Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cozumel and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Cozumel: $1,167 a month against $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

57

Cost of Living Index in Cozumel
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Cozumel Living Index
63

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

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Cozumel

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,167

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,167 in Cozumel versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro.

Cozumel $1,167
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,884 in Cozumel versus $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro.

Cozumel $1,884
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,602 in Cozumel versus $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro.

Cozumel $2,602
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Living in Cozumel costs roughly 9% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cozumel 13% lower, Rio de Janeiro 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.71 MX$160

$9.98 R$49.83

-12.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.03 MX$827

$40.34 R$201

11.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.23 MX$151

$8.48 R$42.35

-2.95%

Cappuccino

$2.79 MX$51.2

$2.36 R$11.80

18.22%

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

$1.11 MX$20.39

$1.63 R$8.13

-31.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 MX$18.80

$1.01 R$5.06

0.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.69 MX$31.02

$2.44 R$12.19

-30.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 MX$58.2

$3.69 R$18.43

-14.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$26.29

$1.15 R$5.72

24.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 MX$30.20

$2.07 R$10.34

-20.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 MX$32.32

$1.29 R$6.42

36.43%

Eggs

$1.89 MX$34.72

$2.27 R$11.32

-16.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.33 MX$190

$11.00 R$54.9

-6.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.06 MX$148

$4.31 R$21.51

87.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.85 MX$236

$9.74 R$48.63

31.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.47 MX$45.33

$2.83 R$14.12

-12.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 MX$25.70

$1.84 R$9.17

-23.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 MX$39.07

$1.60 R$7.96

33.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 MX$28.16

$1.80 R$9.00

-15.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 MX$41.12

$1.26 R$6.28

77.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 MX$32.43

$1.07 R$5.34

65.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$26.81

$0.75 R$3.75

94.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.04

$0.66 R$3.29

81.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 MX$81.3

$3.05 R$15.21

45.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.96 MX$201

$8.18 R$40.84

33.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$1.19 R$5.92

29.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 MX$47.14

$2.39 R$11.92

7.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 MX$12.58

$1.01 R$5.06

-31.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.2 MX$1,233

$50.2 R$250

33.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.84 MX$52.1

$1.27 R$6.33

123.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 MX$36.21

$0.90 R$4.51

118.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.29 MX$171

$9.44 R$47.13

-1.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 MX$25.12

$1.33 R$6.65

3.01%

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

$20.5K MX$377.1K

$23.4K R$117.0K

-12.35%

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

$24.3K MX$446.9K

$33.6K R$167.6K

-27.51%

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

$59.7 MX$1,097

$134 R$666

-55.25%

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

$20.99 MX$385

$12.23 R$61.0

71.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.26 MX$409

$22.65 R$113

-1.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.08 MX$717

$31.56 R$158

23.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.46 MX$376

$30.87 R$154

-33.72%

Cinema Ticket

$6.13 MX$113

$8.23 R$41.07

-25.52%

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

$261 MX$4,789

$603 R$3,011

-56.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,671 MX$67.4K

$13.2K R$66.1K

-72.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 MX$997

$41.62 R$208

30.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 MX$994

$49.94 R$249

8.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MX$1,911

$75.0 R$375

38.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.7 MX$1,555

$68.3 R$341

24.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$606 MX$11.1K

$905 R$4,519

-33.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$399 MX$7,327

$527 R$2,633

-24.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,619 MX$29.7K

$1,346 R$6,720

20.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$767 MX$14.1K

$774 R$3,865

-0.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,922 MX$35.3K

$3,981 R$19.9K

-51.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,163 MX$21.4K

$1,562 R$7,798

-25.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$662 MX$12.2K

$643 R$3,210

2.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.64

11.93

-2.43%

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

Last update for Cozumel: October 5, 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

Cozumel

$399 33.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 32.2% $128

Groceries & Markets

Cozumel

$257 21.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 16.6% $43

Eating Out

Cozumel

$151 12.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 8.4% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Cozumel

$134 11.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 21% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cozumel

$103 8.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 63.5% $65

Getting Around

Cozumel

$83 7%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 27.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Cozumel

$51 4.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 6.5% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $606 in Cozumel and $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cozumel pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Cozumel vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cozumel

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

09:19 9:19 AM

11:19 11:19 AM

2 h ahead of Cozumel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,236

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

Cozumel Rio de Janeiro 6,760 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cozumel
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

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

Cozumel and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($1,167 vs $1,285 including rent). Cozumel is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 3% higher in Cozumel, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $606 in Cozumel versus $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Rio de Janeiro pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Cozumel – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,167 in Cozumel versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cozumel but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Cozumel the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Cozumel and Rio de Janeiro are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cozumel gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.