Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Chimaltenango

For one person, living is cheaper in Chimaltenango: $745 a month against $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Chimaltenango
Learn more

Chimaltenango Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Chimaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$745

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,285 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $745 in Chimaltenango, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Chimaltenango $745

A couple spends around $1,888 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,229 in Chimaltenango, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Chimaltenango $1,229

A family of three spends $2,491 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,712 in Chimaltenango, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Chimaltenango $1,712

Rio de Janeiro costs about 72% more than Chimaltenango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Chimaltenango are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 4% lower, Chimaltenango 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$6.92 Q 52.9

44.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$49.80 Q 381

-19.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$7.69 Q 58.8

10.27%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$3.36 Q 25.67

-29.76%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$1.16 Q 8.88

40.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$0.93 Q 7.10

8.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$3.19 Q 24.36

-23.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$4.85 Q 37.04

-23.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$2.00 Q 15.30

-42.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$3.13 Q 23.94

-33.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$2.09 Q 15.96

-38.28%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$2.56 Q 19.59

-11.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$6.46 Q 49.37

70.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$9.44 Q 72.1

-54.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$13.47 Q 103

-27.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$4.00 Q 30.54

-29.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$1.66 Q 12.66

10.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$2.82 Q 21.56

-43.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$1.66 Q 12.70

8.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$1.48 Q 11.27

-14.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$2.10 Q 16.08

-49.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$0.68 Q 5.17

10.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$1.15 Q 8.78

-42.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$3.99 Q 30.48

-23.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$8.36 Q 63.9

-2.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$1.75 Q 13.36

-32.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$2.68 Q 20.49

-10.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

$5.27 Q 40.28

-75.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

$10.27 Q 78.5

-8.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$1.21 Q 9.28

9.92%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

$27.9K Q 213.3K

-16.05%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$25.3K Q 193.1K

32.84%

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

$134 R$666

$72.4 Q 553

84.42%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$29.30 Q 224

-58.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$47.04 Q 359

-51.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$6.34 Q 48.43

29.81%

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

$603 R$3,011

$338 Q 2,583

78.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

$6,593 Q 50.4K

100.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$49.38 Q 377

-15.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$47.63 Q 364

4.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$116 Q 889

-35.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$114 Q 873

-40.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.62

2.67%

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 Chimaltenango: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Chimaltenango

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Chimaltenango

$282 37.7% 31.6% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Chimaltenango

$149 19.9% 11.7% $20

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Chimaltenango

$153 20.4% 6.8% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Chimaltenango

$147 19.7% 39.5% $42

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Chimaltenango

$5.3 * 0.7% 91.2% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Chimaltenango

$13 * 1.7% 73.6% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $50.0 in Chimaltenango. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $282 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇬🇹 Chimaltenango

🕒 Local time

08:50 8:50 AM

05:50 5:50 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

43,900

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, 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).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.56 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Chimaltenango 6,660 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Chimaltenango

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 Chimaltenango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro costs about 72% more than Chimaltenango, 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 $1,927 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,117 in Chimaltenango. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro and $50.0 in Chimaltenango. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 32% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chimaltenango, where all-in costs run around $745, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,285. In Chimaltenango 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. Chimaltenango costs $745 versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Chimaltenango. 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.