Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ecatepec and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Ecatepec: $961 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

47

Cost of Living Index in Ecatepec
Learn more

Ecatepec Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

Jump to prices

Ecatepec

🇲🇽 Mexico

$961

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $961 per month in Ecatepec vs $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Ecatepec $961
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

A couple spends around $1,670 per month in Ecatepec vs $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Ecatepec $1,670
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

A family of three spends $2,380 per month in Ecatepec vs $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Ecatepec $2,380
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Ecatepec is about 25% cheaper than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ecatepec and Rio de Janeiro are more affordable than the global median – Ecatepec 29% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.14 MX$206

$10.06 R$51.0

10.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.1 MX$926

$40.44 R$205

23.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.57 MX$177

$8.55 R$43.35

11.93%

Cappuccino

$3.71 MX$68.6

$2.38 R$12.04

55.88%

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

$1.62 MX$30.02

$1.61 R$8.18

0.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.09

$1.03 R$5.22

5.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$2.47 R$12.54

36.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 MX$103

$3.70 R$18.77

51.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.71

$1.19 R$6.05

44.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.66 MX$49.12

$2.05 R$10.38

29.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.17

$1.28 R$6.49

53.12%

Eggs

$2.75 MX$50.9

$2.29 R$11.60

20.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.82 MX$163

$10.76 R$54.5

-18.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 MX$168

$4.41 R$22.36

106.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 MX$249

$9.84 R$49.86

36.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 MX$58.0

$2.81 R$14.25

11.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 MX$30.74

$1.78 R$9.03

-6.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.65

$1.60 R$8.13

27.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.12

$1.80 R$9.11

5.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 MX$33.16

$1.22 R$6.17

46.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 MX$32.42

$1.04 R$5.26

68.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 MX$27.48

$0.77 R$3.92

93.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$21.95

$0.67 R$3.38

77.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.59 MX$84.9

$3.01 R$15.27

52.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.62 MX$307

$8.08 R$40.94

105.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.19 R$6.03

61.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 MX$70.7

$2.51 R$12.73

52.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.72

$0.99 R$5.00

-36.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.01 MX$573

$50.1 R$254

-38.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.99 MX$36.81

$1.22 R$6.20

63.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.68

$0.92 R$4.66

-43.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.32 MX$98.3

$8.97 R$45.45

-40.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.48

$1.30 R$6.57

18.46%

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

$21.5K MX$397.7K

$23.9K R$121.0K

-9.86%

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

$23.5K MX$434.5K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-28.46%

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

$57.7 MX$1,067

$133 R$676

-56.72%

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

$27.01 MX$499

$10.82 R$54.8

149.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.74 MX$457

$22.90 R$116

8.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.37 MX$487

$30.79 R$156

-14.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.00 MX$203

$31.85 R$161

-65.46%

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 MX$120

$8.05 R$40.83

-19.63%

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

$270 MX$4,996

$598 R$3,029

-54.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,048 MX$93.3K

$13.4K R$68.0K

-62.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 MX$1,092

$42.04 R$213

40.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.94 MX$830

$49.68 R$252

-9.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 MX$1,855

$74.5 R$378

34.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 MX$1,826

$68.7 R$348

43.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$243 MX$4,487

$903 R$4,578

-73.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 MX$2,550

$529 R$2,684

-73.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 MX$12.6K

$1,326 R$6,724

-48.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$444 MX$8,205

$756 R$3,831

-41.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$755 MX$14.0K

$4,010 R$20.3K

-81.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$755 MX$13.9K

$1,560 R$7,910

-51.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$553 MX$10.2K

$640 R$3,242

-13.50%

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 Ecatepec: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ecatepec

$298 31%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 28% $83

Eating Out

Ecatepec

$201 21%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 18.1% $36

Accommodation & Living

Ecatepec

$138 14.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 284% $391

Clothing & Footwear

Ecatepec

$136 14.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 22.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ecatepec

$109 11.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 52.6% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Ecatepec

$39 4.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 19.3% $7.6

Getting Around

Ecatepec

$38 4%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 56.9% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $243 in Ecatepec 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 16% 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 $50.0 in Ecatepec versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $215 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ecatepec

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

05:01 5:01 AM

08:01 8:01 AM

3 h ahead of Ecatepec

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,645,352

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

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

From you

Ecatepec
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $961 in Ecatepec, $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro – roughly 34% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,441 per month in Ecatepec and $1,933 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 Ecatepec, 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 $50.0 in Ecatepec and $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $961 in Ecatepec and $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a gap of about 34%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ecatepec, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Ecatepec it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Rio de Janeiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $961 in Ecatepec to $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Ecatepec. 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.