Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Ciudad Juarez

For one person, living is cheaper in Ciudad Juarez: $1,150 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad Juarez
Learn more

Ciudad Juarez Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Ciudad Juarez

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,150

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Ciudad Juarez

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,150 in Ciudad Juarez, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Ciudad Juarez $1,150

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,862 in Ciudad Juarez, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Ciudad Juarez $1,862

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,574 in Ciudad Juarez, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Ciudad Juarez $2,574

Rio de Janeiro costs about 12% more than Ciudad Juarez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Ciudad Juarez are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Ciudad Juarez 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$9.47 MX$175

6.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$33.42 MX$618

21.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$10.33 MX$191

-17.23%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$2.80 MX$51.7

-15.00%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.10 MX$20.33

46.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.65 MX$12.03

58.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$2.07 MX$38.32

19.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$4.26 MX$78.7

-13.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.74 MX$32.21

-31.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.22 MX$41.03

-7.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.56 MX$28.82

-17.95%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$2.25 MX$41.50

1.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$12.83 MX$237

-16.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$6.68 MX$123

-33.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$12.07 MX$223

-18.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$2.59 MX$47.84

8.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$2.04 MX$37.69

-12.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$1.87 MX$34.55

-14.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$2.12 MX$39.16

-15.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.64 MX$30.35

-25.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$2.31 MX$42.77

-54.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$1.58 MX$29.19

-51.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.12 MX$20.61

-40.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$4.54 MX$83.8

-33.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$10.94 MX$202

-26.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.27 MX$23.40

-6.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$3.28 MX$60.7

-23.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.64 MX$11.74

54.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$27.45 MX$507

82.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$4.06 MX$75.0

-69.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.12 MX$20.67

-17.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$16.34 MX$302

-45.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.31 MX$24.18

-0.76%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$20.8K MX$384.7K

14.70%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$24.4K MX$451.2K

34.60%

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

$133 R$676

$85.7 MX$1,584

55.59%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$22.75 MX$420

-52.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$28.46 MX$526

-19.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$33.45 MX$618

-7.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$14.84 MX$274

114.62%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$4.25 MX$78.6

89.41%

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

$598 R$3,029

$215 MX$3,969

178.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$2,861 MX$52.9K

369.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$59.6 MX$1,101

-29.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$33.01 MX$610

50.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$76.4 MX$1,411

-2.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$81.9 MX$1,514

-16.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$609 MX$11.2K

48.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$382 MX$7,055

38.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$1,009 MX$18.6K

31.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$859 MX$15.9K

-12.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$957 MX$17.7K

318.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$699 MX$12.9K

123.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$585 MX$10.8K

9.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.32

5.39%

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 Ciudad Juarez: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Ciudad Juarez

$382 33.2% 27.9% $148

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Ciudad Juarez

$270 23.5% 25.9% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Ciudad Juarez

$137 11.9% 18.1% $30

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Ciudad Juarez

$166 14.5% 0.8% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Ciudad Juarez

$113 9.8% 6.8% $7.2

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Ciudad Juarez

$40 3.5% 33.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Ciudad Juarez

$42 3.7% 10.5% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $609 in Ciudad Juarez. 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 9% higher in Rio de Janeiro, 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 $33.00 in Ciudad Juarez. Groceries tell a different story – $215 in Rio de Janeiro vs $270 in Ciudad Juarez – so Rio de Janeiro wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇲🇽 Ciudad Juarez

🕒 Local time

15:36 3:36 PM

12:36 12:36 PM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

1,501,551

💱 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 Ciudad Juarez 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Ciudad Juarez

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 Ciudad Juarez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, $1,150 in Ciudad Juarez – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,725 in Ciudad Juarez. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ciudad Juarez, 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 $33.00 in Ciudad Juarez. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,150 in Ciudad Juarez. That's a gap of about 12%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ciudad Juarez, where all-in costs run around $1,150, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Ciudad Juarez it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro 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 $1,150 in Ciudad Juarez to $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Ciudad Juarez. 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.