Belo Horizonte vs Rio de Janeiro - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated: October 14, 2025

	Belo Horizonte	Rio de Janeiro
🚶 Cost of living one person	$809	$940
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family	$2028	$2347
🏠 One person rent	$350	$458
🏘️ Family rent	$608	$770
🍽️ Food expenses	$254	$258
🚐 Transport expenses	$115	$137
💳 Monthly salary after tax	$409	$442
😷 Air quality	Moderate	Moderate
✈️ Airport proximity	5 km	3 km
🎓 Higher education	63	95
😀 Quality of life	63	67
🏙️ Population	2.32M	6.21M

The cost of living in Belo Horizonte is 14% less expensive than in Rio de Janeiro. Cities ranked 6633rd and 6006th ($809 vs $940) in the list of the most expensive cities in the world and ranked 14th and 2nd in Brazil.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 0.5 months in Belo Horizonte compared to 0.5 months in Rio de Janeiro. Ranked 7th vs 2nd best cities to live in Brazil, and 5520th vs 4818th among the best cities to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Belo Horizonte vs Rio de Janeiro infographic

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<img src="https://livingcost.org/assets/photo/cost/belo-horizonte/rio-de-janeiro.jpg" alt="Cost of living in Belo Horizonte vs Rio de Janeiro infographic" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"><p>Source: <a href="https://livingcost.org/cost/belo-horizonte/rio-de-janeiro" target="_blank">Belo Horizonte vs Rio de Janeiro - Cost of Living Comparison</a></p>

Prices in Belo Horizonte vs Rio de Janeiro

Prices for goods and services in Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro are partly crowdsourced by our visitors, just like yourself. Please consider telling us about your city.

	Belo Horizonte	Rio de Janeiro
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu	$4.98	$6.45
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2	$30.2	$31.1
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's	$6.8	$6.48
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz	$2.17	$1.85
☕ Cappuccino	$2.17	$2.36
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz	$1.02	$1.31
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2	$389	$501
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2	$248	$324
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2	$694	$881
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2	$458	$563
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.	$53.3	$79.9
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.	$82	$125
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited	$20.4	$18.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years	10.89%	11.58%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2	$1567	$1966
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2	$812	$1150
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket	$0.94	$1.25
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport	$44.3	$41.5
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi	$8.93	$7.88
⛽ Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal	$1.11	$1.09
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt	$0.89	$1.06
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb	$1.36	$1.48
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$1.35	$1.24
🥚 Eggs, x12	$2.21	$2.09
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$9.64	$8.65
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$3.95	$3.96
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$7.56	$8.22
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$2.29	$2.38
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$1.28	$1.56
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$1.17	$1.56
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$1.39	$1.47
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$1.14	$1.22
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$0.92	$1.13
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt	$0.49	$0.39
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz	$2.01	$1.69
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle	$7.86	$7.11
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz	$1.12	$1.17
🚬 Cigarette pack	$2.13	$1.99
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week	$4.45	$3.4
🧴 Hair Shampoo	$4.08	$3.18
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls	$1.86	$1.06
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube	$1.33	$0.98
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month	$24.7	$25.7
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person	$6.66	$6.37
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit	$43.3	$51.8
💇 Haircut, simple	$9.68	$8.04
👖 Brand Jeans	$54.3	$45.1
👟 Brand Sneakers	$79.4	$74.6
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month	$346	$531
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year	$6783	$12076

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cost of Living in the nearest cities

Cities near Belo Horizonte

Distance	City	Cost of living
12 km or 7.4 mi	Contagem	$565
15 km or 9.2 mi	Nova Lima	$582
22 km or 14 mi	Vespasiano	$563
57 km or 35 mi	Sete Lagoas	$412
69 km or 43 mi	Itauna	$582
72 km or 45 mi	Ouro Preto	$526
87 km or 54 mi	Conselheiro Lafaiete	$644
102 km or 63 mi	Divinopolis	$590
123 km or 77 mi	Ponte Nova	$586
136 km or 85 mi	Curvelo	$600
142 km or 88 mi	Sao Joao del-Rei	$541
147 km or 91 mi	Vicosa	$618
149 km or 93 mi	Barbacena	$540
155 km or 96 mi	Ipatinga	$502
167 km or 104 mi	Formiga	$613
172 km or 107 mi	Uba	$597
190 km or 118 mi	Caratinga	$599
191 km or 119 mi	Lavras	$530
215 km or 133 mi	Muriae	$613
216 km or 134 mi	Juiz de Fora	$550
239 km or 149 mi	Governador Valadares	$494
240 km or 149 mi	Varginha	$492
242 km or 151 mi	Tres Coracoes	$559
269 km or 167 mi	Alfenas	$513
291 km or 181 mi	Resende	$603
292 km or 182 mi	Passos	$568
293 km or 182 mi	Volta Redonda	$539
296 km or 184 mi	Barra Mansa	$557
298 km or 185 mi	Teresopolis	$498
301 km or 187 mi	Petropolis	$706
304 km or 189 mi	Nova Friburgo	$445
306 km or 190 mi	Patos de Minas	$624
314 km or 195 mi	Cachoeiro de Itapemirim	$621
315 km or 196 mi	Araxa	$552
316 km or 197 mi	Cruzeiro	$631
322 km or 200 mi	Itajuba	$536
323 km or 201 mi	Nova Iguacu	$590
324 km or 202 mi	Belford Roxo	$810
328 km or 204 mi	Duque de Caxias	$653
329 km or 205 mi	Sao Joao de Meriti	$648

Cities near Rio de Janeiro

Distance	City	Cost of living
9.9 km or 6.2 mi	Niteroi	$739
18 km or 11 mi	Duque de Caxias	$653
21 km or 13 mi	Sao Joao de Meriti	$648
26 km or 16 mi	Belford Roxo	$810
31 km or 19 mi	Nova Iguacu	$590
45 km or 28 mi	Petropolis	$706
60 km or 37 mi	Teresopolis	$498
70 km or 44 mi	Saquarema	$564
98 km or 61 mi	Nova Friburgo	$445
102 km or 64 mi	Volta Redonda	$539
108 km or 67 mi	Barra Mansa	$557
112 km or 70 mi	Sao Pedro da Aldeia	$530
115 km or 72 mi	Angra dos Reis	$683
121 km or 75 mi	Cabo Frio	$525
130 km or 81 mi	Juiz de Fora	$550
135 km or 84 mi	Rio das Ostras	$506
137 km or 85 mi	Resende	$603
157 km or 97 mi	Macae	$625
184 km or 115 mi	Cruzeiro	$631
196 km or 122 mi	Barbacena	$540
199 km or 123 mi	Lorena	$673
200 km or 124 mi	Ubatuba	$632
201 km or 125 mi	Uba	$597
208 km or 129 mi	Guaratingueta	$643
215 km or 134 mi	Muriae	$613
226 km or 140 mi	Sao Joao del-Rei	$541
231 km or 144 mi	Campos dos Goytacazes	$518
232 km or 144 mi	Pindamonhangaba	$620
238 km or 148 mi	Itajuba	$536
240 km or 149 mi	Caraguatatuba	$625
241 km or 150 mi	Taubate	$611
242 km or 150 mi	Vicosa	$618
245 km or 152 mi	Sao Sebastiao	$633
251 km or 156 mi	Tres Coracoes	$559
257 km or 160 mi	Conselheiro Lafaiete	$644
258 km or 160 mi	Cacapava	$657
264 km or 164 mi	Lavras	$530
275 km or 171 mi	Varginha	$492
277 km or 172 mi	Sao Jose dos Campos	$819
279 km or 173 mi	Ponte Nova	$586