Which place is cheaper, Rio de Janeiro or Vienna?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Vienna or Rio de Janeiro?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
If you're trying to decide where to visit between Vienna or Rio de Janeiro, this travel comparison, which includes costs, can help. The overall cost of travel is usually a consideration when deciding where to go next, and the cost comparison down below can help you decide based on the average prices from other travelers along with your own travel budget.
Where Should I go: Vienna or Rio de Janeiro?
Vienna
Vienna is the largest city and capital of Austria. It has a population of over 1.7 million and is a cultural, political and economic center for the country. The historical center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and some complain that it feels more like a museum than a real city. Outside of the historical center though, is a young and vibrant city with a huge music scene, many street performers, and eclectic and fun restaurants and nightclubs.
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro is the most popular travel destination in Brazil. It is the second largest city in Brazil and the sixth largest in the Americas. A portion of the city has been designated a World Heritage Site. It's also famous for Carnival, it's gorgeous beaches, and world-famous landmarks. Rio's appeal as a travel destination is apparent year round due to the great weather and plenty of fun activities. The city has a wonderful natural harbor that is surrounded by Sugar Loaf Mountain, Corcovado Peak, and the hills of Tijuca, creating an absolutely breathtaking and awe-inspiring setting.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 2-Week Tours in Austria, The Best Tours for Seniors to Austria, The Best 10-Day Tours in Brazil, and The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Brazil.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayVienna €151Rio de Janeiro €98
The average daily cost (per person) in Vienna is €151, while the average daily cost in Rio de Janeiro is €98. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Vienna and Rio de Janeiro in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personVienna €94Rio de Janeiro €62
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomVienna €188Rio de Janeiro €124
Compare Hotels in Vienna and Rio de Janeiro
Looking for a hotel in Vienna or Rio de Janeiro? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Vienna Hotel Prices and Rio de Janeiro Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Vienna €19Rio de Janeiro €7.43
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Vienna
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Vienna:
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Bus to Airport€30
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Vienna
Also for Vienna, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- 2-in-1 Jewish Museums in Vienna Private Tour with Transfers: $363
- Airport Transfer: Vienna Airport VIE to Vienna by Business Car: $79
- Airport Transfer: Vienna Airport VIE to Vienna by Luxury Car: $105
- Airport Transfer: Vienna Airport VIE to Vienna by Luxury Van: $106
- Airport Transfer: Vienna to Vienna Airport VIE by Business Car: $79
- Airport Transfer: Vienna to Vienna Airport VIE by Luxury Van: $106
- Arrival Private Transfer from Vienna Airport VIE to Vienna City by Luxury Car: $96
- Arrival Private Transfer from Vienna Airport VIE to Vienna City by Luxury Van: $66
- Arrival Private Transfer from Vienna Airport VIE to Vienna City by Minibus: $220
- Arrival Private Transfer: Vienna Airport VIE to Vienna City by Business Car: $55
- Belvedere Palace: Tour with Skip-the-Line/Transfer Options: $55
- Bratislava: Bus Transfer to/from Vienna: $9.58
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Rio de Janeiro
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Rio de Janeiro:
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Taxi Ride€2.73
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Rio de Janeiro
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Rio de Janeiro:
- Visit to Madureira Park in Rio de Janeiro with Transfer: $66
- Two Brothers Trail- one of the best views of Rio (transfer is included): $56
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer in Rio de Janeiro APT-HTL (SDU): $25
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer in Rio de Janeiro APT-HTL (GIG): $52
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer Rio de Janeiro HTL-APT (SDU): $25
- Transfers Rio (Copacabana / Buzios / Angra / Paraty and Arraial): $154
- Transfer to GIG or SDU International Airport in Rio de Janeiro: $39
- Transfer service from / to Rio - Barra da Tijuca Airports: $26
- Transfer service from / to International Airport (GIG) - Zona Sul: $21
- Transfer service from / to Buzios / Arraial do Cabo / Cabo Frio: $77
- Transfer in Rio: $35
- Transfer in Private Vehicle from Rio de Janeiro City center - Airport (SDU): $19
Is it cheaper to fly into Vienna or Rio de Janeiro?
