Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ajijic and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living costs are similar in Ajijic and in Rio de Janeiro: $1,267 and $1,289 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Ajijic
Learn more

Ajijic Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

Jump to prices

Ajijic

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,267

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,267 per month in Ajijic vs $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Ajijic $1,267
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

A couple spends around $2,020 per month in Ajijic vs $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Ajijic $2,020
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

A family of three spends $2,773 per month in Ajijic vs $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Ajijic $2,773
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Ajijic is about 2% cheaper than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Ajijic and Rio de Janeiro are more affordable than the global median – Ajijic 6% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.81 MX$181

$10.06 R$51.0

-2.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.69 MX$807

$40.44 R$205

8.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.22 MX$133

$8.55 R$43.35

-15.56%

Cappuccino

$3.47 MX$64.1

$2.38 R$12.04

45.80%

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

$1.60 MX$29.62

$1.61 R$8.18

-0.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.92

$1.03 R$5.22

20.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 MX$41.31

$2.47 R$12.54

-9.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 MX$61.4

$3.70 R$18.77

-10.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$27.52

$1.19 R$6.05

25.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 MX$41.31

$2.05 R$10.38

9.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 MX$19.78

$1.28 R$6.49

-16.41%

Eggs

$2.19 MX$40.54

$2.29 R$11.60

-4.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.84 MX$145

$10.76 R$54.5

-27.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.56 MX$158

$4.41 R$22.36

94.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.21 MX$133

$9.84 R$49.86

-26.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 MX$42.42

$2.81 R$14.25

-18.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MX$24.42

$1.78 R$9.03

-25.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.42

$1.60 R$8.13

-7.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.66

$1.80 R$9.11

-5.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 MX$29.60

$1.22 R$6.17

31.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.57

$1.04 R$5.26

32.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 MX$19.03

$0.77 R$3.92

33.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.55

$0.67 R$3.38

25.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.47 MX$82.7

$3.01 R$15.27

48.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.92 MX$165

$8.08 R$40.94

10.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 MX$28.60

$1.19 R$6.03

30.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 MX$25.61

$2.51 R$12.73

-44.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 MX$11.84

$0.99 R$5.00

-35.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 MX$23.18

$1.22 R$6.20

2.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.40 MX$81.3

$0.92 R$4.66

378.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.00 MX$203

$8.97 R$45.45

22.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$27.50

$1.30 R$6.57

14.62%

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

$20.9K MX$386.5K

$23.9K R$121.0K

-12.39%

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

$24.2K MX$447.2K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-26.35%

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

$55.9 MX$1,033

$133 R$676

-58.10%

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

$14.30 MX$264

$10.82 R$54.8

32.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.07 MX$445

$22.90 R$116

5.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.24 MX$448

$30.79 R$156

-21.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.42 MX$100

$31.85 R$161

-82.98%

Cinema Ticket

$4.78 MX$88.3

$8.05 R$40.83

-40.62%

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

$212 MX$3,922

$598 R$3,029

-64.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,953 MX$54.6K

$13.4K R$68.0K

-77.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.03 MX$814

$42.04 R$213

4.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.71 MX$309

$49.68 R$252

-66.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 MX$1,270

$74.5 R$378

-7.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.6 MX$1,286

$68.7 R$348

1.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$841 MX$15.5K

$903 R$4,578

-6.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$630 MX$11.6K

$529 R$2,684

18.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 MX$27.8K

$1,326 R$6,724

13.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 MX$23.4K

$756 R$3,831

67.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,332 MX$61.6K

$4,010 R$20.3K

-16.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,734 MX$32.0K

$1,560 R$7,910

11.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$562 MX$10.4K

$640 R$3,242

-12.19%

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 Ajijic: October 12, 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

Ajijic

$630 49.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 15.9% $100

Groceries & Markets

Ajijic

$222 17.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 3.4% $7.7

Eating Out

Ajijic

$171 13.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 3.5% $6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ajijic

$94 7.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 77.3% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Ajijic

$90 7.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 18% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Ajijic

$34 2.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 38.7% $13

Getting Around

Ajijic

$26 * 2%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 132% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $841 in Ajijic 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.

Salaries run about 14% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Ajijic versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $215 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ajijic

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

16:33 4:33 PM

19:33 7:33 PM

3 h ahead of Ajijic

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,439

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 17, 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 17, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ajijic Rio de Janeiro 8,090 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ajijic
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

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

Yes – Rio de Janeiro is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,900 per month in Ajijic 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 Ajijic, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,267 in Ajijic and $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a gap of about 2%.

Kindergarten costs $212 per month in Ajijic and $598 in Rio de Janeiro. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ajijic, where all-in costs run around $1,267, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Ajijic it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ajijic – 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 Ajijic. 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.