Price per Square Meter in Rio de Janeiro

What a square metre actually costs across 20 Rio neighbourhoods — to buy, to rent, and what the two together say about yield. Published figures from Secovi Rio and the FipeZAP index, with their reference dates shown.

R$11,049 City average per m² · June 2026
R$24,939 Leblon — most expensive
7.4% Best gross yield — Centro
+4.4% 12-month price change

Price per square metre by neighbourhood

Sale and rental values published by CEPAI, the research arm of Secovi Rio, for December 2025. The yield column is ours: monthly rent per m² divided by sale price per m², annualised. Click any column heading to sort.

Neighbourhood Zone Buy R$/m² Approx. US$/m² Rent R$/m²/mo Gross yield 12-month change
Ipanema South Zone R$24,271 $4,453 R$117.66 5.82% +5.9%
Leblon South Zone R$24,939 $4,576 R$115.03 5.53% +3.9%
Gavea South Zone R$17,226 $3,161 R$67.24 4.68% +7.7%
Lagoa South Zone R$16,699 $3,064 R$75.62 5.43% +1.6%
Jardim Botanico South Zone R$15,111 $2,773 R$67.44 5.36% +3.2%
Barra da Tijuca West Zone R$14,379 $2,638 R$76.71 6.40% +7.1%
Botafogo South Zone R$12,770 $2,343 R$69.93 6.57% +0.3%
Copacabana South Zone R$11,922 $2,188 R$68.47 6.89% +5.2%
Flamengo South Zone R$11,295 $2,072 R$58.31 6.19% +3.7%
Laranjeiras South Zone R$10,106 $1,854 R$59.78 7.10% +1.8%
Barra Olimpica West Zone R$9,249 $1,697 R$52.88 6.86% +2.4%
Centro Central R$7,796 $1,430 R$48.03 7.39% +3.6%
Recreio dos Bandeirantes West Zone R$7,734 $1,419 R$42.50 6.59% +1.7%
Tijuca North Zone R$6,558 $1,203 R$32.39 5.93% -0.2%
Freguesia (Jacarepagua) West Zone R$5,649 $1,037 R$31.22 6.63% -0.7%
Vila Isabel North Zone R$5,263 $966 R$27.66 6.31% -0.4%
Meier North Zone R$4,553 $835 R$22.97 6.05% -1.4%
Taquara West Zone R$4,514 $828 R$24.39 6.48% +0.2%
Campo Grande West Zone R$3,548 $651 R$18.93 6.40% +1.0%
Madureira North Zone R$3,307 $607 R$17.64 6.40% -1.2%

Source: Secovi Rio / CEPAI, reference December 2025. Dollar figures converted at R$5.45 = US$1 (July 2026) and are indicative only. Gross yield is calculated by BuyInRio from the two Secovi columns, before condominium fees, IPTU, management and vacancy.

What the numbers actually say

Prime Rio still prices below prime anywhere comparable

Leblon at R$24,939/m² is roughly US$4,576 per square metre — about US$425 per square foot. That is the most expensive residential address in Brazil, and it still costs less than prime waterfront in Miami, Lisbon or Barcelona. This one fact brings most foreign buyers to Rio in the first place.

Yield and postcode pull in opposite directions

Centro returns 7.39% gross while Gavea returns 4.68%. The pattern holds across the table: the addresses that hold their value best yield the least. Buying for income points you away from the postcard neighbourhoods. Buying somewhere to use and hold points straight at them.

The market has been flat in real terms

Rio prices rose 4.37% over twelve months against consumer inflation of about 4.90%. Only three of Brazil's twenty-two capitals grew more slowly. For a buyer that is not bad news — it is the absence of the froth that makes entry expensive elsewhere.

Rio is not one market

Leblon costs 7.5 times what Madureira costs per square metre. A budget that buys a studio in Ipanema buys a family apartment in Tijuca, and the rental economics differ just as sharply. Read the table by zone before you read it by price.

