Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manzanillo and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living costs are similar in Manzanillo and in Rio de Janeiro: $1,230 and $1,289 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Manzanillo
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Manzanillo Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Manzanillo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,230

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,230 in Manzanillo versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Manzanillo $1,230
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,152 in Manzanillo versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

Manzanillo $2,152
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,075 in Manzanillo versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

Manzanillo $3,075
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Manzanillo costs roughly 5% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Manzanillo 9% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.10 MX$205

$10.06 R$51.0

10.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.44 MX$599

$40.44 R$205

-19.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 MX$200

$8.55 R$43.35

26.67%

Cappuccino

$3.58 MX$66.2

$2.38 R$12.04

50.42%

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

$1.17 MX$21.59

$1.61 R$8.18

-27.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$21.54

$1.03 R$5.22

13.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 MX$40.00

$2.47 R$12.54

-12.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 MX$81.1

$3.70 R$18.77

18.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.40

$1.19 R$6.05

24.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 MX$47.96

$2.05 R$10.38

26.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 MX$22.26

$1.28 R$6.49

-6.25%

Eggs

$2.09 MX$38.64

$2.29 R$11.60

-8.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.28 MX$153

$10.76 R$54.5

-23.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 MX$100

$4.41 R$22.36

22.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.93 MX$184

$9.84 R$49.86

0.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 MX$54.2

$2.81 R$14.25

4.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.31

$1.78 R$9.03

-20.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 MX$32.89

$1.60 R$8.13

11.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.14

$1.80 R$9.11

-15.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 MX$41.12

$1.22 R$6.17

82.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 MX$31.24

$1.04 R$5.26

62.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 MX$34.57

$0.77 R$3.92

142.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.10

$0.67 R$3.38

79.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.44 MX$100

$3.01 R$15.27

80.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.62 MX$122

$8.08 R$40.94

-18.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 MX$33.77

$1.19 R$6.03

53.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 MX$46.60

$2.51 R$12.73

0.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MX$13.90

$0.99 R$5.00

-24.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.41 MX$44.55

$1.22 R$6.20

97.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 MX$44.84

$0.92 R$4.66

164.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.40 MX$174

$8.97 R$45.45

4.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 MX$25.17

$1.30 R$6.57

4.62%

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

$20.9K MX$386.6K

$23.9K R$121.0K

-12.36%

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

$24.4K MX$450.4K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-25.83%

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

$65.5 MX$1,211

$133 R$676

-50.88%

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

$19.83 MX$367

$10.82 R$54.8

83.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.37 MX$543

$22.90 R$116

28.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.3 MX$1,206

$30.79 R$156

111.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.01 MX$610

$31.85 R$161

3.64%

Cinema Ticket

$4.46 MX$82.4

$8.05 R$40.83

-44.60%

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

$163 MX$3,016

$598 R$3,029

-72.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,172 MX$132.5K

$13.4K R$68.0K

-46.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.02 MX$795

$42.04 R$213

2.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.85 MX$459

$49.68 R$252

-49.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 MX$1,397

$74.5 R$378

1.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 MX$2,213

$68.7 R$348

74.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$684 MX$12.6K

$903 R$4,578

-24.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$479 MX$8,845

$529 R$2,684

-9.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,519 MX$28.1K

$1,326 R$6,724

14.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,373 MX$25.4K

$756 R$3,831

81.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$409 MX$7,563

$640 R$3,242

-36.01%

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 Manzanillo: 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

Manzanillo

$479 38.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 10.6% $51

Groceries & Markets

Manzanillo

$233 18.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 7.9% $18

Eating Out

Manzanillo

$193 15.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 14.6% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Manzanillo

$118 9.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 10.8% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manzanillo

$115 9.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 45.7% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Manzanillo

$74 6%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 36.8% $27

Getting Around

Manzanillo

$18 * 1.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 241% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $684 in Manzanillo and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 56% 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: $32.00 in Manzanillo vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Groceries flip the comparison at $233 vs $215, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Manzanillo

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

21:28 9:28 PM

00:28 12:28 AM

3 h ahead of Manzanillo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

159,853

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

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Between locations

Manzanillo Rio de Janeiro 8,110 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Manzanillo
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

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

Manzanillo and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,230 vs $1,289 including rent). Manzanillo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 56% lower in Rio de Janeiro. 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: $684 in Manzanillo 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.

All in, you'll spend $1,230 per month in Manzanillo versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,230 in Manzanillo versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Manzanillo but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Manzanillo 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 Manzanillo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.