Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cabo Frio and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabo Frio: $625 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Cabo Frio
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Cabo Frio Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Cabo Frio

🇧🇷 Brazil

$625

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cabo Frio and in Mexico City

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

A single person spends $625 per month in Cabo Frio vs $1,674 in Mexico City, rent included.

Cabo Frio $625
Mexico City $1,674

A couple spends around $1,031 per month in Cabo Frio vs $2,606 in Mexico City, rent included.

Cabo Frio $1,031
Mexico City $2,606

A family of three spends $1,438 per month in Cabo Frio vs $3,537 in Mexico City, rent included.

Cabo Frio $1,438
Mexico City $3,537

Cabo Frio is about 63% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cabo Frio sits 54% below the global median, while Mexico City is 24% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.58 R$30.63

$10.59 MX$199

-47.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.85 R$153

$52.0 MX$978

-46.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.46 R$35.46

$10.73 MX$202

-39.79%

Cappuccino

$1.62 R$8.90

$3.80 MX$71.4

-57.37%

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

$1.26 R$6.91

$1.61 MX$30.35

-21.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 R$2.75

$1.21 MX$22.81

-58.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.13 R$6.20

$3.18 MX$59.8

-64.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 R$9.84

$5.44 MX$102

-67.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 R$4.22

$1.72 MX$32.32

-55.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 R$7.72

$2.97 MX$55.8

-52.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.76 R$4.19

$1.93 MX$36.24

-60.62%

Eggs

$1.43 R$7.85

$2.77 MX$52.2

-48.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.20 R$39.49

$11.67 MX$220

-38.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.18 R$17.47

$9.48 MX$178

-66.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.19 R$50.4

$15.37 MX$289

-40.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R$9.71

$3.10 MX$58.4

-42.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 R$6.06

$1.96 MX$36.90

-43.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.90 R$4.95

$1.98 MX$37.30

-54.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.50

$2.34 MX$43.95

-49.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 R$3.51

$2.02 MX$38.08

-68.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 R$4.14

$1.82 MX$34.34

-58.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 R$2.92

$1.54 MX$29.06

-65.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 R$2.94

$1.31 MX$24.70

-58.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.50 R$8.21

$5.35 MX$101

-71.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.50 R$30.20

$16.19 MX$305

-66.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 R$4.81

$1.96 MX$36.87

-55.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 R$7.24

$4.35 MX$81.9

-69.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 R$6.87

$0.30 MX$5.74

316.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.7 R$410

$19.49 MX$367

283.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.68

$1.92 MX$36.08

-36.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 R$4.00

$0.47 MX$8.90

55.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.24 R$39.72

$5.41 MX$102

33.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 R$5.91

$1.48 MX$27.92

-27.03%

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

$19.7K R$108.2K

$21.4K MX$402.2K

-7.75%

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

$28.6K R$156.8K

$23.8K MX$447.1K

20.30%

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

$54.1 R$297

$62.0 MX$1,167

-12.76%

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

$7.04 R$38.66

$28.47 MX$536

-75.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.74 R$69.9

$34.11 MX$642

-62.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.35 R$112

$58.4 MX$1,099

-65.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

Cinema Ticket

$4.39 R$24.10

$6.59 MX$124

-33.38%

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

$135 R$740

$434 MX$8,172

-68.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,436 R$13.4K

$14.0K MX$264.1K

-82.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.09 R$231

$68.4 MX$1,286

-38.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.34 R$205

$54.8 MX$1,031

-31.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.9 R$285

$111 MX$2,086

-53.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.49 R$244

$116 MX$2,183

-61.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$418 R$2,295

$1,179 MX$22.2K

-64.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$108 R$594

$771 MX$14.5K

-85.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 R$3,355

$2,570 MX$48.4K

-76.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$262 R$1,439

$1,420 MX$26.7K

-81.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$256 R$1,407

$1,003 MX$18.9K

-74.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

11.35

-5.99%

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

Last update for Cabo Frio: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cabo Frio

$151 24.1%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 115% $173

Accommodation & Living

Cabo Frio

$108 17.3%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 612% $663

Eating Out

Cabo Frio

$100 16%

Mexico City

$201 12% 101% $101

Getting Around

Cabo Frio

$85 13.5%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 70.4% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Cabo Frio

$79 12.7%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 99.1% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cabo Frio

$74 11.8%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 68.7% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Cabo Frio

$29 4.7%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 146% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $418 in Cabo Frio versus $1,179 in Mexico City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Mexico City are about 3.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in Cabo Frio versus $52 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $151 vs $324 – making Cabo Frio the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Cabo Frio

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

05:57 5:57 AM

02:57 2:57 AM

3 h behind Cabo Frio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

222,161

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cabo Frio Mexico City 7,780 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cabo Frio
Mexico City

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

Cabo Frio vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 168%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $938 per month in Cabo Frio and $2,510 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cabo Frio, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $418 there versus $1,179 in Mexico City.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $625 in Cabo Frio and $1,674 in Mexico City. That makes Cabo Frio about 63% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 74% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cabo Frio, where all-in costs run around $625, than in Mexico City at $1,674. In Cabo Frio it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Cabo Frio. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.