Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Williamsburg, VA and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,273 a month against $2,819 in Williamsburg, VA, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Williamsburg, VA
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Williamsburg, VA Living Index
62

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

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Williamsburg, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,819

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,819 in Williamsburg, VA versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Williamsburg, VA $2,819
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,192 in Williamsburg, VA versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Williamsburg, VA $4,192
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,566 in Williamsburg, VA versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Williamsburg, VA $5,566
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Williamsburg, VA is roughly 121% 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: Williamsburg, VA is 108% above, Rio de Janeiro is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.86 $18.86

$9.38 R$47.54

101.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.3 $76.3

$40.00 R$203

90.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.80 $12.80

$8.34 R$42.28

53.48%

Cappuccino

$5.64 $5.64

$2.29 R$11.62

146.29%

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

$2.76 $2.76

$1.59 R$8.05

73.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.01 R$5.10

109.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.09 $5.09

$2.14 R$10.85

137.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 $7.43

$3.66 R$18.55

103.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.13 R$5.72

-2.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.80 $3.80

$2.09 R$10.60

81.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.87 $3.87

$1.25 R$6.36

209.60%

Eggs

$3.49 $3.49

$2.25 R$11.39

55.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.12 $13.12

$10.92 R$55.3

20.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.23 $8.23

$4.36 R$22.10

88.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.66 $14.66

$9.60 R$48.66

52.71%

Apples (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$2.85 R$14.46

98.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 $1.35

$1.81 R$9.16

-25.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$1.58 R$8.02

199.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.83 R$9.28

84.15%

Potato (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$1.20 R$6.10

368.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$1.06 R$5.35

212.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 $1.55

$0.75 R$3.81

106.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$0.68 R$3.45

163.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 $6.56

$2.94 R$14.90

123.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.59 $10.59

$7.98 R$40.43

32.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.18 R$5.98

89.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 $3.70

$2.42 R$12.26

52.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 $1.53

$0.94 R$4.78

62.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.81 $44.81

$50.3 R$255

-10.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.20 R$6.10

154.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$0.83 R$4.20

71.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.73 $22.73

$8.97 R$45.48

153.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.29 R$6.53

-34.88%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$22.8K R$115.5K

56.77%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-25.27%

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

$186 $186

$134 R$681

38.69%

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

$47.66 $47.66

$10.73 R$54.4

344.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.7 $59.7

$22.84 R$116

161.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$93.5 $93.5

$30.16 R$153

210.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.79 $24.79

$31.49 R$160

-21.28%

Cinema Ticket

$14.74 $14.74

$7.73 R$39.17

90.69%

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

$1,887 $1,887

$584 R$2,960

223.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K $24.2K

$12.8K R$64.9K

89.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.56 $37.56

$41.12 R$208

-8.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.37 $35.37

$49.26 R$250

-28.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 $85.7

$73.7 R$373

16.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$155 $155

$65.9 R$334

135.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,290 $2,290

$900 R$4,561

154.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 $1,517

$527 R$2,673

187.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,670 $2,670

$1,332 R$6,754

100.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,651 $2,651

$748 R$3,790

254.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,168 $2,168

$3,990 R$20.2K

-45.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,727 $1,727

$1,560 R$7,908

10.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,462 $4,462

$640 R$3,246

596.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

11.93

-45.52%

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

Last update for Williamsburg, VA: October 20, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Williamsburg, VA

$1.5K 53.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 65.2% $989

Groceries & Markets

Williamsburg, VA

$366 13%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 41.6% $152

Eating Out

Williamsburg, VA

$317 11.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 50.8% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Williamsburg, VA

$294 10.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 42.8% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Williamsburg, VA

$141 5%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 26.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Williamsburg, VA

$123 4.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 62.9% $77

Getting Around

Williamsburg, VA

$61 2.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 2.7% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,290 in Williamsburg, VA and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Williamsburg, VA pays 597% 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 Williamsburg, VA vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $366 vs $214 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Williamsburg, VA

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

22:32 10:32 PM

23:32 11:32 PM

1 h ahead of Williamsburg, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,425

6,211,223

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

BRL to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Williamsburg, VA Rio de Janeiro 7,560 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Williamsburg, VA
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

Williamsburg, VA vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Williamsburg, VA and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 121% in total monthly costs ($2,819 vs $1,273 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 597% higher in Williamsburg, VA, 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: $2,290 in Williamsburg, VA versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $76.0 in Williamsburg, VA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,819 per month in Williamsburg, VA versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro – a 121% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,819 in Williamsburg, VA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Williamsburg, VA. 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 121% less than in Williamsburg, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.