Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durango and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Durango: $1,051 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Durango
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,051
/mo nomad
Rio de Janeiro
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,289
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,051 per month in Durango vs $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

  • Durango $1,051
  • Rio de Janeiro $1,289

A couple spends around $1,656 per month in Durango vs $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

  • Durango $1,656
  • Rio de Janeiro $1,868

A family of three spends $2,261 per month in Durango vs $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

  • Durango $2,261
  • Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Durango is about 18% cheaper than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Durango and Rio de Janeiro are more affordable than the global median – Durango 22% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Durango
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.30 MX$135
$10.06 R$51.0
-27.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.58 MX$565
$40.44 R$205
-24.38%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.48 MX$194
$8.55 R$43.35
22.57%
Cappuccino
$1.95 MX$35.98
$2.38 R$12.04
-18.07%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.15 MX$21.31
$1.61 R$8.18
-28.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 MX$14.07
$1.03 R$5.22
-26.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.39 MX$25.60
$2.47 R$12.54
-43.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 MX$51.1
$3.70 R$18.77
-25.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Durango
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.29 MX$23.92
$1.19 R$6.05
8.40%
White Bread (500g)
$2.54 MX$46.94
$2.05 R$10.38
23.90%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.24 MX$22.95
$1.28 R$6.49
-3.13%
Eggs
$2.27 MX$41.92
$2.29 R$11.60
-0.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.07 MX$149
$10.76 R$54.5
-25.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.15 MX$151
$4.41 R$22.36
84.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.40 MX$174
$9.84 R$49.86
-4.47%
Apples (1kg)
$2.54 MX$46.94
$2.81 R$14.25
-9.61%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 MX$28.32
$1.78 R$9.03
-14.04%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.76 MX$32.46
$1.60 R$8.13
10.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.14 MX$21.10
$1.80 R$9.11
-36.67%
Potato (1kg)
$1.20 MX$22.13
$1.22 R$6.17
-1.64%
Onion (1kg)
$1.28 MX$23.69
$1.04 R$5.26
23.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.79 MX$14.54
$0.77 R$3.92
2.60%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.11 MX$20.51
$0.67 R$3.38
65.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.63 MX$67.1
$3.01 R$15.27
20.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.72 MX$253
$8.08 R$40.94
69.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 MX$32.14
$1.19 R$6.03
46.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.80 MX$51.7
$2.51 R$12.73
11.55%
🚌 Getting Around
Durango
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.69 MX$12.74
$0.99 R$5.00
-30.30%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$50.1 R$254
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.13 MX$20.91
$1.22 R$6.20
-7.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.86 MX$34.45
$0.92 R$4.66
102.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.90 MX$201
$8.97 R$45.45
21.52%
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)
$19.4K MX$358.9K
$23.9K R$121.0K
-18.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$443.3K
$32.9K R$166.6K
-27.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Durango
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$59.1 MX$1,092
$133 R$676
-55.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.25 MX$393
$10.82 R$54.8
96.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.51 MX$508
$22.90 R$116
20.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Durango
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$22.49 MX$416
$30.79 R$156
-26.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.52 MX$176
$31.85 R$161
-70.11%
Cinema Ticket
$3.91 MX$72.2
$8.05 R$40.83
-51.43%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Durango
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$177 MX$3,277
$598 R$3,029
-70.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,325 MX$43.0K
$13.4K R$68.0K
-82.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Durango
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.6 MX$1,027
$42.04 R$213
32.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.30 MX$745
$49.68 R$252
-18.88%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 MX$1,870
$74.5 R$378
35.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.8 MX$1,677
$68.7 R$348
32.12%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Durango
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$601 MX$11.1K
$903 R$4,578
-33.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$393 MX$7,255
$529 R$2,684
-25.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,057 MX$19.5K
$1,326 R$6,724
-20.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$777 MX$14.4K
$756 R$3,831
2.80%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,951 MX$36.0K
$4,010 R$20.3K
-51.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,076 MX$19.9K
$1,560 R$7,910
-31.07%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Durango
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$531 MX$9,814
$640 R$3,242
-16.96%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.3
11.93
3.10%

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

Last update for Durango: October 13, 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
Durango
$393
Rio de Janeiro
$529 34.9% $137
Groceries & Markets
Durango
$245
Rio de Janeiro
$215 12.2% $30
Eating Out
Durango
$133
Rio de Janeiro
$165 23.7% $32
Clothing & Footwear
Durango
$130
Rio de Janeiro
$106 18.4% $24
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Durango
$108
Rio de Janeiro
$167 54.9% $59
Sport & Entertainment
Durango
$30
Rio de Janeiro
$47 54.8% $17
Getting Around
Durango
$13 *
Rio de Janeiro
$60 353% $47

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 Durango versus $903 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.

Salaries run about 20% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Durango versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Groceries tell a different story – $245 in Durango vs $215 in Rio de Janeiro – so Rio de Janeiro wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Durango
🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro
🕒 Local time
01:31 1:31 AM
04:31 4:31 AM
3 h ahead of Durango
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
518,709
6,211,223
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Durango Rio de Janeiro 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Durango
  • 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
Durango vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Durango and in Rio de Janeiro compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,051 in Durango, $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro – roughly 23% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Durango compared to Rio de Janeiro?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,577 per month in Durango and $1,933 in Rio de Janeiro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Durango and Rio de Janeiro?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Durango, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Durango and $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Durango, where all-in costs run around $1,051, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Durango it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Durango and Rio de Janeiro?
It depends on your priorities. Rio de Janeiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,051 in Durango to $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Durango and Rio de Janeiro?
If budget matters most, go with Durango. 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.

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