Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Cuajimalpa

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuajimalpa: $1,141 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Cuajimalpa
Learn more

Cuajimalpa Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Cuajimalpa

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,141

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,141 in Cuajimalpa.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Cuajimalpa $1,141

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,827 in Cuajimalpa.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Cuajimalpa $1,827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,514 in Cuajimalpa.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Cuajimalpa $2,514

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 12% more expensive than in Cuajimalpa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 6% lower, Cuajimalpa 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$10.81 MX$200

-13.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$43.13 MX$797

-7.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$8.35 MX$154

-0.12%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$3.60 MX$66.6

-36.39%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$1.40 MX$25.87

13.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$1.06 MX$19.50

-4.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$2.52 MX$46.60

-15.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$3.96 MX$73.2

-7.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.58 MX$29.16

-28.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$2.64 MX$48.81

-20.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$1.70 MX$31.34

-26.47%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$2.46 MX$45.39

-8.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$8.08 MX$149

35.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$8.10 MX$150

-46.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$11.30 MX$209

-15.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$2.79 MX$51.5

2.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.51 MX$27.83

19.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$1.86 MX$34.44

-15.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$1.81 MX$33.42

1.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$2.00 MX$36.89

-40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$1.91 MX$35.21

-44.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$1.43 MX$26.42

-47.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$1.12 MX$20.79

-39.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$4.44 MX$82.1

-33.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$10.50 MX$194

-24.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$1.79 MX$33.13

-34.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$3.18 MX$58.8

-23.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$0.69 MX$12.73

36.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$2.62 MX$48.32

-54.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$2.01 MX$37.15

-58.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$10.91 MX$202

-17.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.44 MX$26.64

-10.42%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$20.9K MX$386.5K

8.91%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$24.3K MX$448.9K

39.78%

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

$134 R$681

$57.5 MX$1,063

133.56%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$22.78 MX$421

-52.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$29.83 MX$551

-23.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$34.34 MX$635

-12.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

$20.21 MX$373

55.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$5.31 MX$98.1

45.57%

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

$584 R$2,960

$223 MX$4,122

161.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$4,649 MX$85.9K

175.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$54.5 MX$1,008

-24.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$41.13 MX$760

19.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$101 MX$1,863

-26.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$88.6 MX$1,636

-25.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$600 MX$11.1K

49.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$395 MX$7,290

33.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$1,021 MX$18.9K

30.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$764 MX$14.1K

-2.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$1,905 MX$35.2K

109.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$1,154 MX$21.3K

35.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.3

5.58%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Last update for Cuajimalpa: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Cuajimalpa

$395 34.6% 25.2% $133

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Cuajimalpa

$262 23% 22.7% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Cuajimalpa

$110 9.7% 34.4% $58

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Cuajimalpa

$185 16.2% 18.7% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Cuajimalpa

$128 11.2% 23.9% $25

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Cuajimalpa

$15 * 1.4% 74.1% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Cuajimalpa

$45 3.9% 1.4% $0.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $900 in Rio de Janeiro and $600 in Cuajimalpa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $43.00 in Cuajimalpa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $262 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇲🇽 Cuajimalpa

🕒 Local time

12:14 12:14 PM

09:14 9:14 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

217,686

💱 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 24, 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 24, 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 Cuajimalpa 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Cuajimalpa

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 Cuajimalpa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cuajimalpa is cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,910 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,711 in Cuajimalpa to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $600 in Cuajimalpa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $584 in Rio de Janeiro versus $223 in Cuajimalpa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cuajimalpa – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,141 in Cuajimalpa versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cuajimalpa but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Cuajimalpa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cuajimalpa is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Rio de Janeiro, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Rio de Janeiro and Cuajimalpa 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 Cuajimalpa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.