Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macaé and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Macaé: $887 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Macaé
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Macaé Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Macaé

🇧🇷 Brazil

$887

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Macaé and in Mexico City

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Macaé and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $887 in Macaé versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Macaé $887
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,495 in Macaé versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Macaé $1,495
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,102 in Macaé versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Macaé $2,102
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Macaé costs roughly 43% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Macaé is 35% below, Mexico City is 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.43 R$27.54

$11.02 MX$204

-50.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.78 R$151

$48.68 MX$900

-38.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.91 R$35.00

$10.90 MX$201

-36.61%

Cappuccino

$1.72 R$8.73

$3.68 MX$68.1

-53.26%

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

$1.39 R$7.04

$1.63 MX$30.18

-14.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 R$3.18

$1.25 MX$23.07

-49.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 R$6.16

$3.25 MX$60.1

-62.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 R$14.16

$5.53 MX$102

-49.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 R$4.85

$1.70 MX$31.50

-43.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 R$7.91

$3.02 MX$55.8

-48.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 R$6.99

$1.92 MX$35.53

-28.13%

Eggs

$1.94 R$9.85

$2.73 MX$50.5

-28.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 R$46.21

$11.77 MX$218

-22.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 R$16.92

$9.53 MX$176

-64.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 R$49.10

$14.41 MX$266

-32.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 R$9.40

$3.02 MX$55.8

-38.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.11

$1.89 MX$35.01

-36.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.96 R$4.85

$1.99 MX$36.70

-51.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.21

$2.19 MX$40.38

-43.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 R$3.23

$1.92 MX$35.43

-66.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 R$4.09

$1.87 MX$34.49

-56.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 R$2.73

$1.44 MX$26.62

-62.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 R$2.64

$1.27 MX$23.39

-59.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.56 R$7.88

$5.22 MX$96.4

-70.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.09 R$30.86

$16.17 MX$299

-62.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.82

$1.90 MX$35.03

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 R$6.35

$4.22 MX$78.0

-70.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.61 R$8.16

$0.34 MX$6.30

373.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.9 R$425

$19.65 MX$363

327.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.41 R$7.14

$2.00 MX$36.90

-29.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R$4.03

$0.52 MX$9.67

51.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.92 R$40.16

$5.34 MX$98.7

48.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.52 MX$28.13

-15.13%

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

$21.5K R$109.0K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

-2.59%

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

$31.2K R$158.2K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

27.29%

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

$100.0 R$507

$61.1 MX$1,129

63.66%

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

$10.21 R$51.7

$28.58 MX$528

-64.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.76 R$95.1

$34.47 MX$637

-45.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.82 R$202

$56.4 MX$1,042

-29.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.04 R$173

$24.88 MX$460

36.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.79 R$34.44

$6.66 MX$123

1.95%

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

$648 R$3,283

$427 MX$7,891

51.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,012 R$35.5K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

-39.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.1 R$320

$67.8 MX$1,253

-6.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.02 R$162

$52.0 MX$960

-38.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.9 R$339

$106 MX$1,959

-36.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.66 R$237

$113 MX$2,080

-58.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 R$1,873

$1,025 MX$18.9K

-63.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 R$1,221

$654 MX$12.1K

-63.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$886 R$4,490

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-61.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R$3,392

$1,242 MX$22.9K

-46.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,270 R$6,436

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-64.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$800 R$4,054

$1,936 MX$35.8K

-58.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$799 R$4,049

$964 MX$17.8K

-17.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

11.3

-5.58%

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

Last update for Macaé: October 17, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macaé

$241 27.2%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 172% $413

Groceries & Markets

Macaé

$169 19.1%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 87.8% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macaé

$129 14.5%

Mexico City

$124 8% 3.7% $4.8

Eating Out

Macaé

$105 11.8%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 95% $99

Getting Around

Macaé

$96 10.8%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 73.2% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Macaé

$94 10.6%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 62.1% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Macaé

$53 6%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 30.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $370 in Macaé and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 21% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Macaé vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $169 vs $318 per month, with Macaé cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Macaé

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

10:19 10:19 AM

07:19 7:19 AM

3 h behind Macaé

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

246,391

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Macaé Mexico City 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Macaé
Mexico City

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

Macaé vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Macaé and Mexico City differ by about 75% in total monthly costs ($887 vs $1,548 including rent). Macaé is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Mexico City. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $370 in Macaé versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Macaé – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $49.00 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $887 per month in Macaé versus $1,548 in Mexico City – a 75% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $887 in Macaé versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Macaé but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Macaé the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Macaé gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.