3.59/5
1,144 reviews
Photo by Agustin Diaz Gargiulo via Unsplash

Cost of Living in Rio de Janeiro

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beach

safe

barra

ipanema

tijuca

night

stay

leblon

food

nice

wifi

learn

big

culture

copacabana

walk

love

nomad

beaches

Rio de Janeiro is a high-energy city known for its vibrant beaches, warm weather, and relaxed lifestyle. Many visitors highlight the friendliness of locals and an affordable cost of living, which includes decent accommodations and food prices. Areas like Ipanema, Leblon, and Barra da Tijuca are preferred by digital nomads and travelers for their beach access, moderate safety, and infrastructure. The digital nomad scene is emerging, with good workspaces like Wework in Barra and active community WhatsApp groups offering support for navigating the city.

Safety remains one of the most commonly mentioned concerns. While some visitors felt secure, especially when using common sense and sticking to specific neighborhoods, others directly experienced or knew people who were victims of crime. Behavior like avoid taking your phone out on the street is still advised by some, though others think this advice is outdated.

The food scene receives mixed reviews, with multiple mentions of it being heavy, fried, or meat-focused, and healthy options being harder to find. While Rio excels in beach life, physical activities, and casual vibes, those looking for cultural depth like music, theater, or diverse arts offerings might feel underwhelmed. Overall, Rio can be a fun, dynamic place with the right mindset and precautions.

AI-generated summary of reviews
1 month ago

~ish
Rio is a city focused on beachs. A lot of old white US tourists in resorts.
And a big culture of body building, with people spending a 1/3 of their time in the gym, 1/3 on the beach, and a 1/3 on instagram

The food is quite bad. very hard to find healthy options. everything is fat, fried or super meaty (like parilla with 5 types of meat + fries :)
Not much in term of culture, music, theatre, jazz or anything.
Basically, go there if you want beach resort life. I was quite bored in general

On the plus side, I felt much safer than I had been told. I mainly stayed in copacabana, and never felt unsafe

1 month ago

Rio de Janeiro is one of those places that stays with you long after you leave, I am officially Carioca now.
I spent my time in Barra da Tijuca, and honestly, it was the perfect balance—safe, laid-back, and just a short walk to the beach. Morning runs along the shore, crossfit, beach volleyball games, beach tennis... a nice lifestyle.

I worked mostly from Wework in Barra da Tijuca. It has reliable Wi-Fi and its quite central.
The weekends were for exploring: Feira da Glória brought the best tropical fruits and local bites, while the Feira Hippie de Ipanema gave me a glimpse of Rio’s creative soul.

Sure, Rio comes with its challenges, but with the right mindset and a little caution, you’ll find yourself falling in love with its energy. The digital nomad scene is growing, and while it’s not as mature as Lisbon or Bali, there’s something raw and authentic here that’s impossible to replicate. There are whatsapp groups and a community for any question you have about Rio, from going to the beach, business, crypto, wellness, etc.

1 year ago

It's the best city to be in South America, from the culture, the beaches, the happiness, the food... Paradise.
Stay in Ipanema, Leblon or Barra da Tijuca and be happy.

1 year ago

“Don’t take your phone out” is some outdated advice… there are several people on the streets and in the metro using phones and taking pictures. Remember that nothing stays the same forever. Rio is safer than many people describe. Use your common sense.

2 years ago

Love it! The sun, the weather, the beach, the relaxing vibe! People are friendly, acommodations and food are affordable! And living here, for 1 year, as a woman, I never felt unsafe! It is crowed but I like frenetic cities!

3 years ago

Very nice if you stay in Leblon. It's relatively safe and on the beach. But you still can't take your iPhone out a lot, which is annoying if you're used to taking photos and using it on the street. People not as nice as rest of Brazil but still very nice to me. As most of Brazil people hardly speak English, so try learn some Portuguese! Barra is a nice new modern developed area, which kinda looks like the new development projects in Asia to me. If you go solo to Rio, def ask locals if it's safe where you are or where you will go. THEY will know and YOU will not.

