Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Durango

For one person, living is cheaper in Durango: $1,051 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Durango
Learn more

Durango Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Durango

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,051

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,051 in Durango, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Durango $1,051

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,656 in Durango, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Durango $1,656

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,261 in Durango, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Durango $2,261

Rio de Janeiro costs about 23% more than Durango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Durango are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Durango 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$7.30 MX$135

37.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$30.58 MX$565

32.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$10.48 MX$194

-18.42%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$1.95 MX$35.98

22.05%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.15 MX$21.31

40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.76 MX$14.07

35.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$1.39 MX$25.60

77.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$2.77 MX$51.1

33.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.29 MX$23.92

-7.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.54 MX$46.94

-19.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.24 MX$22.95

3.23%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$2.27 MX$41.92

0.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$8.07 MX$149

33.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$8.15 MX$151

-45.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$9.40 MX$174

4.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$2.54 MX$46.94

10.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.53 MX$28.32

16.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$1.76 MX$32.46

-9.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$1.14 MX$21.10

57.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.20 MX$22.13

1.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$1.28 MX$23.69

-18.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$0.79 MX$14.54

-2.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.11 MX$20.51

-39.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$3.63 MX$67.1

-17.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$13.72 MX$253

-41.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.74 MX$32.14

-31.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.80 MX$51.7

-10.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.69 MX$12.74

43.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$1.13 MX$20.91

7.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.86 MX$34.45

-50.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$10.90 MX$201

-17.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.42 MX$26.26

-8.45%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$19.4K MX$358.9K

22.94%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$24.0K MX$443.3K

37.00%

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

$133 R$676

$59.1 MX$1,092

125.72%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$21.25 MX$393

-49.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$27.51 MX$508

-16.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$22.49 MX$416

36.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$9.52 MX$176

234.56%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$3.91 MX$72.2

105.88%

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

$598 R$3,029

$177 MX$3,277

236.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$2,325 MX$43.0K

477.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$55.6 MX$1,027

-24.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$40.30 MX$745

23.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$101 MX$1,870

-26.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$90.8 MX$1,677

-24.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$601 MX$11.1K

50.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$393 MX$7,255

34.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$1,057 MX$19.5K

25.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$777 MX$14.4K

-2.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$1,951 MX$36.0K

105.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$1,076 MX$19.9K

45.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$531 MX$9,814

20.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

12.3

-3.01%

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 Durango: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Durango

$393 37.3% 25.8% $137

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Durango

$245 23.3% 13.9% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Durango

$108 10.3% 35.5% $59

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Durango

$133 12.7% 19.2% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Durango

$130 12.3% 22.5% $24

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Durango

$13 * 1.3% 77.9% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Durango

$30 2.9% 35.4% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $601 in Durango. 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 20% 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 $31.00 in Durango. Groceries tell a different story – $215 in Rio de Janeiro vs $245 in Durango – so Rio de Janeiro wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇲🇽 Durango

🕒 Local time

10:08 10:08 AM

07:08 7:08 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

518,709

💱 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 Durango 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Durango

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 Durango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, $1,051 in Durango – roughly 23% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,577 in Durango. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Durango, 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 $31.00 in Durango. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Durango, where all-in costs run around $1,051, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Durango 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 $1,051 in Durango to $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Durango. 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.