Prices for flights to both Rio de Janeiro and Vienna change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Food
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Food Meals for one dayVienna €33Rio de Janeiro €19
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Vienna
For Vienna, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Hard Rock Cafe with Set Menu for Lunch or Dinner: $28
- Hard Rock Cafe Vienna with Set Menu for Lunch or Dinner: $29
- 1 Hour Tradtional Kaiserschmarrn Cooking Class & Tasting in Wien: $41
- Performance Of The Lipizzans At Spanish Riding School: $44
- Naschmarkt Food Tour: $64
- Traditional Vienna Tasting Dinner With Folk Music: $69
- Vienna Evening Sightseeing Cruise With Music and Dinner: $74
- Naschmarkt Guided Food Tour: $74
- 3-Course Evening Dinner Cruise: $76
- Traditional Dinner Show at the Wiener Rathauskeller: $85
- Kursalon New Year's Day Concert with optional Dinner: $87
- Schnitzel cooking class with Nicole: $98
Typical Food Prices in Rio de Janeiro
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Rio de Janeiro:
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Popcorn€0.55
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Corn on the Cob€0.73
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Hamburger€0.91
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Rio de Janeiro
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Rio de Janeiro.
- Waterfront Dinner & Live Music Experience: $46
- Barra da Tijuca Food Tour with Drinks: $73
- THE BEST FOOD TOUR: $80
- Dinner & Rio Scenarium Nightclub Admission with Transfer: $85
- 9-Recipe Boozy Brazilian Cooking Class: $85
- Brazilian Meats and Snacks + South American Wines Guided Dinner: $89
- Food Tour Rio de Janeiro - The Best Typical Brazilian Dishes: $92
- Rio Scenarium Entrance, Dinner, and Open Bar: $106
- Rio Bar Food Tour with a Local: $113
- Rio Scenarium: Fast Track Entrance, Dinner & Open Bar: $115
- Brazilian Cooking Class: $129
- Samba Show Admission & Transfer with Dinner Option: $130
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Vienna €38Rio de Janeiro €20
Tours and Activities in Vienna
For Vienna, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- Escape Game and Tour: $3.23
- First Discovery Walk and Reading Walking Tour: $3.23
- Highlights Self-Guided Scavenger Hunt and Tour: $4.84
- City Tour with Audio Guide: $5.38
- Self-guided Walking Tour of the Vienna City: $5.46
- City Exploration Game and Tour on your Phone: $6.45
- Cultural Heart of the City Self-Guided Audio Tour: $6.99
- Vienna Cultural Heritage: Self-Guided Walking Tour with Audio: $7.27
- Top of Vienna in One Day: An English Self-Guided Audio Tour: $7.95
- Vienna Emperor Route: Walking Tour with Audio Guide on App: $8.07
- Vienna Historic Center: Walking Tour with Audio Guide on App: $8.07
- MAK - Geymüllerschlössel Entry Ticket: $8.07
Tours and Activities in Rio de Janeiro
Here are a few actual costs in Rio de Janeiro for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- Ilha Grande Tour Full day - Rio de Janeiro by Rio Eco Trip: $105
- 10-hour Private Tour Rio In One Day: Christ, Sugarloaf, Selarón, Downtown: $260
- 14 - Guided Tour to Quadra Do Salgueiro with Samba Show: $75
- 15 - Guided Tour to Santa Marta Favela: $150
- 16 - Guided Tour to Favela da Rocinha: $75
- 19 - Guided Tour to the Museum of Tomorrow and Olympic Boulevard: $90
- 2 Days in Rio: Tijuca Forest & Two Brothers Hiking Tours: $276
- 2 hours Hang Gliding Paragliding Full Package experience in Rio : $177
- 21 - Guided Tour to the Imperial City of Petrópolis with Lunch: $80
- 25 - Full Day Tour to Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande: $80
- 27 -Guided Tour to Christ the Redeemer and City in Rio de Janeiro: $75
- 3 Hour Boat Tour in Rio de Janeiro: $68