3 years ago

What an amazing city, the vibe of the city will pull you into the present moment. And I found it hard to be very productive as there was always cool things going on everywhere. Safety is a concern. For longer stays I think Barra de tijuca is good, but for a month or shorter it's best to stay in copacabana, ipanema and leblon. My favorite place would be in the middle of copacabana and ipanema. But please learn how to be safe in the city, ask local people or fellow travellers. I will defintly come back to this city :)

3 years ago

Been to 29 cities in 6 months and I can say Rio is AMAZING. However not safe at all, by my first week I knew a total of 10 people that got robbed (3 groups). I've been living here for almost 1 month recharging from fast traveling and haven't been robbed.

4 years ago

I was here for a month. Rio is a beautiful and vibrant city. There's a lot of icons to see. There's great food and the beach is right there. In my, experience the pandemic hasn't impacted the city much. Bars and clubs are still open. I usually go out to Leblon, Ipanema, Lapa, and Barra da Tijuca.

However, it can definitely be a dangerous city if you're being careless. About 10% of the people I've met had an incident there. I was mugged once walking home one night after the clubs in Ipanema, an affluent area. During the daytime, it's fine, but it's not a city where you can walk alone at night even in the affluent areas or at the beach for 5 - 10 minutes. It's one of the most fun places in the world with the warmest people, but just be careful.

As far as coworking, I just used Regus's lounge membership. It's not social, but it was quiet with fast enough for leading meetings.

If I had to do it again, I would stay in Rio for a couple of weeks to see everything and move to Barra da Tijuca for a long-term stay.

5 years ago

Stunning city! The beach + mountains + buildings combination is extremely unique. The most beautiful big city I have ever visited! Brazilians are also very friendly, and Brazil's culture is one of a kind. I loved everything about the trip and even learned some potuguese, which is a beautiful language

6 years ago

I lived in Rio de Janeiro for 6 months and it's my favourite city in the world. I fell in love with the energy, the people, the beaches and of course... the women. Dying to get back there as soon as the lockdown is over. Everybody told me not to go because it's too dangerous. It's definitely not as safe as in Europe (like Portugal for example), but it's nowhere near as dangerous as the media likes to portray. Most of the violence happens in the favelas which skews the stats. If you feel tempted to go but are worried about the safety, just book a flight and see for yourself. You won't regret it. My advice is to 1. Stay in "richer" areas so Ipanema, Copacabana, Leblon and even Barra da Tijuca. Avoid staying next to favelas. 2. Wear non flashy clothes. If you wear bracelets, ear rings or watches, you are increasing the chances of getting robbed. The whole time there I was just wearing a tank top and shorts. 3. Avoid going outside alone at night and also avoid the beaches at night. 4. Use uber. Cheaper and safer. 5. Learn some basic portuguese. It will go a long way! I hope you have fun :)

6 years ago

Rio and Buenos Aires are my favorite cities in Latin America so far, although I haven't yet visited Mexico City, Santiago de Chile and a few others of interest. Rio has beautiful beaches, weather, people, architecture, neighborhoods and green spaces. Great food and a diverse and international population - a Latin American Los Angeles with better public transit and more green space. It's one of the few Latin American cities where most people won't look twice at you for being a white westerner, and are generally friendly. I felt quite safe day and night in Ipanema, Santa Teresa, Leblon and Barra da Tijuca. Other areas can be more dangerous. It's definitely best to learn Portuguese or Spanish, since few here speak English.

6 years ago

Rio is a fantastic city, if u love the outdoors. it is great to be a nomad but u need to be streetsmart and learn the language basics at least to enrich ur ex.

6 years ago

I live in Rio and unfortunately it's not a good place to be a nomad. Most people don't speak English. Most places don't have WiFi. We can't depend on WiFi and 4g anywhere. They don't work well. It's not safe to walk at night. It's not safe to work in public spaces. The city is very big and transportation is terrible. Besides it's too hot most of the year and its polluted.

