Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuauhtémoc and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuauhtémoc: $1,133 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

55

Cost of Living Index in Cuauhtémoc
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Cuauhtémoc Living Index
62

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

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Cuauhtémoc

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,133

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,133 per month in Cuauhtémoc vs $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Cuauhtémoc $1,133
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

A couple spends around $1,825 per month in Cuauhtémoc vs $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Cuauhtémoc $1,825
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

A family of three spends $2,517 per month in Cuauhtémoc vs $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Cuauhtémoc $2,517
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Cuauhtémoc is about 11% cheaper than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cuauhtémoc and Rio de Janeiro are more affordable than the global median – Cuauhtémoc 16% lower, Rio de Janeiro 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.03 MX$204

$9.38 R$47.54

17.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.20 MX$817

$40.00 R$203

10.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.32 MX$154

$8.34 R$42.28

-0.24%

Cappuccino

$3.51 MX$64.9

$2.29 R$11.62

53.28%

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

$1.40 MX$25.79

$1.59 R$8.05

-11.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 MX$19.65

$1.01 R$5.10

4.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 MX$45.98

$2.14 R$10.85

16.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 MX$72.3

$3.66 R$18.55

6.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 MX$29.15

$1.13 R$5.72

39.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 MX$49.41

$2.09 R$10.60

27.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.58

$1.25 R$6.36

32.00%

Eggs

$2.42 MX$44.72

$2.25 R$11.39

7.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.06 MX$149

$10.92 R$55.3

-26.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.23 MX$152

$4.36 R$22.10

88.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.42 MX$211

$9.60 R$48.66

18.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 MX$51.8

$2.85 R$14.46

-1.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 MX$27.90

$1.81 R$9.16

-16.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.75

$1.58 R$8.02

22.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MX$33.84

$1.83 R$9.28

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.06

$1.20 R$6.10

67.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 MX$33.47

$1.06 R$5.35

70.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 MX$26.20

$0.75 R$3.81

89.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.14

$0.68 R$3.45

60.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.47 MX$82.6

$2.94 R$14.90

52.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.53 MX$195

$7.98 R$40.43

31.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 MX$33.71

$1.18 R$5.98

54.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 MX$57.0

$2.42 R$12.26

27.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 MX$12.46

$0.94 R$4.78

-28.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 MX$49.30

$1.20 R$6.10

122.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 MX$35.58

$0.83 R$4.20

132.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.95 MX$202

$8.97 R$45.48

22.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.74

$1.29 R$6.53

12.40%

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

$21.5K MX$397.0K

$22.8K R$115.5K

-5.67%

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

$24.5K MX$453.0K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-27.81%

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

$58.5 MX$1,080

$134 R$681

-56.48%

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

$22.66 MX$419

$10.73 R$54.4

111.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.34 MX$542

$22.84 R$116

28.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.58 MX$621

$30.16 R$153

11.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.88 MX$367

$31.49 R$160

-36.87%

Cinema Ticket

$5.24 MX$96.8

$7.73 R$39.17

-32.21%

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

$218 MX$4,023

$584 R$2,960

-62.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,546 MX$84.0K

$12.8K R$64.9K

-64.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 MX$1,023

$41.12 R$208

34.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.12 MX$760

$49.26 R$250

-16.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 MX$1,876

$73.7 R$373

37.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 MX$1,664

$65.9 R$334

36.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$601 MX$11.1K

$900 R$4,561

-33.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,114

$527 R$2,673

-26.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 MX$19.5K

$1,332 R$6,754

-20.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$758 MX$14.0K

$748 R$3,790

1.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,904 MX$35.2K

$3,990 R$20.2K

-52.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,153 MX$21.3K

$1,560 R$7,908

-26.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.93

-5.28%

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

Last update for Cuauhtémoc: October 18, 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

Cuauhtémoc

$385 34%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 36.9% $142

Groceries & Markets

Cuauhtémoc

$263 23.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 18.8% $49

Eating Out

Cuauhtémoc

$185 16.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 15.9% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Cuauhtémoc

$130 11.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 20.2% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cuauhtémoc

$110 9.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 52% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Cuauhtémoc

$44 3.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 3.5% $1.5

Getting Around

Cuauhtémoc

$15 * 1.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 297% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $601 in Cuauhtémoc versus $900 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Cuauhtémoc versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $214 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cuauhtémoc

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

08:43 8:43 AM

11:43 11:43 AM

3 h ahead of Cuauhtémoc

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,884

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

Cuauhtémoc Rio de Janeiro 7,680 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cuauhtémoc
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

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

Yes – Rio de Janeiro is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,699 per month in Cuauhtémoc and $1,910 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 Cuauhtémoc, 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 $44.00 in Cuauhtémoc 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 23% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cuauhtémoc, where all-in costs run around $1,133, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,273. In Cuauhtémoc it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cuauhtémoc – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Cuauhtémoc. 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.