Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Piedras Negras and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Piedras Negras: $1,137 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

55

Cost of Living Index in Piedras Negras
Learn more

Piedras Negras Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

Jump to prices

Piedras Negras

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,137

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,137 in Piedras Negras versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Piedras Negras $1,137
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,838 in Piedras Negras versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

Piedras Negras $1,838
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,539 in Piedras Negras versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

Piedras Negras $2,539
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Piedras Negras costs roughly 12% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Piedras Negras 16% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.12 MX$205

$10.06 R$51.0

10.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.57 MX$824

$40.44 R$205

10.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.45 MX$156

$8.55 R$43.35

-1.17%

Cappuccino

$3.63 MX$67.1

$2.38 R$12.04

52.52%

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

$1.42 MX$26.26

$1.61 R$8.18

-11.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 MX$18.50

$1.03 R$5.22

-2.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 MX$46.72

$2.47 R$12.54

2.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 MX$74.9

$3.70 R$18.77

9.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MX$30.69

$1.19 R$6.05

39.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 MX$46.83

$2.05 R$10.38

23.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.52

$1.28 R$6.49

33.59%

Eggs

$2.45 MX$45.35

$2.29 R$11.60

6.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.36 MX$155

$10.76 R$54.5

-22.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.11 MX$150

$4.41 R$22.36

83.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.28 MX$209

$9.84 R$49.86

14.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 MX$51.1

$2.81 R$14.25

-1.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.34

$1.78 R$9.03

-10.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.68

$1.60 R$8.13

17.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$1.80 R$9.11

1.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.84

$1.22 R$6.17

63.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.24

$1.04 R$5.26

73.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.36

$0.77 R$3.92

92.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$19.96

$0.67 R$3.38

61.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MX$83.1

$3.01 R$15.27

49.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 MX$196

$8.08 R$40.94

31.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 MX$33.37

$1.19 R$6.03

52.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 MX$57.7

$2.51 R$12.73

24.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.55

$0.99 R$5.00

-31.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MX$49.22

$1.22 R$6.20

118.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 MX$41.56

$0.92 R$4.66

144.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.14 MX$206

$8.97 R$45.45

24.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 MX$24.65

$1.30 R$6.57

2.31%

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

$20.8K MX$385.2K

$23.9K R$121.0K

-12.70%

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

$24.0K MX$443.9K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-26.90%

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

$49.75 MX$919

$133 R$676

-62.71%

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

$22.89 MX$423

$10.82 R$54.8

111.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.83 MX$551

$22.90 R$116

30.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.41 MX$636

$30.79 R$156

11.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.06 MX$371

$31.85 R$161

-37.02%

Cinema Ticket

$5.31 MX$98.0

$8.05 R$40.83

-34.04%

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

$221 MX$4,089

$598 R$3,029

-62.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,069 MX$75.2K

$13.4K R$68.0K

-69.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 MX$1,018

$42.04 R$213

31.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.69 MX$752

$49.68 R$252

-18.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 MX$1,854

$74.5 R$378

34.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.7 MX$1,675

$68.7 R$348

31.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 MX$11.0K

$903 R$4,578

-33.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 MX$7,263

$529 R$2,684

-25.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 MX$19.2K

$1,326 R$6,724

-21.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$776 MX$14.3K

$756 R$3,831

2.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,876 MX$34.7K

$4,010 R$20.3K

-53.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,173 MX$21.7K

$1,560 R$7,910

-24.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,618 MX$29.9K

$640 R$3,242

153.00%

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 Piedras Negras: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Piedras Negras

$393 34.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 34.7% $136

Groceries & Markets

Piedras Negras

$263 23.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 18.4% $48

Eating Out

Piedras Negras

$188 16.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 12.4% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Piedras Negras

$129 11.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 18.1% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Piedras Negras

$102 9%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 63.1% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Piedras Negras

$45 4%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 4.2% $1.9

Getting Around

Piedras Negras

$17 * 1.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 260% $43

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 $596 in Piedras Negras and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Piedras Negras pays 153% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Piedras Negras vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $263 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Piedras Negras

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

23:59 11:59 PM

01:59 1:59 AM

2 h ahead of Piedras Negras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

173,959

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 19, 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 19, 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

Piedras Negras Rio de Janeiro 8,400 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Piedras Negras
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

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

Piedras Negras is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. The 13% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 153% higher in Piedras Negras, 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: $596 in Piedras Negras versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $221 in Piedras Negras versus $598 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Piedras Negras – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,137 in Piedras Negras versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Piedras Negras but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Piedras Negras the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Piedras Negras is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Rio de Janeiro, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Piedras Negras gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.