7 years ago

✅ Warm all year

✅ Friendly people

✅ Very affordable

✅ Fast internet

✅ Lots of fun stuff to do

✅ Warm now

✅ Good air quality on average

✅ Nomads.com members liked going here

✅ Many Nomads.com members here all year round

✅ Easy to make friends

✅ High quality of education

✅ Great hospitals

✅ Freedom of speech

✅ Democratic

✅ Safe for women

✅ Very friendly to LGBTQ+

✅ Not many people smoke tobacco

❌ Not very safe

❌ Unhealthy food

❌ Limited cultural activities

❌ Very sweaty and humid now

❌ Feels crowded

❌ Difficult to do business

❌ Roads can be dangerous

❌ People don't speak English well

❌ Not family friendly

❌ Marijuana is illegal

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Feels (median)

3188°
hot

3290°
hot

3799°
hot

2984°
warm

2475°
warm

2373°
mild

2170°
mild

2475°
warm

2373°
mild

2475°
warm

2984°
warm

Real (median)

2882°
very warm

3086°
very warm

2679°
warm

2475°
warm

2373°
mild

2170°
mild

2475°
warm

2373°
mild

2475°
warm

2679°
warm

Humidity

sweaty
76%

sweaty
80%

sweaty
77%

nice
78%

nice
74%

nice
73%

nice
80%

nice
86%

nice
79%

nice
81%

Most common

☔️ Rain

☀️ Clear

☔️ Rain

☀️ Clear

☔️ Rain

☀️ Clear

☔️ Rain

Rain

rainy
109mm

rainy
130mm

rainy
65mm

rainy
109mm

rainy
77mm

rainy
58mm

dry
26mm

rainy
51mm

rainy
76mm

rainy
97mm

rainy
134mm

rainy
179mm

Cloud

pockets
42%

pockets
45%

pockets
34%

pockets
35%

pockets
36%

pockets
29%

pockets
30%

pockets
32%

cloudy
59%

pockets
40%

pockets
42%

Sun

avoid sun
10 UVI

avoid sun
9 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

seek shade
5 UVI

avoid sun
6 UVI

avoid sun
8 UVI

avoid sun
6 UVI

avoid sun
8 UVI

avoid sun
9 UVI

Remote workers

5,209 people

8,486 people

4,855 people

4,433 people

4,200 people

3,210 people

2,621 people

3,247 people

3,189 people

3,758 people

4,800 people

6,635 people

Green is good. Red is bad. Values shown are the medians of all daily highs in a month based on past few years, not necessarily current numbers. Remote worker count is estimated based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members.

If you'd like to filter destinations based on their climate, try Nomads.com's Climate Finder

Based on Rio de Janeiro's cost of living, here's selected remote jobs that would cover your costs:

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✈️57min

$2,379 / mo

13 Mbps

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 14° 57° 14° 57° AQI 109 😷

✈️13h

$4,061 / mo

🌇 Also went here345 people

Istanbul

Turkey

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 9° 48° 10° 50° AQI 113 😷

✈️14h

$1,651 / mo

🌇 Also went here334 people

Bangkok

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 39° 102° 32° 90° 🥵 AQI 83 😷

✈️21h

$1,597 / mo

🌇 Also went here442 people

4,200 remote workers in Rio de Janeiro now, of which 6+ members checked in (some members are set to private)

Members who will be here soon

Members who have been here

Values shown are estimated visits by traveling remote workers based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members. Visits to a place are only counted once per year per user, even if they visit more in that year. Visits are also normalized by overall trips added per month on the site, so if site usage goes up or down it does not affect trends. Not all digital nomads are on Nomads.com, and not all Nomads.com members log their trips. So the data is only indicative.

The chart below shows visitors by nationality normalized for population size. This means we take all trips logged on Nomads.com, check which country of origin the user is from, then divide that total visit count by the country of origin's population. If we didn't, it'd just show the big countries like US, Brazil and India always on top. Instead, this shows which nationalities worldwide proportionally visit more or less, which is more useful.

