Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chimaltenango and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Chimaltenango: $745 a month against $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

37

Cost of Living Index in Chimaltenango
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Chimaltenango Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Chimaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$745

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $745 per month in Chimaltenango vs $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Chimaltenango $745
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

A couple spends around $1,229 per month in Chimaltenango vs $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Chimaltenango $1,229
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

A family of three spends $1,712 per month in Chimaltenango vs $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Chimaltenango $1,712
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Chimaltenango is about 42% cheaper than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chimaltenango and Rio de Janeiro are more affordable than the global median – Chimaltenango 44% lower, Rio de Janeiro 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.92 Q 52.9

$9.98 R$49.83

-30.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.80 Q 381

$40.34 R$201

23.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.69 Q 58.8

$8.48 R$42.35

-9.32%

Cappuccino

$3.36 Q 25.67

$2.36 R$11.80

42.37%

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

$1.16 Q 8.88

$1.63 R$8.13

-28.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 Q 7.10

$1.01 R$5.06

-7.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 Q 24.36

$2.44 R$12.19

30.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.85 Q 37.04

$3.69 R$18.43

31.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 Q 15.30

$1.15 R$5.72

73.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 Q 23.94

$2.07 R$10.34

51.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 Q 15.96

$1.29 R$6.42

62.02%

Eggs

$2.56 Q 19.59

$2.27 R$11.32

12.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.46 Q 49.37

$11.00 R$54.9

-41.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.44 Q 72.1

$4.31 R$21.51

119.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 Q 103

$9.74 R$48.63

38.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 Q 30.54

$2.83 R$14.12

41.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 Q 12.66

$1.84 R$9.17

-9.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 Q 21.56

$1.60 R$7.96

76.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 Q 12.70

$1.80 R$9.00

-7.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 Q 11.27

$1.26 R$6.28

17.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 Q 16.08

$1.07 R$5.34

96.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 Q 5.17

$0.75 R$3.75

-9.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 Q 8.78

$0.66 R$3.29

74.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 Q 30.48

$3.05 R$15.21

30.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.36 Q 63.9

$8.18 R$40.84

2.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 Q 13.36

$1.19 R$5.92

47.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 Q 20.49

$2.39 R$11.92

12.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.27 Q 40.28

$1.27 R$6.33

314.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.27 Q 78.5

$9.44 R$47.13

8.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 Q 9.28

$1.33 R$6.65

-9.02%

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

$27.9K Q 213.3K

$23.4K R$117.0K

19.12%

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

$25.3K Q 193.1K

$33.6K R$167.6K

-24.72%

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

$72.4 Q 553

$134 R$666

-45.78%

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

$29.30 Q 224

$12.23 R$61.0

139.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.04 Q 359

$22.65 R$113

107.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 Q 48.43

$8.23 R$41.07

-22.96%

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

$338 Q 2,583

$603 R$3,011

-43.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,593 Q 50.4K

$13.2K R$66.1K

-50.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.38 Q 377

$41.62 R$208

18.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.63 Q 364

$49.94 R$249

-4.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 Q 889

$75.0 R$375

55.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 Q 873

$68.3 R$341

67.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

11.93

-2.60%

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

Last update for Chimaltenango: 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.

Groceries & Markets

Chimaltenango

$282 37.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 24% $68

Eating Out

Chimaltenango

$153 20.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 7.3% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chimaltenango

$149 19.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 13.2% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Chimaltenango

$147 19.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 28.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Chimaltenango

$13 * 1.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 279% $35

Getting Around

Chimaltenango

$5.3 * 0.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 1038% $55

Accommodation & Living

Chimaltenango

- * 0%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Chimaltenango versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $282 vs $215 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Chimaltenango

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

04:20 4:20 AM

07:20 7:20 AM

3 h ahead of Chimaltenango

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,900

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.56 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 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 GTQ in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chimaltenango Rio de Janeiro 6,660 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chimaltenango
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

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

Rio de Janeiro costs about 72% more than Chimaltenango, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,117 per month in Chimaltenango and $1,927 in Rio de Janeiro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Chimaltenango and $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 32% cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chimaltenango, where all-in costs run around $745, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,285. In Chimaltenango it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chimaltenango costs $745 versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro. 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 Chimaltenango. 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.