Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Acapulco

For one person, living is cheaper in Acapulco: $859 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Acapulco
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Acapulco Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Acapulco

🇲🇽 Mexico

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Acapulco

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $859 in Acapulco, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Acapulco $859

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,435 in Acapulco, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Acapulco $1,435

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,012 in Acapulco, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Acapulco $2,012

Rio de Janeiro costs about 50% more than Acapulco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Acapulco are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Acapulco 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$9.48 MX$175

6.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$37.64 MX$696

7.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$11.97 MX$221

-28.57%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.76 MX$69.5

-36.70%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.63 MX$30.10

-1.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.66 MX$30.65

-37.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$3.00 MX$55.4

-17.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$4.79 MX$88.4

-22.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.59 MX$29.36

-25.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.89 MX$53.5

-29.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.68 MX$31.11

-23.81%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$1.79 MX$33.06

27.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$6.64 MX$123

62.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$8.04 MX$149

-45.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$10.78 MX$199

-8.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$4.58 MX$84.7

-38.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.65 MX$30.46

7.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$3.38 MX$62.5

-52.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$3.13 MX$57.9

-42.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$3.47 MX$64.2

-64.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$2.96 MX$54.7

-64.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$1.31 MX$24.12

-41.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$0.78 MX$14.46

-14.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$8.16 MX$151

-63.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$6.66 MX$123

21.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.12 MX$20.74

6.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.70 MX$49.94

-7.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.88 MX$16.27

12.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$4.85 MX$89.6

-74.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.47 MX$27.16

-11.56%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$21.1K MX$389.7K

13.20%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$24.8K MX$458.4K

32.49%

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

$133 R$676

$39.89 MX$737

234.42%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$14.81 MX$274

-26.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$21.72 MX$401

5.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$19.02 MX$351

61.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$13.85 MX$256

129.96%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$3.87 MX$71.6

108.01%

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

$598 R$3,029

$162 MX$2,994

268.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$64.4 MX$1,191

-34.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$44.58 MX$824

11.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$107 MX$1,985

-30.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$83.2 MX$1,538

-17.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$519 MX$9,593

73.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$150 MX$2,763

254.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$956 MX$17.7K

38.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$331 MX$6,118

128.26%

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

$449 MX$8,293

42.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.6

2.84%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Last update for Acapulco: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Acapulco

$150 17.4% 71.8% $380

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Acapulco

$269 31.3% 25.1% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Acapulco

$76 8.9% 54.3% $91

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Acapulco

$195 22.7% 18% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Acapulco

$135 15.7% 27.5% $29

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Acapulco

$8.4 * 1% 86% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Acapulco

$27 3.1% 42.9% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $519 in Acapulco. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 43% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $38.00 in Acapulco. Groceries tell a different story – $215 in Rio de Janeiro vs $269 in Acapulco – so Rio de Janeiro wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇲🇽 Acapulco

🕒 Local time

18:06 6:06 PM

15:06 3:06 PM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

658,609

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

Rio de Janeiro Acapulco 7,580 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Acapulco

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

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

Rio de Janeiro costs about 50% more than Acapulco, 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 $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,288 in Acapulco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Acapulco, 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 $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro and $859 in Acapulco. That's a gap of about 50%.

Kindergarten costs $598 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $162 in Acapulco. 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 Acapulco, where all-in costs run around $859, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Acapulco 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. Acapulco costs $859 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 Acapulco. 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.