🎒 Nomad Score™	3.59/5 (Rank #46) 1144 reviews
❤️ Liked by members	👍15 liked it 👎3 disliked it
👍 Quality of life score	Okay
👶 Family score	Okay
🎒 Community score	Okay
🤯 Overcrowding score	0% is nomad here
💵 Cost	😙 Affordable: $2,380 / mo
📡 Internet	😡 Slow: 14 Mbps (avg)
😝 Fun	Great
⛅️ Temperature (now)	🥵 Hot: 28°C82°F (feels 32°C90°F)
💦 Humidity (now)	🥵 Sweaty: 82%
❄️ % of buildings with AC	🥵 Low: 30%
👌 Safety	Bad
👩 Safe for women	Okay
🌈 Safe for LGBTQ+	Great
🤮 Food safety*	Great
👮‍♀️ Lack of crime*	Bad
🤝 Lack of racism*	Good
🎓 Education level*	Mediocre
⚡️ Power grid	Great
🌊 Vulnerability to climate change	Good
💰 Income level*	Very low: $721 / mo
🙊 English speaking*	Bad
😤 People density	🧘‍♀️ Low density: 7k ppl/km² (1 per 12x12m)
🚶 Walkability	Great
🚦 Traffic safety*	Bad
✈️ Airline scores*	Good
🧳 Lost luggage*	Great
🏥 Hospitals	Great
😄 Happiness*	Bad
🍸 Nightlife	Great
📶 Free WiFi in city	Good
🖥 Places to work from	Great
❄️ A/C or heating	Good
😁 Friendly to foreigners	Good
🗯 Freedom of speech*	Good
🎅 Startup Score	Bad

🌍 Continent	Latin America
🚩 Country	Brazil
🗓️ Average trip length	14 days
📡 Internet speed (avg)	14 Mbps
⛅️ Weather (now)	🌥 28°C 82°F + 🥵 Sweaty (82%) = feels 32°C 90°F
🔌 Power	115V 230V 60Hz
🚕 Best taxi app*	Uber
🚑 Travel medical insurance	Safetywing
💸 10 BRL in USD	USD 1.91
🏧 Suggested ATM take out:	BRL 1,000 = USD 191
💸 Tipping	No
💳 Cashless	💳 Yes, cards OK almost everywhere
💻 Best coworking space	Tribo
💻 Best alt. coworking space	StartupRio
☕️ Best coffee place	Cafeina
🚰 Tap water	🚫 No, not drinkable
♻️ Return rate	👍14% of visitors return
📸 Visitors per year	2,253,600 visitors
📸 Tourists now	43,190 tourists
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Population	6,300,000 people
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 GDP per capita*	$8,649 / year
😤 Population density	🤨 busy: 12x12m (144m²) per person
👫 Gender ratio (population)	👨 44% 👱‍♀️ 56%
👫 Gender ratio (young adults)	👨 51% 👱‍♀️ 49%
👫 Gender ratio (nomads)	👨 80% 👱‍♀️ 20%
🏞 Foreign land ownership allowed	Yes
⛪️ Religious government	Non-religious
💻 Online electronics shop	Mercado Livre
🏠 Apartment listings	Zap
✈️ Best short-haul air carrier	Azul
✈️ Best int'l air carrier	Azul
🏥 Best hospital	Rede D'Or

💵 Cost of living for nomad	$2,380 / month
💵 Cost of living for expat	$1,293 / month
💵 Cost of living for family	$2,026 / month
💵 Cost of living for local	$579 / month
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$1,266 / month
🏡 Airbnb (median price)	$2,339 / month
🏠 1br studio rent in center	$407 / month
🏠 Median home price	$148,714
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$59 / night
🏠 Airbnb (median price)	$77 / night
🏢 Coworking hot desk	$455 / month
🍛 Dinner	$7
🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L)	$1
🍺 Beer in cafe (0.5L)	$2
☕️ Coffee in cafe	$2
👩‍🏫 International school	$7,191 / year
📱 Mobile data (~10GB)	$33 / month
🚕 Taxi price (avg trip ~3km/2mi)	$4 / trip
💰 Estimated tax on $50,000	$3,200
💰 Estimated tax on $100,000	$10,460
💰 Estimated tax on $250,000	$28,475