Rio de Janeiro vs Quito

Tijuca is almost half the price of Barra. On top of rent comes the building fee (condomínio) of 12–19 reais per m² a month, that is 700–1,100 reais for 60 m².

SpecialistSECOVI-Rio: rent, sale and building fee (condomínio) across 20 districts, June 2026 · checked 30 Sep 2026

A two-room apartment of about 60 m² by listings: Tijuca 2,100, Laranjeiras 3,400, Flamengo 3,800, Botafogo 4,600, Copacabana 4,600, Barra 4,900 reais a month.

SpecialistSECOVI-Rio: rent, sale and building fee (condomínio) across 20 districts, June 2026 · checked 30 Sep 2026

An apartment of about 60 m² by listings: from 400k reais in Tijuca to 880k in Barra. Botafogo 800k, Copacabana 740k, Flamengo 700k.

SpecialistSECOVI-Rio: rent, sale and building fee (condomínio) across 20 districts, June 2026 · checked 30 Sep 2026

An apartment with three or more bedrooms on RE/MAX listings is mostly 460-1200 dollars a month, median 690. In the north by La Carolina park and Quito Tenis the median is 1200.

SpecialistRE/MAX Ecuador: all active listings of apartments for rent (the site's open data) · checked 6 Oct 2026

A house with three or more bedrooms in the canton of Quito on RE/MAX listings is mostly 85-230k dollars, median 138k. An apartment with three or more bedrooms: median 112k.

SpecialistRE/MAX Ecuador: all active listings of houses for sale (the site's open data) · checked 6 Oct 2026

DIEESE's basic basket in Rio in August 2026 is 851.19 reais per adult. For a family of two adults and two children, about 2,550 a month.

SpecialistDIEESE: national basic food basket survey, August 2026 · checked 30 Sep 2026

DIEESE calculates that a family of four needed 7,566 reais a month in August 2026. The figure is one for the whole country and already includes housing; it does not reflect Rio rents.

SpecialistDIEESE: nominal and necessary minimum wage by month · checked 30 Sep 2026

In INEC's official basket for a family of four in Quito, food and drinks cost 372 dollars a month (August 2026), of which 48 is eating out.

OfficialINEC: basic family consumption basket (CFBC) by city, August 2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026

INEC's poverty line for a family of four is 370 dollars a month. INEC's basic basket for four in Quito is 846, including 175 for rent.

OfficialINEC: bulletin on income poverty, ENEMDU, December 2025 · checked 6 Oct 2026

Private school: on average about 2,200 reais a month by listings including scholarships, range 190–4,200. International schools in Barra 5,100–8,300.

SpecialistMelhor Escola: scholarships and monthly fees of private schools in Tijuca (Rio) · checked 30 Sep 2026

The city has 139 municipal Clínicas da Família and 244 SUS primary care points (as of 27 September 2026). We did not look at private clinics or insurance prices.

OfficialRio City Hall: opening of the 139th Clínica da Família, 244 primary care units · checked 30 Sep 2026

The public Eugenio Espejo hospital has 416 beds and 110 specialist consulting rooms. The Baca Ortiz children's hospital has 361 beds, paediatric ICU and neonatal intensive care.

OfficialEcuadorian Ministry of Public Health: Hospital de Especialidades Eugenio Espejo · checked 6 Oct 2026

Bus, BRT and VLT: 5 reais, metro 7.90, SuperVia train 7.60. The Bilhete Único Carioca combines up to three trips within 3 hours.

SpecialistG1: bus, BRT and VLT fare in Rio rises to 5 reais from 4 January 2026 · checked 30 Sep 2026

International flights only from Galeão (20 km from the center): direct to Lisbon, Paris, Madrid, London, Rome, New York, Miami. Santos Dumont handles domestic flights.

SpecialistCartões, Milhas e Viagens: Galeão international destinations in 2026 · checked 30 Sep 2026

Mariscal Sucre international airport is in Tababela, 24 km from the city. From December 2026 Air Canada flies direct to Montreal and Toronto.

SpecialistQuiport: about the Quito airport concessionaire · checked 6 Oct 2026

Quito has a metro line with 15 stations. In July 2026 it carried 5.4 million trips, and 154 million since opening.

OfficialMetro de Quito: home page, "Metro en cifras" · checked 6 Oct 2026

The coolest month is July: average minimum 18.4°C, maximum 25.3°C. No frost, and winter is noticeably drier than summer: 56 mm in July.

OfficialWMO, World Weather Information Service: climate normals for Rio de Janeiro · checked 30 Sep 2026

January and February: average minimum 23.3–23.5°C, average maximum 29.4–30.2°C. These are 1961–1990 norms, we did not open recent heat measurements.

