Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Ecatepec

For one person, living is cheaper in Ecatepec: $961 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Ecatepec
Learn more

Ecatepec Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Ecatepec

🇲🇽 Mexico

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $961 in Ecatepec, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Ecatepec $961

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,670 in Ecatepec, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Ecatepec $1,670

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,380 in Ecatepec, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Ecatepec $2,380

Rio de Janeiro costs about 34% more than Ecatepec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Ecatepec are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Ecatepec 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$11.14 MX$206

-9.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$50.1 MX$926

-19.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$9.57 MX$177

-10.66%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.71 MX$68.6

-35.85%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.62 MX$30.02

-0.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.09 MX$20.09

-5.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$3.38 MX$62.5

-26.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$5.59 MX$103

-33.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.72 MX$31.71

-30.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.66 MX$49.12

-22.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.96 MX$36.17

-34.69%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$2.75 MX$50.9

-16.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$8.82 MX$163

22.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$9.12 MX$168

-51.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$13.47 MX$249

-26.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$3.14 MX$58.0

-10.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.66 MX$30.74

7.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$2.04 MX$37.65

-21.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$1.90 MX$35.12

-5.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.79 MX$33.16

-31.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$1.75 MX$32.42

-40.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$1.49 MX$27.48

-48.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.19 MX$21.95

-43.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$4.59 MX$84.9

-34.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$16.62 MX$307

-51.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.92 MX$35.43

-38.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$3.83 MX$70.7

-34.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.63 MX$11.72

57.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$31.01 MX$573

61.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$1.99 MX$36.81

-38.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$0.52 MX$9.68

76.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$5.32 MX$98.3

68.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.54 MX$28.48

-15.58%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$21.5K MX$397.7K

10.94%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$23.5K MX$434.5K

39.77%

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

$133 R$676

$57.7 MX$1,067

131.08%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$27.01 MX$499

-59.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$24.74 MX$457

-7.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$26.37 MX$487

16.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$11.00 MX$203

189.55%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$6.47 MX$120

24.42%

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

$598 R$3,029

$270 MX$4,996

121.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$5,048 MX$93.3K

165.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$59.1 MX$1,092

-28.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$44.94 MX$830

10.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$100 MX$1,855

-25.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$98.8 MX$1,826

-30.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$243 MX$4,487

271.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$138 MX$2,550

283.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$683 MX$12.6K

94.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$444 MX$8,205

70.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$755 MX$14.0K

431.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$755 MX$13.9K

106.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$553 MX$10.2K

15.61%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Ecatepec: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Ecatepec

$138 14.4% 73.9% $391

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Ecatepec

$298 31% 38.8% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Ecatepec

$109 11.4% 34.5% $58

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Ecatepec

$201 21% 22% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Ecatepec

$136 14.2% 29.1% $31

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Ecatepec

$38 4% 36.3% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Ecatepec

$39 4.1% 16.2% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $243 in Ecatepec. 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 16% 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 $50.0 in Ecatepec. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $298 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇲🇽 Ecatepec

🕒 Local time

08:48 8:48 AM

05:48 5:48 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

1,645,352

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Ecatepec 7,680 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Ecatepec

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 Ecatepec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, $961 in Ecatepec – roughly 34% 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 $1,441 in Ecatepec. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ecatepec, 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 $50.0 in Ecatepec. 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 $961 in Ecatepec. That's a gap of about 34%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ecatepec, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Ecatepec 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 $961 in Ecatepec to $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Ecatepec. 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.