Climate
Rio de Janeiro logs 12 outdoor-dinner months a year to Salvador's 5 — Rio de Janeiro wins by 7. Salvador also leads on sunny days by 74.
Rio de Janeiro
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Salvador
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Cost of Living
Rio de Janeiro averages $1,689/mo for balanced living; Salvador has no cost baseline yet.
Rio de Janeiro
$1,689monthly · balanced
Mobility
Rio de Janeiro scores 2.8 on mobility (0–5 scale); Salvador has no mobility baseline.
Culture
Rio de Janeiro's culture score of 4.2 sits well above Salvador's 0.0.
Nature & Outdoors
Rio de Janeiro scores 5.0 on nature & outdoors (0–5 scale); Salvador has no nature & outdoors baseline.
Safety
Rio de Janeiro scores 0.6 on safety (0–5 scale); Salvador has no safety baseline.
Career
Rio de Janeiro scores 3.2 on career (0–5 scale); Salvador has no career baseline.
Social & Community
Rio de Janeiro scores 3.4 on social & community (0–5 scale); Salvador has no social & community baseline.
Food & Dining
Rio de Janeiro scores 3.2 on food & dining (0–5 scale); Salvador has no food & dining baseline.
Family
Rio de Janeiro scores 3.1 on family (0–5 scale); Salvador has no family baseline.
Healthcare
Rio de Janeiro scores 2.4 on healthcare (0–5 scale); Salvador has no healthcare baseline.
Air Quality
Rio de Janeiro averages 15.7 µg/m³ (sensitive-groups) PM2.5 annually versus Salvador's 10.6 µg/m³ (moderate) — Salvador breathes ~32% cleaner air (5.1 µg/m³ lower).
Rio de Janeiro
Salvador
PM2.5 annual average
WHO classification
City Scale
Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.
Rio de Janeiro (9.9M) and Salvador (3.3M) are 3.0x in population — Rio de Janeiro is the larger metro, Salvador the smaller; on land area Rio de Janeiro spans roughly 4.0x more ground.
Rio de Janeiro is roughly 3.4x the scale of Salvador
Combined population & area comparison
Rio de JaneiroSalvadorCity Scale Rankings
Rio de Janeiro9.9M3.0xSalvador3.3M1xRio de Janeiro1,285 km²4.0xSalvador323 km²1xRio de Janeiro
Salvador
Who Thrives Here
Rio de Janeiro is the stronger fit for the ocean lover. Both cities work well for the winter escapist.
Also compared
Frequently asked about Rio de Janeiro vs Salvador
▶Which is cheaper, Rio de Janeiro or Salvador?
▶How does the climate compare between Rio de Janeiro and Salvador?
▶Is Rio de Janeiro or Salvador safer?
▶Should I move to Rio de Janeiro or Salvador?
The best city depends on what matters to you
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