Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Azcapotzalco

For one person, living is cheaper in Azcapotzalco: $1,140 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.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Azcapotzalco
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Azcapotzalco Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Azcapotzalco

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,140

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,140 in Azcapotzalco.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Azcapotzalco $1,140

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,829 in Azcapotzalco.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Azcapotzalco $1,829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,517 in Azcapotzalco.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Azcapotzalco $2,517

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 13% more expensive than in Azcapotzalco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$10.83 MX$200

-7.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$43.07 MX$796

-6.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$8.68 MX$160

-1.50%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.62 MX$66.9

-34.25%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.41 MX$26.13

14.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.07 MX$19.75

-3.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$2.50 MX$46.21

-1.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$3.97 MX$73.4

-6.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.66 MX$30.71

-28.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.67 MX$49.35

-23.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.65 MX$30.43

-22.42%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$2.54 MX$46.86

-9.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$8.06 MX$149

33.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$8.38 MX$155

-47.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$11.72 MX$217

-16.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$2.75 MX$50.8

2.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.56 MX$28.82

14.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$1.86 MX$34.45

-13.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$1.78 MX$32.94

1.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$2.01 MX$37.22

-39.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$1.89 MX$34.89

-44.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$1.48 MX$27.38

-47.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.08 MX$19.96

-37.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$4.26 MX$78.7

-29.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$10.49 MX$194

-22.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.73 MX$31.95

-31.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$3.06 MX$56.6

-17.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.69 MX$12.76

43.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.63 MX$48.59

-53.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.95 MX$35.99

-52.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$11.65 MX$215

-23.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.45 MX$26.77

-10.34%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$21.5K MX$396.7K

11.23%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$24.1K MX$445.6K

36.29%

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

$133 R$676

$58.5 MX$1,081

128.00%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$23.16 MX$428

-53.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$29.55 MX$546

-22.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$34.65 MX$640

-11.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$19.76 MX$365

61.18%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$5.19 MX$95.9

55.11%

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

$598 R$3,029

$217 MX$4,004

175.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$4,543 MX$83.9K

195.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$54.5 MX$1,008

-22.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$41.10 MX$759

20.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$101 MX$1,860

-25.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$89.8 MX$1,659

-23.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$607 MX$11.2K

48.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$388 MX$7,176

36.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$1,024 MX$18.9K

29.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$755 MX$14.0K

0.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$1,940 MX$35.8K

106.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$1,161 MX$21.5K

34.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$1,728 MX$31.9K

-62.99%

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 Azcapotzalco: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Azcapotzalco

$388 34.1% 26.7% $141

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Azcapotzalco

$265 23.3% 23.6% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Azcapotzalco

$111 9.8% 33.4% $56

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Azcapotzalco

$186 16.4% 13% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Azcapotzalco

$129 11.3% 21.8% $23

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Azcapotzalco

$15 * 1.3% 74.7% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Azcapotzalco

$45 4% 4% $1.9

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 $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $607 in Azcapotzalco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Azcapotzalco pays 170% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $43.00 in Azcapotzalco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $265 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇲🇽 Azcapotzalco

🕒 Local time

10:29 10:29 AM

07:29 7:29 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

432,205

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Azcapotzalco 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Azcapotzalco

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 Azcapotzalco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Azcapotzalco differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($1,289 vs $1,140 including rent). Azcapotzalco is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 170% lower in Azcapotzalco. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $607 in Azcapotzalco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Rio de Janeiro pay roughly 24% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,140 in Azcapotzalco – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,140 in Azcapotzalco versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Azcapotzalco but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Azcapotzalco 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 Azcapotzalco 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.