Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chapala and Macaé

For one person, living is cheaper in Macaé: $885 a month against $1,087 in Chapala, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Chapala
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Chapala Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Macaé
Learn more

Macaé Living Index

Jump to prices

Chapala

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,087

/mo nomad

Macaé

🇧🇷 Brazil

$885

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chapala and in Macaé

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

A single person spends $1,087 per month in Chapala vs $885 in Macaé, rent included.

Chapala $1,087
Macaé $885

A couple spends around $1,619 per month in Chapala vs $1,498 in Macaé, rent included.

Chapala $1,619
Macaé $1,498

A family of three spends $2,151 per month in Chapala vs $2,111 in Macaé, rent included.

Chapala $2,151
Macaé $2,111

Chapala costs about 23% more than Macaé, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chapala and Macaé are more affordable than the global median – Chapala 19% lower, Macaé 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.83 MX$219

$5.49 R$27.83

115.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.36 MX$469

$30.40 R$154

-16.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.28 MX$134

$7.09 R$35.95

2.68%

Cappuccino

$3.29 MX$60.7

$1.70 R$8.63

93.53%

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

$1.61 MX$29.67

$1.41 R$7.15

14.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.76

$0.59 R$2.99

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 MX$41.63

$1.24 R$6.26

81.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 MX$56.8

$2.75 R$13.93

11.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$26.50

$0.97 R$4.91

47.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 MX$41.89

$1.53 R$7.73

48.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 MX$28.65

$1.37 R$6.95

13.14%

Eggs

$2.28 MX$42.13

$1.96 R$9.92

16.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 MX$152

$9.22 R$46.73

-11.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.46 MX$101

$3.36 R$17.04

62.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.99 MX$148

$9.58 R$48.57

-16.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 MX$41.65

$1.96 R$9.91

14.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$1.21 R$6.12

4.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.43

$0.93 R$4.69

65.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.77 MX$32.63

$1.23 R$6.26

43.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 MX$28.58

$0.70 R$3.53

121.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 MX$25.67

$0.86 R$4.33

61.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 MX$18.89

$0.57 R$2.88

78.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.38

$0.48 R$2.45

72.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$1.58 R$8.00

169.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.42 MX$156

$5.99 R$30.36

40.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.83

$1.03 R$5.21

-16.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$1.23 R$6.24

169.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 MX$12.80

$1.55 R$7.83

-55.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.2 R$427

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MX$22.10

$1.36 R$6.89

-11.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 MX$59.5

$0.78 R$3.96

312.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.48 MX$304

$8.32 R$42.19

98.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.26 R$6.41

14.29%

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

$21.6K MX$399.0K

$21.7K R$110.0K

-0.46%

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

$24.0K MX$442.8K

$31.4K R$159.2K

-23.70%

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

$49.12 MX$908

$99.6 R$505

-50.70%

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

$17.02 MX$315

$9.95 R$50.4

71.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.57 MX$454

$19.03 R$96.5

29.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.66 MX$437

$40.47 R$205

-41.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.67 R$150

Cinema Ticket

$3.09 MX$57.1

$6.77 R$34.31

-54.36%

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

$217 MX$4,003

$659 R$3,339

-67.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,920 MX$54.0K

$7,291 R$37.0K

-59.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 MX$1,014

$63.7 R$323

-13.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.33 MX$708

$31.54 R$160

21.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.2 MX$965

$67.8 R$343

-22.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.74 MX$660

$48.84 R$248

-26.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$565 MX$10.4K

$375 R$1,899

50.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 MX$8,678

$237 R$1,199

98.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$911 R$4,620

15.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$772 MX$14.3K

$673 R$3,410

14.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$711 MX$13.1K

$1,275 R$6,465

-44.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$695 MX$12.8K

$787 R$3,989

-11.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$809 R$4,104

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.2

10.67

4.97%

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

Last update for Chapala: October 11, 2026

Last update for Macaé: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chapala

$470 43.2%

Macaé

$237 26.7% 49.6% $233

Groceries & Markets

Chapala

$211 19.4%

Macaé

$170 19.2% 19.6% $42

Eating Out

Chapala

$184 17%

Macaé

$105 11.9% 42.9% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chapala

$91 8.3%

Macaé

$129 14.5% 41.8% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Chapala

$82 7.5%

Macaé

$95 10.8% 16.9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Chapala

$30 2.7%

Macaé

$54 6.1% 81% $24

Getting Around

Chapala

$20 * 1.9%

Macaé

$96 10.8% 376% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $565 in Chapala versus $375 in Macaé. 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 $25.00 in Chapala versus $30.00 in Macaé. Groceries tell a different story – $211 in Chapala vs $170 in Macaé – so Macaé wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Chapala

🇧🇷 Macaé

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

05:03 5:03 AM

3 h ahead of Chapala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,596

246,391

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chapala Macaé 8,160 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chapala
Macaé

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

Chapala vs Macaé: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chapala costs about 23% more than Macaé, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,631 per month in Chapala and $1,328 in Macaé. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Macaé, 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 $25.00 in Chapala and $30.00 in Macaé. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Chapala, 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 Macaé, where all-in costs run around $885, than in Chapala at $1,087. In Macaé it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chapala it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Macaé costs $885 versus $1,087 in Chapala. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Macaé. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chapala makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.