Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cancun and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $1,428 in Cancun, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Cancun despite lower rent and utilities.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
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Cancun Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

Jump to prices

Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,428

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,428 per month in Cancun vs $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Cancun $1,428
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

A couple spends around $2,290 per month in Cancun vs $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Cancun $2,290
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

A family of three spends $3,152 per month in Cancun vs $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Cancun $3,152
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Cancun costs about 11% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cancun sits 7% above the global median, while Rio de Janeiro is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.15 MX$205

$9.98 R$49.83

11.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.6 MX$1,003

$40.34 R$201

35.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 MX$208

$8.48 R$42.35

33.25%

Cappuccino

$3.86 MX$71.0

$2.36 R$11.80

63.56%

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

$1.38 MX$25.26

$1.63 R$8.13

-15.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 MX$14.76

$1.01 R$5.06

-20.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 MX$56.5

$2.44 R$12.19

26.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$79.9

$3.69 R$18.43

17.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 MX$29.94

$1.15 R$5.72

41.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 MX$49.81

$2.07 R$10.34

30.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.27

$1.29 R$6.42

27.91%

Eggs

$2.72 MX$50.0

$2.27 R$11.32

19.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 MX$182

$11.00 R$54.9

-9.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.80 MX$162

$4.31 R$21.51

104.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.88 MX$255

$9.74 R$48.63

42.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 MX$52.0

$2.83 R$14.12

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.66

$1.84 R$9.17

-9.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 MX$58.7

$1.60 R$7.96

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.74

$1.80 R$9.00

20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.27

$1.26 R$6.28

61.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$34.95

$1.07 R$5.34

77.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.12

$0.75 R$3.75

53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.47

$0.66 R$3.29

84.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 MX$82.8

$3.05 R$15.21

47.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 MX$184

$8.18 R$40.84

22.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 MX$28.61

$1.19 R$5.92

31.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 MX$50.1

$2.39 R$11.92

14.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 MX$11.82

$1.01 R$5.06

-36.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.64 MX$526

$50.2 R$250

-42.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.50 MX$82.5

$1.27 R$6.33

254.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.98 MX$54.7

$0.90 R$4.51

231.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.62 MX$250

$9.44 R$47.13

44.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.84

$1.33 R$6.65

14.29%

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

$21.0K MX$385.8K

$23.4K R$117.0K

-10.33%

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

$24.5K MX$449.7K

$33.6K R$167.6K

-27.05%

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

$172 MX$3,166

$134 R$666

29.18%

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

$23.50 MX$431

$12.23 R$61.0

92.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.97 MX$697

$22.65 R$113

67.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.57 MX$616

$31.56 R$158

6.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.50 MX$248

$30.87 R$154

-56.27%

Cinema Ticket

$7.33 MX$135

$8.23 R$41.07

-10.94%

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

$205 MX$3,760

$603 R$3,011

-66.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,468 MX$100.4K

$13.2K R$66.1K

-58.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 MX$1,008

$41.62 R$208

31.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.7 MX$1,005

$49.94 R$249

9.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 MX$1,412

$75.0 R$375

2.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.4 MX$1,732

$68.3 R$341

38.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$672 MX$12.3K

$905 R$4,519

-25.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$464 MX$8,518

$527 R$2,633

-12.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 MX$25.2K

$1,346 R$6,720

2.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$19.7K

$774 R$3,865

38.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,281 MX$23.5K

$3,981 R$19.9K

-67.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,985 MX$36.4K

$1,562 R$7,798

27.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$819 MX$15.0K

$643 R$3,210

27.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.93

-4.02%

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

Last update for Cancun: October 4, 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

Cancun

$464 32.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 13.7% $63

Groceries & Markets

Cancun

$287 20.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 25.1% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cancun

$234 16.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 28% $66

Eating Out

Cancun

$202 14.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 19% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Cancun

$126 9%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 16.4% $21

Getting Around

Cancun

$51 3.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 18.5% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Cancun

$48 3.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 0.5% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $672 in Cancun versus $905 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 27% higher in Cancun, 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 $55.0 in Cancun versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $215 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cancun

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

08:49 8:49 AM

10:49 10:49 AM

2 h ahead of Cancun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

888,797

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 = 20.57 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 = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cancun Rio de Janeiro 6,810 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cancun
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,428 in Cancun, $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro – roughly 11% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,141 per month in Cancun and $1,927 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 Rio de Janeiro, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $205 per month in Cancun and $603 in Rio de Janeiro. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Cancun, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,285, than in Cancun at $1,428. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cancun it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cancun has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro to $1,428 in Cancun. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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