Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aguascalientes and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguascalientes: $1,113 a month against $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

53

Cost of Living Index in Aguascalientes
Learn more

Aguascalientes Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

Jump to prices

Aguascalientes

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,113

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aguascalientes 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 Aguascalientes and in Rio de Janeiro actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,113 in Aguascalientes versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro.

Aguascalientes $1,113
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,744 in Aguascalientes versus $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro.

Aguascalientes $1,744
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,375 in Aguascalientes versus $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro.

Aguascalientes $2,375
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Living in Aguascalientes costs roughly 13% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Aguascalientes 17% lower, Rio de Janeiro 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.50 MX$229

$9.98 R$49.83

25.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.72 MX$821

$40.34 R$201

10.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.00 MX$129

$8.48 R$42.35

-17.45%

Cappuccino

$3.86 MX$70.9

$2.36 R$11.80

63.56%

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

$1.64 MX$30.09

$1.63 R$8.13

0.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.21

$1.01 R$5.06

19.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 MX$40.03

$2.44 R$12.19

-10.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 MX$59.8

$3.69 R$18.43

-11.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$26.98

$1.15 R$5.72

27.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.72

$2.07 R$10.34

7.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 MX$28.69

$1.29 R$6.42

20.93%

Eggs

$2.45 MX$45.02

$2.27 R$11.32

7.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.03 MX$147

$11.00 R$54.9

-27.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.61 MX$158

$4.31 R$21.51

99.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.47 MX$211

$9.74 R$48.63

17.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 MX$42.51

$2.83 R$14.12

-18.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 MX$24.38

$1.84 R$9.17

-27.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.29

$1.60 R$7.96

-3.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 MX$32.37

$1.80 R$9.00

-2.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 MX$29.66

$1.26 R$6.28

28.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 MX$25.03

$1.07 R$5.34

27.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 MX$18.21

$0.75 R$3.75

32.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.18

$0.66 R$3.29

25.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.4

$3.05 R$15.21

43.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.88 MX$163

$8.18 R$40.84

8.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 MX$33.32

$1.19 R$5.92

52.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 MX$62.8

$2.39 R$11.92

43.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 MX$10.78

$1.01 R$5.06

-41.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.33 MX$447

$50.2 R$250

-51.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 MX$22.36

$1.27 R$6.33

-3.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.16 MX$21.37

$0.90 R$4.51

28.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 MX$201

$9.44 R$47.13

16.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.21

$1.33 R$6.65

15.79%

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

$21.7K MX$397.6K

$23.4K R$117.0K

-7.59%

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

$23.9K MX$438.9K

$33.6K R$167.6K

-28.80%

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

$55.6 MX$1,021

$134 R$666

-58.36%

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

$24.71 MX$454

$12.23 R$61.0

102.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.50 MX$450

$22.65 R$113

8.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.42 MX$577

$31.56 R$158

-0.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.39 MX$411

$30.87 R$154

-27.47%

Cinema Ticket

$5.16 MX$94.7

$8.23 R$41.07

-37.30%

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

$220 MX$4,039

$603 R$3,011

-63.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,916 MX$53.5K

$13.2K R$66.1K

-77.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 MX$1,021

$41.62 R$208

33.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.98 MX$697

$49.94 R$249

-23.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MX$1,916

$75.0 R$375

39.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.9 MX$1,284

$68.3 R$341

2.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$516 MX$9,475

$905 R$4,519

-43.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 MX$6,620

$527 R$2,633

-31.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 MX$14.9K

$1,346 R$6,720

-39.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 MX$11.8K

$774 R$3,865

-17.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,183 MX$21.7K

$3,981 R$19.9K

-70.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,176 MX$21.6K

$1,562 R$7,798

-24.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$884 MX$16.2K

$643 R$3,210

37.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.2

11.93

-6.12%

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

Last update for Aguascalientes: October 5, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aguascalientes

$361 32.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 46.3% $167

Groceries & Markets

Aguascalientes

$244 22.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 12.1% $30

Eating Out

Aguascalientes

$196 17.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 16.4% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Aguascalientes

$121 10.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 12.3% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aguascalientes

$105 9.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 60.7% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Aguascalientes

$42 3.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 15.1% $6.3

Getting Around

Aguascalientes

$34 3.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 78% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $516 in Aguascalientes and $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aguascalientes pays 38% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Aguascalientes vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Aguascalientes

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

21:24 9:24 PM

00:24 12:24 AM

3 h ahead of Aguascalientes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

863,893

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Aguascalientes Rio de Janeiro 8,110 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Aguascalientes
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

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

Aguascalientes is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. The 15% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 38% higher in Aguascalientes, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $516 in Aguascalientes versus $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Aguascalientes runs roughly 106% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $220 in Aguascalientes versus $603 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,113 in Aguascalientes versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Aguascalientes but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Aguascalientes the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Aguascalientes is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Rio de Janeiro, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Aguascalientes and Rio de Janeiro are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Aguascalientes gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.