Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Rio das Ostras

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio das Ostras: $720 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Rio das Ostras
Learn more

Rio das Ostras Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Rio das Ostras

🇧🇷 Brazil

$720

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Rio das Ostras

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $720 in Rio das Ostras.

Mexico City $1,548
Rio das Ostras $720

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,206 in Rio das Ostras.

Mexico City $2,436
Rio das Ostras $1,206

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $1,693 in Rio das Ostras.

Mexico City $3,323
Rio das Ostras $1,693

Living in Mexico City is roughly 115% more expensive than in Rio das Ostras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Rio das Ostras is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$6.11 R$30.99

80.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$29.93 R$152

62.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$6.91 R$35.02

57.74%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$1.77 R$8.99

107.91%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.33 R$6.73

22.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.62 R$3.13

101.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$1.21 R$6.16

168.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$3.03 R$15.37

82.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$0.95 R$4.84

78.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.56 R$7.91

93.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.25 R$6.34

53.60%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.95 R$9.88

40.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$8.04 R$40.76

46.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$3.49 R$17.68

173.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$8.56 R$43.40

68.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.95 R$9.87

54.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.21 R$6.14

56.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$0.93 R$4.74

113.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.27 R$6.45

72.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$0.71 R$3.59

170.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$0.81 R$4.09

130.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.57 R$2.91

152.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.72 R$3.67

76.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$2.27 R$11.53

129.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$9.18 R$46.51

76.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$2.11 R$10.69

-9.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$1.44 R$7.28

193.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$1.02 R$5.18

-66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$43.98 R$223

-55.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$1.37 R$6.95

45.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.76 R$3.87

-31.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$8.02 R$40.63

-33.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.17 R$5.93

29.91%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$21.1K R$106.8K

4.75%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$31.3K R$158.8K

-21.77%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$69.9 R$354

-12.61%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$10.00 R$50.7

185.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$18.83 R$95.5

83.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$23.61 R$120

138.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$27.53 R$140

-9.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$6.75 R$34.23

-1.33%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$327 R$1,658

30.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$7,611 R$38.6K

52.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$56.6 R$287

19.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$28.31 R$144

83.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$66.8 R$338

58.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$48.51 R$246

131.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$198 R$1,004

417.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$151 R$766

332.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$529 R$2,682

336.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$400 R$2,029

210.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$1,730 R$8,770

108.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$1,223 R$6,198

58.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$542 R$2,748

77.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

13.00%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Rio das Ostras: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Rio das Ostras

$151 21% 76.9% $503

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Rio das Ostras

$179 24.8% 43.8% $139

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Rio das Ostras

$111 15.4% 45.6% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Rio das Ostras

$90 12.5% 40.8% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Rio das Ostras

$99 13.7% 20.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Rio das Ostras

$37 5.2% 46.7% $33

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Rio das Ostras

$53 7.4% 108% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $198 in Rio das Ostras. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 78% 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: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $30.00 in Rio das Ostras for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $179 per month, with Rio das Ostras cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Rio das Ostras

🕒 Local time

06:43 6:43 AM

09:43 9:43 AM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

156,491

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 →

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Between locations

Mexico City Rio das Ostras 7,770 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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Mexico City
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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

Mexico City vs Rio das Ostras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Rio das Ostras differ by about 115% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $720 including rent). Rio das Ostras is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 78% higher in Mexico City, 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $198 in Rio das Ostras. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Rio das Ostras runs roughly 124% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $327 in Rio das Ostras. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $720 in Rio das Ostras versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio das Ostras but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Rio das Ostras 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 Rio das Ostras gentler on the wallet – expenses run 115% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.