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayVienna €17Rio de Janeiro €11
Sample the Local Flavors in Vienna
Also in Vienna, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Pub Crawl Vienna: $16
- Vienna Nights Pub Crawl: $16
- City Center Pub Crawl: $27
- Wine Tasting at Traditional Cellar: $34
- Guided Wine Tasting in a Private Wine Cellar: $39
- Viennese Wine Tasting in a Private Hidden Wine Cellar: $39
- Wine Tasting at Schönbrunn Palace: $48
- Austrian Wine Tasting Experience: $64
- Vienna Historical Highlight City Tour + Wine Tasting: $74
- Skip-the-Line Schönbrunn Palace Entry & Wine Tasting: $83
- Wine Tasting E-Bike Tour: $91
- Romantic Old Vienna City Walk and Wine Tasting: $96
Sample the Local Flavors in Rio de Janeiro
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Rio de Janeiro:
- Rio: Pub Crawl in Lapa with Cachaça Tasting and Live Samba: $33
- Pub Crawl in Lapa: $34
- Rio de Janeiro Pub Crawl (Lapa district): $35
- Petropolis City Tour with Imperial Museum and Optional Lunch & Bohemia Brewery: $40
- Petropolis Bohemia: Historic tour and visit to the Bohemian Brewery: $60
- Walking tour + Pub crawl + Samba in Lapa: $65
- Petropolis City Tour + Bohemia Brewery + Lunch: $77
- Petrópolis City and Brewery Bohemia Tour - Best of Rio's Mountains: $110
- Brazilian Wine Tasting Evening: $110
- Rio: Sitio Burle Marx and Cachaça Distillery Private Tour: $132
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Vienna and Rio de Janeiro, we can see that Vienna is more expensive. And not only is Rio de Janeiro much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Vienna is in Europe and Rio de Janeiro is in South America, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Rio de Janeiro would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Rio de Janeiro and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Vienna would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Vienna than you might in Rio de Janeiro.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Vienna Expensive? and Is Rio de Janeiro Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Vienna or Rio de Janeiro?
Rio de Janeiro has a larger population, and is about 4 times larger than the population of Vienna. When comparing the sizes of Vienna and Rio de Janeiro, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
When is the best time to visit Vienna or Rio de Janeiro?
Even though both destinations experience a temperate climate with four distinct seasons, they experience these seasons at different times of the year. Rio de Janeiro is in the southern hemisphere and summer is in January and winter is in July, but Vienna has summer in [NORTHERNSUMMERMONTH] and winter in [NORTHERNWINTERMONTH].
Should I visit Vienna or Rio de Janeiro in the Summer?
Both Rio de Janeiro and Vienna during the summer are popular places to visit. The music scene and the family-friendly experiences are the main draw to Vienna this time of year.
In the summer, Vienna is cooler than Rio de Janeiro. Typically, the summer temperatures in Vienna in July average around 23°C (73°F), and Rio de Janeiro averages at about 26°C (79°F)in January.
Rio de Janeiro gets a good bit of rain this time of year. Vienna usually gets less rain in July than Rio de Janeiroin January. Vienna gets 63 mm (2.5 in) of rain, while Rio de Janeiro receives 114 mm (4.5 in) of rain this time of the year.
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Summer Average Temperatures July and JanuaryVienna 23°C (73°F)Rio de Janeiro 26°C (79°F)
Should I visit Vienna or Rio de Janeiro in the Autumn?
The autumn attracts plenty of travelers to both Vienna and Rio de Janeiro. Many travelers come to Vienna for the shopping scene, the music scene, and the natural beauty of the area.
