Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wausau, WI and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $1,726 in Wausau, WI, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Wausau, WI
Learn more

Wausau, WI Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

Jump to prices

Wausau, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$1,726

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,726 in Wausau, WI versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro.

Wausau, WI $1,726
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,735 in Wausau, WI versus $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro.

Wausau, WI $2,735
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,743 in Wausau, WI versus $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro.

Wausau, WI $3,743
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Living in Wausau, WI is roughly 34% 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: Wausau, WI is 29% above, Rio de Janeiro is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.87 $19.87

$9.98 R$49.69

99.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.2 $75.2

$40.34 R$201

86.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.71 $8.71

$8.48 R$42.23

2.71%

Cappuccino

$4.85 $4.85

$2.36 R$11.77

105.51%

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

$2.82 $2.82

$1.63 R$8.11

73.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.01 R$5.05

92.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 $5.62

$2.44 R$12.15

130.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.42 $5.42

$3.69 R$18.38

46.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.15 R$5.70

-26.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 $2.84

$2.07 R$10.31

37.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$1.29 R$6.40

307.75%

Eggs

$4.66 $4.66

$2.27 R$11.29

105.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.62 $8.62

$11.00 R$54.7

-21.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 $6.80

$4.31 R$21.44

57.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 $13.53

$9.74 R$48.49

38.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.83 R$14.07

47.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.84 R$9.14

-16.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$1.60 R$7.94

151.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.10 $4.10

$1.80 R$8.97

127.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.26 R$6.26

47.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.07 R$5.32

128.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 $2.25

$0.75 R$3.74

200.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.66 R$3.28

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.60 $8.60

$3.05 R$15.16

181.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.92 $8.92

$8.18 R$40.72

9.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.19 R$5.90

63.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.39 R$11.88

-7.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.04

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.27 R$6.31

117.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.90 R$4.50

75.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.77 $20.77

$9.44 R$46.99

120.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.33 R$6.63

-39.10%

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

$36.3K $36.3K

$23.4K R$116.6K

55.06%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$33.6K R$167.1K

-25.67%

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

$157 $157

$134 R$664

17.85%

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

$68.3 $68.3

$12.23 R$60.9

458.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.5 $71.5

$22.65 R$113

215.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.56 $30.56

$31.56 R$157

-3.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$5.93 $5.93

$8.23 R$40.95

-27.95%

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

$1,806 $1,806

$603 R$3,002

199.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.6K $24.6K

$13.2K R$65.9K

85.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.53 $24.53

$41.62 R$207

-41.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.50 $40.50

$49.94 R$249

-18.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.8 $65.8

$75.0 R$373

-12.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.5 $83.5

$68.3 R$340

22.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$928 $928

$905 R$4,506

2.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$698 $698

$527 R$2,625

32.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 $1,565

$1,346 R$6,700

16.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,398 $1,398

$774 R$3,854

80.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,662 $1,662

$3,981 R$19.8K

-58.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,714 $1,714

$1,562 R$7,775

9.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,486 $3,486

$643 R$3,200

442.08%

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 Wausau, WI: 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

Wausau, WI

$698 39.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 24.4% $170

Groceries & Markets

Wausau, WI

$307 17.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 30.1% $92

Eating Out

Wausau, WI

$301 17.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 45.6% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wausau, WI

$297 17%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 43.3% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Wausau, WI

$96 5.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 9.6% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Wausau, WI

$42 2.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 13.2% $5.6

Getting Around

Wausau, WI

$11 * 0.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 464% $49

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 $928 in Wausau, WI and $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wausau, WI pays 442% 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: $75.0 in Wausau, WI vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Wausau, WI

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

13:14 1:14 PM

15:14 3:14 PM

2 h ahead of Wausau, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,435

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wausau, WI Rio de Janeiro 8,890 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Wausau, WI
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

Wausau, WI vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wausau, WI and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($1,726 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 442% higher in Wausau, WI, 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: $928 in Wausau, WI versus $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,806 in Wausau, WI 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 $75.0 in Wausau, WI. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,726 in Wausau, WI, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Wausau, WI. 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.

Safety-wise, Wausau, WI and Rio de Janeiro are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Wausau, WI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.