Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuernavaca and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuernavaca: $1,011 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Cuernavaca
Learn more

Cuernavaca Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

Jump to prices

Cuernavaca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,011

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,011 in Cuernavaca versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Cuernavaca $1,011
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,692 in Cuernavaca versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

Cuernavaca $1,692
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,373 in Cuernavaca versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

Cuernavaca $2,373
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Cuernavaca costs roughly 22% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cuernavaca 25% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.05 MX$149

$10.06 R$51.0

-19.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.27 MX$707

$40.44 R$205

-5.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.24 MX$134

$8.55 R$43.35

-15.32%

Cappuccino

$2.43 MX$44.98

$2.38 R$12.04

2.10%

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

$1.27 MX$23.43

$1.61 R$8.18

-21.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 MX$11.60

$1.03 R$5.22

-38.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.50 MX$46.29

$2.47 R$12.54

1.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 MX$60.3

$3.70 R$18.77

-11.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.33

$1.19 R$6.05

42.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$2.05 R$10.38

7.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.52

$1.28 R$6.49

12.50%

Eggs

$1.92 MX$35.49

$2.29 R$11.60

-16.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.08 MX$149

$10.76 R$54.5

-24.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.89 MX$90.4

$4.41 R$22.36

10.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.78 MX$255

$9.84 R$49.86

40.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 MX$41.24

$2.81 R$14.25

-20.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 MX$25.02

$1.78 R$9.03

-24.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 MX$40.07

$1.60 R$8.13

35.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.92

$1.80 R$9.11

-7.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.62

$1.22 R$6.17

40.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 MX$32.06

$1.04 R$5.26

67.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$28.25

$0.77 R$3.92

98.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 MX$16.78

$0.67 R$3.38

35.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.39 MX$81.2

$3.01 R$15.27

45.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.15 MX$151

$8.08 R$40.94

0.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.55

$1.19 R$6.03

2.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 MX$61.4

$2.51 R$12.73

32.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.51

$0.99 R$5.00

-42.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.69 MX$512

$50.1 R$254

-44.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 MX$35.20

$1.22 R$6.20

55.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 MX$48.52

$0.92 R$4.66

185.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.93 MX$202

$8.97 R$45.45

21.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 MX$26.26

$1.30 R$6.57

9.23%

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

$21.0K MX$387.9K

$23.9K R$121.0K

-12.08%

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

$24.1K MX$444.6K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-26.78%

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

$57.3 MX$1,059

$133 R$676

-57.06%

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

$18.78 MX$347

$10.82 R$54.8

73.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.19 MX$465

$22.90 R$116

10.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.75 MX$476

$30.79 R$156

-16.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$5.44 MX$100

$8.05 R$40.83

-32.42%

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

$217 MX$4,018

$598 R$3,029

-63.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,075 MX$93.8K

$13.4K R$68.0K

-62.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.29 MX$763

$42.04 R$213

-1.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.18 MX$613

$49.68 R$252

-33.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 MX$1,719

$74.5 R$378

24.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.1 MX$1,832

$68.7 R$348

44.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,110

$903 R$4,578

-57.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 MX$6,140

$529 R$2,684

-37.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 MX$17.7K

$1,326 R$6,724

-27.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$804 MX$14.9K

$756 R$3,831

6.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$870 MX$16.1K

$4,010 R$20.3K

-78.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$606 MX$11.2K

$1,560 R$7,910

-61.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$649 MX$12.0K

$640 R$3,242

1.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.4

11.93

-4.44%

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

Last update for Cuernavaca: October 12, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cuernavaca

$332 32.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 59.3% $197

Groceries & Markets

Cuernavaca

$234 23.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 8.1% $19

Eating Out

Cuernavaca

$142 14.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 16.2% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Cuernavaca

$120 11.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 11.9% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cuernavaca

$101 10%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 65% $66

Getting Around

Cuernavaca

$45 4.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 33.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Cuernavaca

$37 3.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 28% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $385 in Cuernavaca and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cuernavaca pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $38.00 in Cuernavaca vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $215, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cuernavaca

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

05:45 5:45 AM

08:45 8:45 AM

3 h ahead of Cuernavaca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

341,029

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 18, 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 18, 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

Cuernavaca Rio de Janeiro 7,660 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cuernavaca
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

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

Cuernavaca is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. The 28% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 2% higher in Cuernavaca, 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: $385 in Cuernavaca versus $903 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 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Cuernavaca – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,011 in Cuernavaca versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cuernavaca but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Cuernavaca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cuernavaca is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Rio de Janeiro, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cuernavaca 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 Cuernavaca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.