Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quetzaltenango and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Quetzaltenango: $1,148 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

56

Cost of Living Index in Quetzaltenango
Learn more

Quetzaltenango Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

Jump to prices

Quetzaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,148

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,148 per month in Quetzaltenango vs $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Quetzaltenango $1,148
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

A couple spends around $1,444 per month in Quetzaltenango vs $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Quetzaltenango $1,444
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

A family of three spends $1,741 per month in Quetzaltenango vs $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Quetzaltenango $1,741
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Quetzaltenango is about 11% cheaper than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Quetzaltenango and Rio de Janeiro are more affordable than the global median – Quetzaltenango 15% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.78 Q 51.9

$10.06 R$51.0

-32.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.64 Q 380

$40.44 R$205

22.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.66 Q 58.6

$8.55 R$43.35

-10.41%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Q 24.91

$2.38 R$12.04

36.97%

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

$1.15 Q 8.77

$1.61 R$8.18

-28.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 Q 6.97

$1.03 R$5.22

-11.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 Q 25.60

$2.47 R$12.54

35.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 Q 35.65

$3.70 R$18.77

25.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 Q 15.36

$1.19 R$6.05

68.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.66 Q 20.33

$2.05 R$10.38

29.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 Q 16.30

$1.28 R$6.49

66.41%

Eggs

$2.51 Q 19.16

$2.29 R$11.60

9.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.44 Q 49.23

$10.76 R$54.5

-40.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 Q 60.9

$4.41 R$22.36

80.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 Q 98.3

$9.84 R$49.86

30.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 Q 21.90

$2.81 R$14.25

1.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 Q 13.02

$1.78 R$9.03

-4.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 Q 22.30

$1.60 R$8.13

82.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 Q 12.55

$1.80 R$9.11

-8.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 Q 11.81

$1.22 R$6.17

27.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 Q 16.71

$1.04 R$5.26

110.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 Q 5.31

$0.77 R$3.92

-10.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 Q 9.10

$0.67 R$3.38

77.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 Q 25.64

$3.01 R$15.27

11.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.09 Q 61.9

$8.08 R$40.94

0.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 Q 13.18

$1.19 R$6.03

44.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 Q 20.70

$2.51 R$12.73

7.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.15 Q 39.38

$1.22 R$6.20

322.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 Q 13.22

$0.92 R$4.66

88.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.56 Q 80.8

$8.97 R$45.45

17.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 Q 10.57

$1.30 R$6.57

6.15%

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

$27.5K Q 210.6K

$23.9K R$121.0K

15.35%

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

$25.3K Q 193.3K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-23.09%

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

$72.7 Q 556

$133 R$676

-45.47%

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

$13.06 Q 99.9

$10.82 R$54.8

20.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.29 Q 354

$22.90 R$116

102.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.89 Q 251

$30.79 R$156

6.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$6.35 Q 48.54

$8.05 R$40.83

-21.12%

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

$342 Q 2,611

$598 R$3,029

-42.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,757 Q 51.7K

$13.4K R$68.0K

-49.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.0 Q 382

$42.04 R$213

18.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.61 Q 356

$49.68 R$252

-6.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Q 844

$74.5 R$378

48.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 Q 857

$68.7 R$348

63.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$397 Q 3,037

$903 R$4,578

-56.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 Q 3,046

$529 R$2,684

-24.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

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)

$640 R$3,242

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

11.93

-2.60%

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

Last update for Quetzaltenango: 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

Quetzaltenango

$398 34.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 32.9% $131

Groceries & Markets

Quetzaltenango

$264 23%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 18.6% $49

Eating Out

Quetzaltenango

$151 13.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 9.5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Quetzaltenango

$144 12.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 26.4% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quetzaltenango

$132 11.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 26.5% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Quetzaltenango

$46 4%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 2.9% $1.3

Getting Around

Quetzaltenango

$14 * 1.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 334% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $397 in Quetzaltenango 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Quetzaltenango versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $215 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Quetzaltenango

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

03:41 3:41 AM

06:41 6:41 AM

3 h ahead of Quetzaltenango

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 7.65 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.6 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.116 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 GTQ in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Quetzaltenango Rio de Janeiro 6,730 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Quetzaltenango
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

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

Rio de Janeiro costs about 12% more than Quetzaltenango, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,722 per month in Quetzaltenango 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 Quetzaltenango, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,148 in Quetzaltenango and $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a gap of about 12%.

Kindergarten costs $342 per month in Quetzaltenango and $598 in Rio de Janeiro. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Quetzaltenango, where all-in costs run around $1,148, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Quetzaltenango it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Quetzaltenango costs $1,148 versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Quetzaltenango. 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.