In October, Vienna is generally much colder than Rio de Janeiroin April. Daily temperatures in Vienna average around 12°C (54°F), and Rio de Janeiro fluctuates around 25°C (77°F).
Rio de Janeiro receives a lot of rain in the autumn. In October, Vienna usually receives less rain than Rio de Janeiroin April. Vienna gets 41 mm (1.6 in) of rain, while Rio de Janeiro receives 137 mm (5.4 in) of rain each month for the autumn.
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Autumn Average Temperatures October and AprilVienna 12°C (54°F)Rio de Janeiro 25°C (77°F)
Should I visit Vienna or Rio de Janeiro in the Winter?
The winter brings many poeple to Vienna as well as Rio de Janeiro. Many visitors come to Vienna in the winter for the museums, the shopping scene, and the cuisine.
Vienna can get quite cold in the winter. Vienna is much colder than Rio de Janeiro in the winter. The daily temperature in Vienna averages around 2°C (36°F) in January, and Rio de Janeiro fluctuates around 21°C (70°F)in July.
Vienna usually gets less rain in January than Rio de Janeiroin July. Vienna gets 38 mm (1.5 in) of rain, while Rio de Janeiro receives 56 mm (2.2 in) of rain this time of the year.
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Winter Average Temperatures January and JulyVienna 2°C (36°F)Rio de Janeiro 21°C (70°F)
Should I visit Vienna or Rio de Janeiro in the Spring?
Both Rio de Janeiro and Vienna are popular destinations to visit in the spring with plenty of activities. Most visitors come to Vienna for the natural beauty during these months.
In the spring, Vienna is much colder than Rio de Janeiro. Typically, the spring temperatures in Vienna in April average around 13°C (55°F), and Rio de Janeiro averages at about 23°C (73°F)in October.
In April, Vienna usually receives less rain than Rio de Janeiroin October. Vienna gets 51 mm (2 in) of rain, while Rio de Janeiro receives 88 mm (3.5 in) of rain each month for the spring.
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Spring Average Temperatures April and OctoberVienna 13°C (55°F)Rio de Janeiro 23°C (73°F)
Typical Weather for Rio de Janeiro and Vienna
| Vienna | Rio de Janeiro | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°C) | Rain (mm) | Temp (°C) | Rain (mm) | |
| Jan | 2°C (36°F) | 38 mm (1.5 in) | 26°C (79°F) | 114 mm (4.5 in) |
| Feb | 4°C (38°F) | 42 mm (1.7 in) | 27°C (81°F) | 105 mm (4.1 in) |
| Mar | 8°C (46°F) | 41 mm (1.6 in) | 26°C (79°F) | 103 mm (4.1 in) |
| Apr | 13°C (55°F) | 51 mm (2 in) | 25°C (77°F) | 137 mm (5.4 in) |
| May | 17°C (63°F) | 61 mm (2.4 in) | 23°C (73°F) | 86 mm (3.4 in) |
| Jun | 20°C (69°F) | 74 mm (2.9 in) | 22°C (72°F) | 80 mm (3.1 in) |
| Jul | 23°C (73°F) | 63 mm (2.5 in) | 21°C (70°F) | 56 mm (2.2 in) |
| Aug | 22°C (72°F) | 58 mm (2.3 in) | 22°C (72°F) | 51 mm (2 in) |
| Sep | 18°C (64°F) | 45 mm (1.8 in) | 22°C (72°F) | 87 mm (3.4 in) |
| Oct | 12°C (54°F) | 41 mm (1.6 in) | 23°C (73°F) | 88 mm (3.5 in) |
| Nov | 7°C (45°F) | 50 mm (2 in) | 24°C (75°F) | 96 mm (3.8 in) |
| Dec | 3°C (37°F) | 43 mm (1.7 in) | 25°C (77°F) | 169 mm (6.7 in) |
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.