Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Curepipe and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Curepipe: $977 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Curepipe
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Curepipe Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

Jump to prices

Curepipe

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$977

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $977 in Curepipe versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Curepipe $977
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,543 in Curepipe versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

Curepipe $1,543
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,110 in Curepipe versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

Curepipe $2,110
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Curepipe costs roughly 24% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Curepipe 28% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.19 MUR 150

$10.06 R$51.0

-68.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.17 MUR 1,750

$40.44 R$205

-8.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.14 MUR 242

$8.55 R$43.35

-39.88%

Cappuccino

$2.59 MUR 122

$2.38 R$12.04

8.82%

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

$1.00 MUR 47.31

$1.61 R$8.18

-37.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 MUR 31.60

$1.03 R$5.22

-34.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 MUR 81.0

$2.47 R$12.54

-30.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 MUR 127

$3.70 R$18.77

-27.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MUR 74.7

$1.19 R$6.05

33.61%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 MUR 34.63

$2.05 R$10.38

-63.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 MUR 52.0

$1.28 R$6.49

-14.06%

Eggs

$2.39 MUR 113

$2.29 R$11.60

4.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.21 MUR 245

$10.76 R$54.5

-51.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.63 MUR 265

$4.41 R$22.36

27.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.23 MUR 434

$9.84 R$49.86

-6.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 MUR 93.5

$2.81 R$14.25

-29.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 MUR 96.7

$1.78 R$9.03

15.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 MUR 64.7

$1.60 R$8.13

-14.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 MUR 135

$1.80 R$9.11

60.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 MUR 43.39

$1.22 R$6.17

-24.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 MUR 46.36

$1.04 R$5.26

-5.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 MUR 32.33

$0.77 R$3.92

-10.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 MUR 29.06

$0.67 R$3.38

-7.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.60 MUR 311

$3.01 R$15.27

119.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.74 MUR 176

$8.08 R$40.94

-53.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 MUR 78.9

$1.19 R$6.03

41.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 MUR 107

$2.51 R$12.73

-9.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MUR 35.36

$0.99 R$5.00

-24.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.57 MUR 1,957

$50.1 R$254

-17.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.12 MUR 194

$1.22 R$6.20

237.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.08 MUR 145

$0.92 R$4.66

234.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.19 MUR 197

$8.97 R$45.45

-53.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 MUR 63.0

$1.30 R$6.57

3.08%

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

$28.9K MUR 1.4M

$23.9K R$121.0K

20.97%

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

$30.9K MUR 1.5M

$32.9K R$166.6K

-6.02%

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

$41.37 MUR 1,948

$133 R$676

-68.99%

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

$20.83 MUR 981

$10.82 R$54.8

92.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.03 MUR 1,367

$22.90 R$116

26.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.49 MUR 682

$30.79 R$156

-52.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$5.11 MUR 241

$8.05 R$40.83

-36.52%

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

$126 MUR 5,926

$598 R$3,029

-78.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,669 MUR 361.1K

$13.4K R$68.0K

-42.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.22 MUR 2,082

$42.04 R$213

5.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.66 MUR 1,491

$49.68 R$252

-36.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 MUR 4,529

$74.5 R$378

29.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.0 MUR 2,495

$68.7 R$348

-22.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$580 MUR 27.3K

$903 R$4,578

-35.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 MUR 19.6K

$529 R$2,684

-21.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 MUR 57.4K

$1,326 R$6,724

-8.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$789 MUR 37.2K

$756 R$3,831

4.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$749 MUR 35.3K

$4,010 R$20.3K

-81.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$625 MUR 29.4K

$1,560 R$7,910

-59.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$892 MUR 42.0K

$640 R$3,242

39.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

-49.71%

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

Last update for Curepipe: 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

Curepipe

$416 42.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 27.1% $113

Groceries & Markets

Curepipe

$186 19.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 15.3% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Curepipe

$101 10.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 4.4% $4.4

Eating Out

Curepipe

$93 9.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 78% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Curepipe

$91 9.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 83.2% $76

Getting Around

Curepipe

$64 6.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 6.6% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Curepipe

$25 2.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 89.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $580 in Curepipe and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Curepipe pays 40% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37.00 in Curepipe vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $186 vs $215 per month, with Curepipe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇺 Curepipe

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

16:35 4:35 PM

09:35 9:35 AM

7 h behind Curepipe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

81,600

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MUR – Mauritian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇺 Mauritian Rupee (₨)

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 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 MUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Curepipe Rio de Janeiro 10,170 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Curepipe
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

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

Curepipe is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 32% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 40% higher in Curepipe, 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: $580 in Curepipe versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Curepipe runs roughly 21% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $126 in Curepipe versus $598 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $977 in Curepipe versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Curepipe but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Curepipe the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Curepipe 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, Curepipe 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 Curepipe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.