Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Cancun

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $1,428 in Cancun, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Cancun despite lower rent and utilities.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
Learn more

Cancun Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,285 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,428 in Cancun, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Cancun $1,428

A couple spends around $1,888 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,290 in Cancun, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Cancun $2,290

A family of three spends $2,491 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,152 in Cancun, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Cancun $3,152

Rio de Janeiro is about 10% cheaper than Cancun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Rio de Janeiro sits 4% below the global median, while Cancun is 7% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$11.15 MX$205

-10.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$54.6 MX$1,003

-26.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$11.30 MX$208

-24.96%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$3.86 MX$71.0

-38.86%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$1.38 MX$25.26

18.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$0.80 MX$14.76

26.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$3.08 MX$56.5

-20.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$4.35 MX$79.9

-15.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$1.63 MX$29.94

-29.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$2.71 MX$49.81

-23.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$1.65 MX$30.27

-21.82%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$2.72 MX$50.0

-16.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$9.93 MX$182

10.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$8.80 MX$162

-51.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$13.88 MX$255

-29.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$2.83 MX$52.0

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$1.67 MX$30.66

10.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$3.20 MX$58.7

-50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$2.16 MX$39.74

-16.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$2.03 MX$37.27

-37.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$1.90 MX$34.95

-43.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$1.15 MX$21.12

-34.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$1.22 MX$22.47

-45.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$4.51 MX$82.8

-32.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$10.03 MX$184

-18.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$1.56 MX$28.61

-23.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$2.73 MX$50.1

-12.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

$0.64 MX$11.82

57.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

$28.64 MX$526

75.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

$4.50 MX$82.5

-71.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

$2.98 MX$54.7

-69.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

$13.62 MX$250

-30.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$1.52 MX$27.84

-12.50%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

$21.0K MX$385.8K

11.51%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$24.5K MX$449.7K

37.09%

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

$134 R$666

$172 MX$3,166

-22.59%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$23.50 MX$431

-47.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$37.97 MX$697

-40.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$33.57 MX$616

-5.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

$13.50 MX$248

128.67%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$7.33 MX$135

12.28%

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

$603 R$3,011

$205 MX$3,760

194.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

$5,468 MX$100.4K

142.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$54.9 MX$1,008

-24.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$54.7 MX$1,005

-8.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$76.9 MX$1,412

-2.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$94.4 MX$1,732

-27.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

$672 MX$12.3K

34.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

$464 MX$8,518

13.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

$1,375 MX$25.2K

-2.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

$1,075 MX$19.7K

-27.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

$1,281 MX$23.5K

210.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

$1,985 MX$36.4K

-21.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

$819 MX$15.0K

-21.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.45

4.19%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026

Last update for Cancun: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Cancun

$464 32.9% 12% $63

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Cancun

$287 20.3% 33.6% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Cancun

$234 16.6% 38.9% $66

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Cancun

$202 14.3% 23.5% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Cancun

$126 9% 19.6% $21

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Cancun

$51 3.6% 15.6% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Cancun

$48 3.4% 0.5% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $672 in Cancun. 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 27% higher in Cancun, 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 $55.0 in Cancun. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $287 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇲🇽 Cancun

🕒 Local time

09:11 9:11 AM

07:11 7:11 AM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

888,797

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Cancun 6,810 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Cancun

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 Cancun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, $1,428 in Cancun – roughly 11% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,927 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $2,141 in Cancun. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $603 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $205 in Cancun. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Cancun, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,285, than in Cancun at $1,428. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cancun it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Rio de Janeiro has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro to $1,428 in Cancun. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Rio de Janeiro. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cancun makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.