Updated November 10, 2026. Indicative score. Weights: entertainment 11.73% (destinations and venues within 50 km); bars 3.73%; safety 15% with a penalty; water at country level; land price per m² = official source (ITBI, Terracap, registries, valuations) or listings with a caveat · coverage 100%
Rio de Janeiro has an indicative score of 6.00/10 in the Brazil ranking of Onde Viver Bem, updated November 10, 2026. The strongest published variables are Airport (10.00), Culture (10.00) and Beach / mountains (10.00); the weakest are Clean air (0.89), Safety (1.16) and Bars (4.41). The scores are indicative. Cost of living and the land price per m² are not part of the score.
safety: feeling of safety at national level only (Gallup); safety penalty: score capped at 6.0 (rate 35.3/100k; 6.67 without the penalty)
Land price per m²
R$ 1,250/m²P25–P75 R$ 233–R$ 2,176 · n=25
· small sample
plot listings (asking price) — aggregate ITBI under review (AP5 bias); listings with a caveat on the axis
Note: asking price in a listing (not a transaction). The sample is typically from the first page; neighbourhoods are mixed; n < 30 = small sample.
Aggregate ITBI under review (off the axis):
median R$ 324/m²
(P25–P75 R$ 250–R$ 600; n=266).
territorial aggregate dominated by AP5; South Zone n≈3; large tracts do not explain the bias
Score breakdown
Each criterion's score, its weight in the total and the raw figure, linked to its source.
raw: 35.28 per 100k pop. · 40% violent deaths (log 30→0, 0.5→10 per 100k) + 30% city robbery ÷ country average (log 5×→0, 0.5×→10) + 30% share who feel safe at night (lin 30%→0, 95%→10); any part without data: weights renormalized
Composite safety: violent deaths 35.3 per 100k → 0.0 (weight 40%) · robbery 4.33× the country average (municipality of Rio de Janeiro, 2024) → 0.6 (weight 30%) · 51.0% feel safe walking alone at night (Brazil (national), 2024) → 3.2 (weight 30%).
raw: 5.0 km · beach: distance log 5 km→10, 150 km→0; mountains: richness of nature leisure (mean of the top 3 of 4 counts, 50 km) × access (1 up to 15 km → 0 at 150 km, log), 0 with no relief; score = min(10, max(beach, mountains) + 0.3·min)
raw: 16603.0 active businesses (CNPJ) · Average of two mapping sources, OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps (Overture count ÷ K, K = median Overture/OSM ratio across the 39 cities: 2.57 within 2 km, 3.41 in the municipality); each source: 50% log1p(count within 2 km), 1000→10 + 50% log1p(per 10k pop.), 30→10. Brazil: 50% of that score + 50% log1p(CNPJ per 10k pop. ÷ K), 30→10
raw: 5507.0 active businesses (CNPJ) · Average of two mapping sources, OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps (Overture count ÷ K, K = median Overture/OSM ratio across the 39 cities: 2.48 within 2 km, 3.20 in the municipality); each source: 50% log1p(count within 2 km), 500→10 + 50% log1p(per 10k pop.), 10→10. Brazil: 50% of that score + 50% log1p(CNPJ per 10k pop. ÷ K), 10→10
raw: 165.0 count of OSM objects · log1p(count), 150→10
The city
Rio de Janeiro, often simply called Rio, is the capital of the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. One of the main international tourist destinations in Brazil, Latin America and the Southern Hemisphere, it is one of the country's oldest cities. It is Brazil's second largest metropolis, the seventh largest in the Americas and the eighteenth in the world. Its population in the 2022 IBGE census was 6,211,223. It is nicknamed the Marvellous City, and people born there are called cariocas.
English rendering of the Portuguese Wikipedia summary linked below. Source: wikipedia_pt. Wikipedia revision 73337311 (2026-11-01T01:44:37Z).
Taxation
ITBI; no official local rate collected yet (we do not invent the figure). GAP: rate found only in secondary sources (sometimes conflicting); to be confirmed in the law or on the city's page
IPTU; no official local rate collected yet (we do not invent the figure). GAP: progressive tables by assessed value/use; to be collected from municipal law
Frequently asked questions
What is the Onde Viver Bem score for Rio de Janeiro?
Rio de Janeiro has an indicative score of 6.00/10 in the Brazil ranking, updated November 10, 2026. Cost of living is not part of the score.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the score for Rio de Janeiro?
The strongest published variables are Airport (10.00), Culture (10.00) and Beach / mountains (10.00); the weakest are Clean air (0.89), Safety (1.16) and Bars (4.41).
Does cost of living or the land price per m² enter the score?
No. Cost of living and the land price per m² appear on the page but are not part of the score. See the methodology.
How is the score calculated?
It is an indicative 0–10 quality-of-life index, with 13 variables and published weights. Safety has a 15% weight and, when local data exist, a lethal-violence penalty may cap the total. The full method is on the methodology page.
Are any figures on this page estimates?
This page has no value marked as an estimate. Each metric cites its source.
Informational content and indicative scores. This is not advice on investing, immigration, buying property or choosing a career. Every metric cites its source; cost of living is not part of the score.
