Rio de Janeiro vs Salvador
Salvador leads Rio de Janeiro by 2 points on the CIRA Index, 59 to 57. Rio de Janeiro grades better on 4 measures, Salvador on 3; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.
Scores by each organisation's criteria
- CIRA Index: Rio de Janeiro 57, Salvador 59
- OECD: Rio de Janeiro 55, Salvador 55
- UN Tourism: Rio de Janeiro 63, Salvador 65
- UNDRR: Rio de Janeiro 46, Salvador 46
Theme by theme
- Demand and seasonality: Rio de Janeiro 70, Salvador 65
- Economy and jobs: Rio de Janeiro 58, Salvador 58
- Climate and hazards: Rio de Janeiro 40, Salvador 40
- Water and environment: Rio de Janeiro 69, Salvador 75
- Community and housing: Rio de Janeiro 38, Salvador 38
- Access and continuity: Rio de Janeiro 54, Salvador 54
Where Rio de Janeiro is stronger
- Largest foreign market: 33.8 % of international arrivals or nights (region figure) (Setur-RJ / TurisRio (Embratur data), Jan–Aug 2026). Between 30 and 40: grade 1/4.
- Wildfire and storm hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
- Green space: 49 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Husqvarna Urban Green Space Index (HUGSI), 2024). At or above 40: grade 4/4.
- Rent growth: 11.7 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Fipe - Fundação Instituto de Pesquisas Econômicas, Índice FipeZAP de Locação Residencial (Informe de Junho de 2026), July 2025–June 2026). Between 10 and 15: grade 1/4.
Where Salvador is stronger
- Extreme heat days: 0 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
- Wastewater safely treated: 100 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (Instituto Trata Brasil / Ministério das Cidades (Ranking do Saneamento 2025, base SINISA 2023), 2023). At or above 95: grade 4/4.
- Short-let density: 0.7 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (AirDNA & IBGE (Censo Demográfico 2022), 2024–2026). Between 0.5 and 1: grade 3/4.
Country context (World Economic Forum)
- Brazil: #32 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
- Brazil: #32 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
Rio de Janeiro in full · Salvador in full
The CIRA Index ranking · City vs city · How the index works · CIRA Studio · Put your city in the pilot