Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Willemstad and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $2,022 in Willemstad, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Willemstad
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Willemstad Living Index
63

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

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Willemstad

🇨🇼 Curacao

$2,022

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,022 in Willemstad versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro.

Willemstad $2,022
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,076 in Willemstad versus $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro.

Willemstad $3,076
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,130 in Willemstad versus $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro.

Willemstad $4,130
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Living in Willemstad is roughly 57% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Willemstad is 51% above, Rio de Janeiro is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.34 ANG 32.83

$9.98 R$49.83

83.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 ANG 135

$40.34 R$201

87.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.33 ANG 20.29

$8.48 R$42.35

33.61%

Cappuccino

$3.61 ANG 6.46

$2.36 R$11.80

52.97%

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

$3.01 ANG 5.39

$1.63 R$8.13

84.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ANG 3.22

$1.01 R$5.06

78.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 ANG 9.96

$2.44 R$12.19

128.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 ANG 9.75

$3.69 R$18.43

47.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 ANG 3.51

$1.15 R$5.72

70.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 ANG 5.08

$2.07 R$10.34

37.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.57 ANG 6.39

$1.29 R$6.42

176.74%

Eggs

$4.21 ANG 7.53

$2.27 R$11.32

85.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.87 ANG 30.19

$11.00 R$54.9

53.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.04 ANG 12.60

$4.31 R$21.51

63.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.12 ANG 21.70

$9.74 R$48.63

24.44%

Apples (1kg)

$5.40 ANG 9.66

$2.83 R$14.12

90.81%

Banana (1kg)

$3.12 ANG 5.58

$1.84 R$9.17

69.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.29 ANG 5.89

$1.60 R$7.96

105.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 ANG 6.79

$1.80 R$9.00

111.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 ANG 4.47

$1.26 R$6.28

98.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 ANG 3.49

$1.07 R$5.34

82.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 ANG 4.29

$0.75 R$3.75

218.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 ANG 5.10

$0.66 R$3.29

331.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.02 ANG 17.93

$3.05 R$15.21

228.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.48 ANG 22.33

$8.18 R$40.84

52.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 ANG 4.29

$1.19 R$5.92

100.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 ANG 4.20

$2.39 R$11.92

-1.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.92 ANG 3.44

$1.01 R$5.06

90.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$22.17 ANG 39.68

$1.27 R$6.33

1645.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ANG 2.47

$1.33 R$6.65

3.76%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

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

$20.6K ANG 36.9K

$33.6K R$167.6K

-38.63%

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

$271 ANG 486

$134 R$666

103.21%

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

$76.8 ANG 138

$12.23 R$61.0

528.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.1 ANG 117

$22.65 R$113

187.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.55 ANG 86.9

$31.56 R$158

53.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.82 ANG 78.4

$30.87 R$154

41.95%

Cinema Ticket

$11.96 ANG 21.41

$8.23 R$41.07

45.32%

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

$323 ANG 578

$603 R$3,011

-46.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ANG 22.2K

$13.2K R$66.1K

-6.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ANG 185

$41.62 R$208

148.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$74.7 ANG 134

$49.94 R$249

49.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$160 ANG 287

$75.0 R$375

113.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.1 ANG 167

$68.3 R$341

36.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 ANG 1,450

$905 R$4,519

-10.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 ANG 1,151

$527 R$2,633

21.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 ANG 3,119

$1,346 R$6,720

29.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,221 ANG 2,186

$774 R$3,865

57.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$838 ANG 1,500

$3,981 R$19.9K

-78.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$170 ANG 305

$1,562 R$7,798

-89.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,279 ANG 2,289

$643 R$3,210

98.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.97

11.93

-58.34%

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

Last update for Willemstad: 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

Willemstad

$643 32%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 18% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Willemstad

$413 20.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 59.2% $245

Groceries & Markets

Willemstad

$376 18.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 42.9% $161

Eating Out

Willemstad

$282 14%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 41.9% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Willemstad

$194 9.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 45.5% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Willemstad

$72 3.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 33.7% $24

Getting Around

Willemstad

$30 * 1.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 101% $30

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 $810 in Willemstad and $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Willemstad pays 99% 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: $76.0 in Willemstad vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $376 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇼 Willemstad

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

07:32 7:32 AM

08:32 8:32 AM

1 h ahead of Willemstad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,000 Capital

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.499 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to ANG – Netherlands Antillean Guilder Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Netherlands Antillean Guilder (ƒ)

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 ANG (1 ANG = 0.499 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).

USD to ANG in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Willemstad Rio de Janeiro 4,800 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Willemstad
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

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

Willemstad and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 57% in total monthly costs ($2,022 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 99% higher in Willemstad, 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: $810 in Willemstad versus $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $323 in Willemstad 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 $76.0 in Willemstad. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,022 in Willemstad, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Willemstad. 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, Willemstad 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 57% less than in Willemstad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.