Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Acuna

For one person, living is cheaper in Acuna: $1,128 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Acuna
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Acuna Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Acuna

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,128

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Acuna actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,128 in Acuna, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Acuna $1,128

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,861 in Acuna, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Acuna $1,861

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,594 in Acuna, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Acuna $2,594

Rio de Janeiro costs about 14% more than Acuna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Acuna are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Acuna 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$12.22 MX$226

-17.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$40.26 MX$744

0.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$8.18 MX$151

4.52%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.04 MX$56.1

-21.71%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.26 MX$23.26

27.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.16 MX$21.43

-11.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$2.25 MX$41.51

9.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$3.51 MX$64.9

5.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.82 MX$33.55

-34.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.58 MX$47.59

-20.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.73 MX$31.92

-26.01%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$2.50 MX$46.18

-8.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$7.88 MX$146

36.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$7.96 MX$147

-44.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$12.30 MX$227

-20.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$3.08 MX$57.0

-8.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.52 MX$28.10

17.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$1.95 MX$35.95

-17.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$1.74 MX$32.16

3.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.95 MX$36.12

-37.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$1.86 MX$34.34

-44.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$1.36 MX$25.17

-43.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.22 MX$22.50

-45.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$4.08 MX$75.3

-26.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$10.98 MX$203

-26.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.58 MX$29.24

-24.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$3.32 MX$61.3

-24.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.59 MX$10.92

67.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.47 MX$45.72

-50.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$2.14 MX$39.55

-57.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$12.51 MX$231

-28.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.31 MX$24.23

-0.76%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$22.6K MX$417.6K

5.65%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$26.6K MX$491.6K

23.52%

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

$133 R$676

$55.5 MX$1,025

140.53%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$21.62 MX$399

-49.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$29.24 MX$540

-21.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$37.72 MX$697

-18.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$19.85 MX$367

60.45%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$5.30 MX$97.9

51.89%

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

$598 R$3,029

$242 MX$4,477

146.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$4,625 MX$85.5K

190.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$55.0 MX$1,017

-23.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$43.44 MX$803

14.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$111 MX$2,043

-32.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$93.6 MX$1,729

-26.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$543 MX$10.0K

66.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$367 MX$6,785

44.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$963 MX$17.8K

37.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$817 MX$15.1K

-7.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$2,129 MX$39.4K

88.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$1,319 MX$24.4K

18.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.3

5.58%

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 Acuna: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Acuna

$367 32.5% 30.7% $162

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Acuna

$268 23.8% 25% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Acuna

$106 9.4% 36.4% $61

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Acuna

$187 16.5% 13.1% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Acuna

$136 12.1% 28.8% $30

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Acuna

$16 * 1.4% 74% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Acuna

$48 4.3% 3% $1.4

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 $543 in Acuna. 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 $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $40.00 in Acuna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $268 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇲🇽 Acuna

🕒 Local time

04:08 4:08 AM

02:08 2:08 AM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

160,225

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Acuna 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Acuna

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 Acuna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rio de Janeiro is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,693 in Acuna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Acuna, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro and $40.00 in Acuna. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 25% cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Acuna, where all-in costs run around $1,128, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Acuna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Acuna – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Acuna. 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.