Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Cuautla

For one person, living costs are similar in Rio de Janeiro and in Cuautla: $1,289 and $1,253 a month, rent and utilities included.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Cuautla
Learn more

Cuautla Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Cuautla

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,253

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,253 in Cuautla.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Cuautla $1,253

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,999 in Cuautla.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Cuautla $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,745 in Cuautla.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Cuautla $2,745

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 3% more expensive than in Cuautla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Cuautla 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$11.03 MX$204

-8.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$64.2 MX$1,186

-37.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$9.42 MX$174

-9.24%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.71 MX$68.5

-35.85%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.63 MX$30.20

-1.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.04 MX$19.22

-0.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$3.27 MX$60.5

-24.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$5.54 MX$102

-33.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.92 MX$35.52

-38.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.79 MX$51.6

-26.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.94 MX$35.82

-34.02%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$2.75 MX$50.8

-16.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$8.75 MX$162

22.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$9.17 MX$169

-51.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$13.77 MX$255

-28.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$3.39 MX$62.7

-17.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.60 MX$29.55

11.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$2.14 MX$39.45

-25.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$1.94 MX$35.78

-7.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.86 MX$34.37

-34.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$1.76 MX$32.51

-40.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$1.51 MX$27.96

-49.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.19 MX$22.07

-43.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$4.50 MX$83.2

-33.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$17.50 MX$323

-53.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$2.24 MX$41.32

-46.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$3.95 MX$73.0

-36.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.63 MX$11.60

57.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$3.23 MX$59.6

-62.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$2.54 MX$47.02

-63.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$11.09 MX$205

-19.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.31 MX$24.22

-0.76%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$20.8K MX$384.9K

14.62%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$24.0K MX$444.0K

36.76%

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

$133 R$676

$58.8 MX$1,087

126.79%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$26.84 MX$496

-59.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$24.52 MX$453

-6.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$36.29 MX$671

-15.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$20.97 MX$387

51.88%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$7.36 MX$136

9.38%

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

$598 R$3,029

$263 MX$4,865

126.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$5,033 MX$93.0K

166.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$51.9 MX$959

-19.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$45.28 MX$837

9.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$99.8 MX$1,844

-25.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$98.4 MX$1,817

-30.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$645 MX$11.9K

40.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$434 MX$8,019

22.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$1,182 MX$21.8K

12.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$736 MX$13.6K

2.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$1,712 MX$31.6K

134.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$1,075 MX$19.9K

45.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.99

-0.50%

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 Cuautla: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Cuautla

$434 34.6% 18% $96

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Cuautla

$308 24.6% 43.3% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Cuautla

$110 8.8% 34.1% $57

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Cuautla

$199 15.9% 20.7% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Cuautla

$133 10.6% 25.7% $27

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Cuautla

$18 * 1.5% 69.2% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Cuautla

$51 4.1% 8.8% $4.1

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 $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $645 in Cuautla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $64.0 in Cuautla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $308 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇲🇽 Cuautla

🕒 Local time

12:13 12:13 PM

09:13 9:13 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

157,336

💱 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 Cuautla 7,630 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Cuautla

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 Cuautla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cuautla is cheaper overall, especially in transport. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,933 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,880 in Cuautla 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: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $645 in Cuautla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $598 in Rio de Janeiro versus $263 in Cuautla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cuautla – a meal for two runs $64.0 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,253 in Cuautla versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cuautla but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Cuautla the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cuautla 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.

Expats usually find Cuautla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.