Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Acuna and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Acuna: $1,128 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

55

Cost of Living Index in Acuna
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Acuna Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Acuna

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,128

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Acuna and in Rio de Janeiro

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Acuna and in Rio de Janeiro actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,128 per month in Acuna vs $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Acuna $1,128
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

A couple spends around $1,861 per month in Acuna vs $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Acuna $1,861
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

A family of three spends $2,594 per month in Acuna vs $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Acuna $2,594
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Acuna is about 12% cheaper than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Acuna and Rio de Janeiro are more affordable than the global median – Acuna 16% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 MX$226

$10.06 R$51.0

21.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.26 MX$744

$40.44 R$205

-0.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.18 MX$151

$8.55 R$43.35

-4.33%

Cappuccino

$3.04 MX$56.1

$2.38 R$12.04

27.73%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.26

$1.61 R$8.18

-21.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 MX$21.43

$1.03 R$5.22

12.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 MX$41.51

$2.47 R$12.54

-8.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 MX$64.9

$3.70 R$18.77

-5.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MX$33.55

$1.19 R$6.05

52.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 MX$47.59

$2.05 R$10.38

25.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MX$31.92

$1.28 R$6.49

35.16%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.18

$2.29 R$11.60

9.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.88 MX$146

$10.76 R$54.5

-26.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$4.41 R$22.36

80.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.30 MX$227

$9.84 R$49.86

25.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$57.0

$2.81 R$14.25

9.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.10

$1.78 R$9.03

-14.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.95

$1.60 R$8.13

21.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 MX$32.16

$1.80 R$9.11

-3.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$36.12

$1.22 R$6.17

59.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.34

$1.04 R$5.26

78.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 MX$25.17

$0.77 R$3.92

76.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.50

$0.67 R$3.38

82.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.08 MX$75.3

$3.01 R$15.27

35.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.98 MX$203

$8.08 R$40.94

35.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.24

$1.19 R$6.03

32.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$2.51 R$12.73

32.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 MX$10.92

$0.99 R$5.00

-40.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.47 MX$45.72

$1.22 R$6.20

102.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 MX$39.55

$0.92 R$4.66

132.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.51 MX$231

$8.97 R$45.45

39.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 MX$24.23

$1.30 R$6.57

0.77%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$22.6K MX$417.6K

$23.9K R$121.0K

-5.35%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.6K MX$491.6K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-19.04%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$55.5 MX$1,025

$133 R$676

-58.43%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$21.62 MX$399

$10.82 R$54.8

99.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.24 MX$540

$22.90 R$116

27.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.72 MX$697

$30.79 R$156

22.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.85 MX$367

$31.85 R$161

-37.68%

Cinema Ticket

$5.30 MX$97.9

$8.05 R$40.83

-34.16%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$242 MX$4,477

$598 R$3,029

-59.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,625 MX$85.5K

$13.4K R$68.0K

-65.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 MX$1,017

$42.04 R$213

30.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.44 MX$803

$49.68 R$252

-12.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,043

$74.5 R$378

48.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.6 MX$1,729

$68.7 R$348

36.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$543 MX$10.0K

$903 R$4,578

-39.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 MX$6,785

$529 R$2,684

-30.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 MX$17.8K

$1,326 R$6,724

-27.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$817 MX$15.1K

$756 R$3,831

8.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,129 MX$39.4K

$4,010 R$20.3K

-46.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,319 MX$24.4K

$1,560 R$7,910

-15.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.93

-5.28%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Acuna: October 13, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Acuna

$367 32.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 44.2% $162

Groceries & Markets

Acuna

$268 23.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 20% $54

Eating Out

Acuna

$187 16.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 11.6% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Acuna

$136 12.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 22.4% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Acuna

$106 9.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 57.2% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Acuna

$48 4.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 3% $1.4

Getting Around

Acuna

$16 * 1.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 285% $44

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $543 in Acuna versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Acuna versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Groceries tell a different story – $268 in Acuna vs $215 in Rio de Janeiro – so Rio de Janeiro wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Acuna

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

00:38 12:38 AM

02:38 2:38 AM

2 h ahead of Acuna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,225

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Acuna Rio de Janeiro 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Acuna
Rio de Janeiro

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Acuna vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rio de Janeiro is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,693 per month in Acuna and $1,933 in Rio de Janeiro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Acuna, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Acuna and $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 25% cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Acuna, where all-in costs run around $1,128, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Acuna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Acuna – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Acuna. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rio de Janeiro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.