 R$10.69

$2.79 R$14.94

-28.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.70 R$25.12

$7.48 R$39.99

-37.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.42

$1.09 R$5.83

-7.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 R$9.02

$2.33 R$12.48

-27.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 R$4.46

$0.90 R$4.79

-7.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.10 R$252

$53.0 R$283

-11.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 R$4.73

$1.17 R$6.24

-23.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 R$3.57

$0.78 R$4.17

-14.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.85 R$31.28

$8.37 R$44.75

-30.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 R$5.72

$1.21 R$6.48

-11.57%

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

$21.9K R$117.0K

$21.5K R$114.8K

1.95%

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

$27.0K R$144.6K

$31.1K R$166.5K

-13.15%

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

$95.0 R$508

$124 R$665

-23.69%

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

$4.60 R$24.62

$10.03 R$53.7

-54.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.26 R$97.7

$20.88 R$112

-12.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.85 R$128

$28.35 R$152

-15.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.19 R$140

$29.33 R$157

-10.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.42 R$39.66

$7.62 R$40.72

-2.62%

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

$201 R$1,075

$563 R$3,010

-64.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,073 R$21.8K

$12.0K R$64.4K

-66.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.83 R$176

$39.25 R$210

-16.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 R$295

$46.36 R$248

18.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.1 R$402

$68.4 R$366

9.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.9 R$293

$63.4 R$339

-13.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$137 R$734

$776 R$4,150

-82.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$112 R$598

$473 R$2,530

-76.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$254 R$1,359

$1,391 R$7,437

-81.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 R$1,267

$739 R$3,951

-67.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,568 R$8,383

$3,393 R$18.1K

-53.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,166 R$6,237

$1,570 R$8,396

-25.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$421 R$2,250

$597 R$3,192

-29.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

-16.18%

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

Last update for Varginha: October 25, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Varginha

$155 22.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17% 29.3% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varginha

$118 17%

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1% 31.8% $38

Eating Out

Varginha

$115 16.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7% 29.8% $34

Accommodation & Living

Varginha

$112 16.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40% 323% $361

Clothing & Footwear

Varginha

$98 14.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3% 0.2% $0.2

Getting Around

Varginha

$55 7.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2% 12.8% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Varginha

$39 5.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7% 12.7% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $137 in Varginha and $776 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 42% 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: $22 in Varginha vs $37 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $155 vs $201 per month, with Varginha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Varginha

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

Same time as Varginha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,467

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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Varginha Rio de Janeiro 270 km

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Varginha
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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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $692 in Varginha and $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, so Varginha is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 30% lower in Varginha. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $137 in Varginha 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 Varginha – a meal for two runs $22 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 $692 per month in Varginha versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro – Varginha is about 41% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $692 in Varginha versus $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Varginha but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Varginha 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 Varginha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.