Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Cozumel

For one person, living is cheaper in Cozumel: $1,167 a month against $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Cozumel
Learn more

Cozumel Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Cozumel

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,167

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,167 in Cozumel.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Cozumel $1,167

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,884 in Cozumel.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Cozumel $1,884

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,602 in Cozumel.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Cozumel $2,602

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 10% more expensive than in Cozumel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 4% lower, Cozumel 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$8.71 MX$160

14.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$45.03 MX$827

-10.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$8.23 MX$151

3.04%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$2.79 MX$51.2

-15.41%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$1.11 MX$20.39

46.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$1.02 MX$18.80

-0.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$1.69 MX$31.02

44.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$3.17 MX$58.2

16.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$1.43 MX$26.29

-19.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$1.64 MX$30.20

26.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$1.76 MX$32.32

-26.70%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$1.89 MX$34.72

20.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$10.33 MX$190

6.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$8.06 MX$148

-46.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$12.85 MX$236

-24.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$2.47 MX$45.33

14.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$1.40 MX$25.70

31.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$2.13 MX$39.07

-24.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$1.53 MX$28.16

17.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$2.24 MX$41.12

-43.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$1.77 MX$32.43

-39.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$1.46 MX$26.81

-48.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$1.20 MX$22.04

-45.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$4.43 MX$81.3

-31.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$10.96 MX$201

-25.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$1.54 MX$28.23

-22.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$2.57 MX$47.14

-7.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

$0.69 MX$12.58

46.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

$67.2 MX$1,233

-25.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

$2.84 MX$52.1

-55.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

$1.97 MX$36.21

-54.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

$9.29 MX$171

1.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$1.37 MX$25.12

-2.92%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

$20.5K MX$377.1K

14.09%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$24.3K MX$446.9K

37.95%

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

$134 R$666

$59.7 MX$1,097

123.47%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$20.99 MX$385

-41.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$22.26 MX$409

1.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$39.08 MX$717

-19.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

$20.46 MX$376

50.88%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$6.13 MX$113

34.26%

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

$603 R$3,011

$261 MX$4,789

131.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

$3,671 MX$67.4K

260.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$54.3 MX$997

-23.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$54.2 MX$994

-7.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$104 MX$1,911

-27.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$84.7 MX$1,555

-19.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

$606 MX$11.1K

49.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

$399 MX$7,327

32.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

$1,619 MX$29.7K

-16.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

$767 MX$14.1K

0.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

$1,922 MX$35.3K

107.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

$1,163 MX$21.4K

34.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

$662 MX$12.2K

-2.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.64

2.49%

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 Cozumel: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Cozumel

$399 33.9% 24.3% $128

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Cozumel

$257 21.8% 19.9% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Cozumel

$103 8.7% 38.8% $65

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Cozumel

$151 12.8% 7.7% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Cozumel

$134 11.4% 26.5% $28

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Cozumel

$83 7% 37.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Cozumel

$51 4.4% 6.9% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $905 in Rio de Janeiro and $606 in Cozumel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cozumel pays 3% 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 $45.00 in Cozumel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $257 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇲🇽 Cozumel

🕒 Local time

04:45 4:45 AM

02:45 2:45 AM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

77,236

💱 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 = 5.6 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 = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Cozumel 6,760 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Cozumel

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 Cozumel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Cozumel differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($1,285 vs $1,167 including rent). Cozumel is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Cozumel. 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: $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $606 in Cozumel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Rio de Janeiro pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Cozumel – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,167 in Cozumel versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cozumel but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Cozumel 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.

Safety-wise, Rio de Janeiro and Cozumel are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cozumel gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.