Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Chiquimula

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiquimula: $829 a month against $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Chiquimula

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$829

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,285 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $829 in Chiquimula, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Chiquimula $829

A couple spends around $1,888 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,379 in Chiquimula, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Chiquimula $1,379

A family of three spends $2,491 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,929 in Chiquimula, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Chiquimula $1,929

Rio de Janeiro costs about 55% more than Chiquimula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Chiquimula are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 4% lower, Chiquimula 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$8.60 Q 65.7

16.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$52.6 Q 402

-23.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$8.85 Q 67.6

-4.18%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$4.00 Q 30.56

-41.00%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$2.12 Q 16.24

-23.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$1.45 Q 11.11

-30.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$3.93 Q 30.02

-37.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$6.04 Q 46.12

-38.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$2.04 Q 15.56

-43.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$3.59 Q 27.43

-42.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$2.00 Q 15.30

-35.50%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$2.35 Q 17.95

-3.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$5.34 Q 40.77

105.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$13.79 Q 105

-68.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$10.20 Q 78.0

-4.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$4.75 Q 36.29

-40.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$2.38 Q 18.15

-22.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$5.24 Q 40.05

-69.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$1.58 Q 12.11

13.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$1.85 Q 14.17

-31.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$1.76 Q 13.48

-39.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$1.30 Q 9.91

-42.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$1.37 Q 10.48

-51.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$3.91 Q 29.85

-21.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$7.81 Q 59.7

4.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$2.86 Q 21.88

-58.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$3.78 Q 28.85

-36.77%

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

$4.73 Q 36.14

-73.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$1.25 Q 9.52

6.40%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

$22.7K Q 173.7K

3.08%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$21.4K Q 163.8K

56.68%

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

$134 R$666

$56.5 Q 432

136.41%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$39.05 Q 298

-68.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$62.1 Q 475

-63.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$8.27 Q 63.2

-0.48%

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

$603 R$3,011

$545 Q 4,163

10.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

$14.2K Q 108.8K

-6.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$43.74 Q 334

-4.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$53.2 Q 406

-6.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$93.9 Q 717

-20.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$80.6 Q 616

-15.23%

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

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 Chiquimula: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Chiquimula

–

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Chiquimula

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Chiquimula

–

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Chiquimula

–

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Chiquimula

–

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Chiquimula

–

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Chiquimula

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $53.0 in Chiquimula. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $324 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇬🇹 Chiquimula

🕒 Local time

09:14 9:14 AM

06:14 6:14 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

79,815

💱 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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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Chiquimula 6,560 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Chiquimula

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 Chiquimula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rio de Janeiro is pricier by about 55%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,927 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,243 in Chiquimula. 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 $53.0 in Chiquimula. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 51% 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 Chiquimula, where all-in costs run around $829, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,285. In Chiquimula it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chiquimula – 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 Chiquimula. 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.