Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ciudad Lerdo and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Ciudad Lerdo: $831 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad Lerdo
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Ciudad Lerdo Living Index
62

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

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Ciudad Lerdo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$831

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $831 in Ciudad Lerdo versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

Ciudad Lerdo $831
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,327 in Ciudad Lerdo versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

Ciudad Lerdo $1,327
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,823 in Ciudad Lerdo versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

Ciudad Lerdo $1,823
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in Ciudad Lerdo costs roughly 35% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ciudad Lerdo 39% lower, Rio de Janeiro 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.54 MX$102

$9.38 R$47.54

-40.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.39 MX$488

$40.00 R$203

-34.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.67 MX$123

$8.34 R$42.28

-20.02%

Cappuccino

$1.61 MX$29.70

$2.29 R$11.62

-29.69%

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

$0.79 MX$14.66

$1.59 R$8.05

-50.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 MX$10.43

$1.01 R$5.10

-44.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.41 MX$26.01

$2.14 R$10.85

-34.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 MX$50.9

$3.66 R$18.55

-24.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 MX$19.95

$1.13 R$5.72

-4.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 MX$24.63

$2.09 R$10.60

-36.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 MX$19.82

$1.25 R$6.36

-14.40%

Eggs

$1.61 MX$29.73

$2.25 R$11.39

-28.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.80 MX$70.3

$10.92 R$55.3

-65.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 MX$71.2

$4.36 R$22.10

-11.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.71 MX$124

$9.60 R$48.66

-30.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.34 MX$24.67

$2.85 R$14.46

-52.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.78 MX$14.40

$1.81 R$9.16

-56.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.80 MX$14.84

$1.58 R$8.02

-49.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.80 MX$14.77

$1.83 R$9.28

-56.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 MX$15.76

$1.20 R$6.10

-29.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 MX$15.71

$1.06 R$5.35

-19.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 MX$9.68

$0.75 R$3.81

-30.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 MX$12.60

$0.68 R$3.45

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.74 MX$69.1

$2.94 R$14.90

27.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.62 MX$122

$7.98 R$40.43

-17.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.06

$1.18 R$5.98

-7.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 MX$24.74

$2.42 R$12.26

-44.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.58

$0.94 R$4.78

-27.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.78 MX$255

$50.3 R$255

-72.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 MX$21.83

$1.20 R$6.10

-1.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 MX$35.52

$0.83 R$4.20

131.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.51 MX$102

$8.97 R$45.48

-38.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 MX$22.84

$1.29 R$6.53

-3.88%

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

$18.2K MX$336.1K

$22.8K R$115.5K

-20.15%

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

$21.0K MX$388.4K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-38.11%

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

$32.65 MX$603

$134 R$681

-75.69%

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

$13.57 MX$251

$10.73 R$54.4

26.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.84 MX$404

$22.84 R$116

-4.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.57 MX$620

$30.16 R$153

11.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.34 MX$376

$31.49 R$160

-35.41%

Cinema Ticket

$3.92 MX$72.4

$7.73 R$39.17

-49.29%

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

$140 MX$2,580

$584 R$2,960

-76.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,745 MX$50.7K

$12.8K R$64.9K

-78.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.70 MX$512

$41.12 R$208

-32.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.70 MX$401

$49.26 R$250

-55.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.5 MX$1,026

$73.7 R$373

-24.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$43.18 MX$798

$65.9 R$334

-34.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$615 MX$11.4K

$900 R$4,561

-31.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,123

$527 R$2,673

-26.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 MX$19.5K

$1,332 R$6,754

-20.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$781 MX$14.4K

$748 R$3,790

4.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,880 MX$34.7K

$3,990 R$20.2K

-52.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 MX$21.4K

$1,560 R$7,908

-25.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$218 MX$4,036

$640 R$3,246

-65.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.53

11.93

-11.74%

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

Last update for Ciudad Lerdo: October 20, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ciudad Lerdo

$385 46.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 36.8% $142

Groceries & Markets

Ciudad Lerdo

$140 16.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 52.6% $74

Eating Out

Ciudad Lerdo

$102 12.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 53.5% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ciudad Lerdo

$68 8.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 147% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Ciudad Lerdo

$67 8%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 55.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Ciudad Lerdo

$41 5%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 10.1% $4.2

Getting Around

Ciudad Lerdo

$27 3.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 118% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $615 in Ciudad Lerdo and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 193% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $26.00 in Ciudad Lerdo vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $140 vs $214 per month, with Ciudad Lerdo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ciudad Lerdo

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

08:43 8:43 AM

11:43 11:43 AM

3 h ahead of Ciudad Lerdo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

96,243

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 22, 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 22, 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

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Between locations

Ciudad Lerdo Rio de Janeiro 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ciudad Lerdo
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

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

Ciudad Lerdo wins on cost – living expenses run 53% lower than in Rio de Janeiro. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ciudad Lerdo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 193% lower in Rio de Janeiro. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $615 in Ciudad Lerdo versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ciudad Lerdo runs roughly 265% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $140 in Ciudad Lerdo versus $584 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $831 in Ciudad Lerdo versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ciudad Lerdo but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Ciudad Lerdo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ciudad Lerdo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $831 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ciudad Lerdo hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Ciudad Lerdo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.