Rental yield by region

Secovi Rio publishes its own yield figure for each region of the city, calculated across its full sample rather than the twenty neighbourhoods above. These are monthly figures — multiply by twelve for a rough annual gross yield.

RegionMonthly gross yieldApprox. annual
Central 0.605% 7.26%
South Zone 0.581% 6.97%
Barra and adjacent 0.566% 6.79%
West Zone 0.556% 6.67%
North Zone 0.462% 5.54%

Source: Secovi Rio / CEPAI, December 2025. These regional figures are calculated on Secovi's whole regional sample and will not match an average of the neighbourhood rows above, which cover only twenty areas. Both are correct; they measure different things.

Rio against the other Brazilian capitals

Average residential asking price per square metre, June 2026, from the FipeZAP index, which tracks 56 Brazilian cities. The national average was R$9,853/m².

CityAverage R$/m²
Sao Paulo R$12,055
Curitiba R$11,752
Rio de Janeiro R$11,049
Belo Horizonte R$10,698
Brasilia R$10,210
Maceio R$9,966

Where these numbers come from

Secovi Rio — neighbourhood data

Neighbourhood sale and rental values are published by CEPAI, the research centre of Secovi Rio, the trade body for the city's property sector. The reference period is December 2025 and the reports are free to download from secovirio.com.br. Secovi's finer-grained tool, which prices by street and postcode, is restricted to its members.

FipeZAP — city and national data

City-level averages and price movements come from the FipeZAP index, calculated by Fipe from listings across the OLX group's portals and published monthly at fipe.org.br. Figures here are from the June 2026 report. Fipe does not publish a public neighbourhood table, which is why the two sources are shown separately and never merged.

These are asking prices

Both sources measure advertised listings, not completed transactions registered at the cartório. Real sale prices generally settle below asking after negotiation, and the gap widens in slower segments. Treat these as a way of comparing neighbourhoods with each other, not as a valuation of any particular apartment.

What gross yield leaves out

The yield column is rent divided by price. It does not deduct condominium charges — which in older South Zone buildings are substantial — IPTU, income tax on rent, management fees, maintenance or vacancy. A realistic net figure is meaningfully lower. The buying guide walks through the full cost stack.

Common questions

What is the average price per square metre in Rio de Janeiro?

R$11,049/m² city-wide in June 2026 on the FipeZAP index, which puts Rio third among Brazilian capitals behind São Paulo and Curitiba. The neighbourhood spread is enormous: from about R$3,307/m² in Madureira to R$24,939/m² in Leblon.

Which is the most expensive neighbourhood in Rio?

Leblon, at R$24,939/m² as of December 2025. Ipanema sits immediately behind it and the gap has been narrowing. Both are the most expensive residential addresses in Brazil, not just in Rio.

What rental yield can I expect on a Rio apartment?

Between roughly 4.5% and 7.4% gross across the neighbourhoods tracked here, before any costs. Yields run highest in Centro and the North and West Zones and lowest at the prime South Zone addresses. Condominium fees, IPTU, tax on rental income, management and vacancy all come off that figure — a realistic net return is meaningfully lower than the gross column suggests.

Are Rio property prices rising?

Modestly, and below inflation. Prices rose 4.37% over twelve months to June 2026 against consumer inflation of about 4.90%, so the market was close to flat in real terms. Only three of Brazil's twenty-two capitals moved more slowly.

How reliable are these figures?

They are asking prices from advertised listings, not registry data from completed sales. Actual transaction prices usually settle below them. They are reliable for comparing one neighbourhood against another and for tracking direction over time; they are not a valuation of a specific apartment. For that you need a local appraisal.

Continue Your Research

Thinking about buying in Rio?

Get a free, no-obligation consultation. Tell us what you're looking for and we'll send tailored guidance — neighborhoods, prices and next steps.

We'll never share your details. Privacy Policy.