OfficialWMO, World Weather Information Service: climate normals for Rio de Janeiro · checked 30 Sep 2026

About 1,170 mm a year. Rainiest December–April (169 mm in December), driest July–August (50–56 mm).

OfficialWMO, World Weather Information Service: climate normals for Rio de Janeiro · checked 30 Sep 2026

There is no winter as a season: all year round it is about 10 degrees at night and 21-22 by day. In June-August nights are 9.4-9.8 and days 21-22; this is the dry season.

OfficialWMO, World Weather Information Service: climate normals of Quito 1981-2010 · checked 6 Oct 2026

About 1100 mm a year. Dry in June-August, 22-40 mm and 7-10 rainy days a month. The wettest month is April: 171 mm and 20 days with rain.

OfficialWMO, World Weather Information Service: climate normals of Quito 1981-2010 · checked 6 Oct 2026

965 intentional homicides in 2025 against 946 in 2024. Deaths from police action 449 against 339 a year earlier.

SpecialistCrime Brasil: crime in the city of Rio, 20 years of ISP data, 2025 results · checked 30 Sep 2026

We did not find a full ISP breakdown by district. According to the press, phone thefts in the first 9 months of 2025: Catete 2,121, Leblon 1,880, Barra 1,806, Copacabana 1,702, Botafogo 1,310.

SpecialistExtra: phone thefts and robberies in Rio state, police districts with the most cases · checked 30 Sep 2026

Guagua Pichincha, 12 km to the west, covered Quito in ash in 1999-2000. Cotopaxi, 45 km away, could send mudflows into the Los Chillos valley.

OfficialIG-EPN: Guagua Pichincha volcano · checked 6 Oct 2026

Pichincha with Quito is on the list of provinces under a state of emergency from 15 Sep 2026. Pickpocketing and muggings are common, especially in the old town and at stations.

OfficialUK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: travel advice for Ecuador · checked 6 Oct 2026

Fiber in Rio goes up to 1 Gbps at Oi and up to 10 Gbps at Claro, according to the operators' sites. Actual speed depends on the building and the plan.

SpecialistOi Fibra: 500 Mbit/s and 1 Gbit/s plans · checked 30 Sep 2026

Oi Fibra: 500 Mbps – 89.90 reais, gigabit – 159.90 when paying by card. The page was updated in April 2025, prices may be higher now.

SpecialistOi Fibra: 500 Mbit/s and 1 Gbit/s plans · checked 30 Sep 2026

Netlife sells 850 Mbit/s fibre for 33.93 dollars a month including tax, 16.96 for the first 9 months. The provider has 16 service points in Quito.

SpecialistNetlife: home fibre-optic internet plans · checked 6 Oct 2026

A 13 kg cylinder in Rio averages 99.63 reais (89.99–113.00) according to ANP for 20–26 September 2026. The Naturgy piped gas tariff was not confirmed.

OfficialANP: weekly price survey, 13 kg gas cylinder (GLP) by municipality, 20-26 September 2026 · checked 30 Sep 2026

Water in 115 districts of Rio is supplied by Águas do Rio, residential tariff 2: 6.52–7.52 reais per m³ in the first 15 m³, 98–113 reais for 15 m³. Tariff 1, which is cheaper, also exists. Without sewage.

OfficialÁguas do Rio: water tariffs from December 2025 (regions 1 and 4, zones A and B) · checked 30 Sep 2026

The Light tariff for homes is 0.881 reais per kWh before taxes, but a court later raised the increase for homes from 6.4% to 14.6%, so the figure is probably out of date.

SpecialistEnergy calculator: Light home tariff from 15 March 2026 (based on ANEEL data) · checked 30 Sep 2026

Light benchmark for 300 kWh: about 264 reais before taxes, about 351 with taxes, at the 0.881 tariff. After the court decision of 29 May 2026 the bill is probably higher.

SpecialistEnergy calculator: Light tariff, a 300 kWh bill with ICMS (based on ANEEL data) · checked 30 Sep 2026

Electricity is 0.078-0.105 dollars per kWh by block plus 1.41 a month. 300 kWh comes to about 28 dollars before the street lighting and fire service charges.

OfficialRegistro Oficial No. 380, 9th supplement: resolution ARCONEL-009/2026, electricity tariffs for October-December 2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026

As of 2024, a cubic metre of water in Quito cost 0.31 dollars for use up to 8 m³ and 0.40 at 16-30 m³. We could not open the utility's full tariff schedule.

SpecialistPrimicias: Quito municipality discusses a water tariff increase · checked 6 Oct 2026