Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Guatemala City

For one person, living costs are similar in Rio de Janeiro and in Guatemala City: $1,285 and $1,334 a month, rent and utilities included.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Guatemala City
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Guatemala City Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Guatemala City

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,334

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Guatemala City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,334 in Guatemala City.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Guatemala City $1,334

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,040 in Guatemala City.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Guatemala City $2,040

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,746 in Guatemala City.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Guatemala City $2,746

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 4% less than in Guatemala City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 4% below, Guatemala City is 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$50.1

$6.84 Q 52.2

45.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$202

$49.83 Q 381

-19.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.57

$7.72 Q 59.0

9.84%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.86

$3.24 Q 24.80

-27.16%

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

$1.63 R$8.18

$1.11 Q 8.46

46.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.09

$0.98 Q 7.49

3.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.25

$3.22 Q 24.59

-24.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.53

$4.88 Q 37.30

-24.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.75

$2.11 Q 16.11

-45.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.40

$3.04 Q 23.22

-31.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.45

$2.09 Q 15.96

-38.28%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.38

$2.51 Q 19.15

-9.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$55.2

$6.16 Q 47.10

78.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.62

$9.55 Q 73.0

-54.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.88

$13.51 Q 103

-27.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.19

$4.00 Q 30.54

-29.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.21

$1.71 Q 13.05

7.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.01

$2.83 Q 21.63

-43.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.04

$1.65 Q 12.61

9.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.31

$1.49 Q 11.37

-15.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.37

$2.12 Q 16.21

-49.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.77

$0.68 Q 5.20

10.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.31

$1.20 Q 9.16

-45.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.29

$4.11 Q 31.39

-25.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$41.05

$8.11 Q 61.9

0.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.95

$1.74 Q 13.30

-31.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.98

$2.73 Q 20.83

-12.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.08

$1.29 Q 9.88

-21.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$252

$14.31 Q 109

250.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.37

$5.16 Q 39.46

-75.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.53

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.37

$10.46 Q 79.9

-9.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.69

$1.33 Q 10.17

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

$23.4K R$117.6K

$27.3K Q 208.8K

-14.26%

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

$33.6K R$168.5K

$25.3K Q 193.6K

32.56%

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

$134 R$670

$73.2 Q 559

82.43%

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

$12.23 R$61.4

$28.62 Q 219

-57.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$114

$45.27 Q 346

-49.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$40.18 Q 307

-21.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$155

$13.22 Q 101

133.51%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.29

$6.60 Q 50.5

24.70%

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

$603 R$3,027

$334 Q 2,554

80.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.4K

$6,809 Q 52.0K

94.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$209

$49.72 Q 380

-16.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$251

$48.13 Q 368

3.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$377

$120 Q 916

-37.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$343

$112 Q 857

-39.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,543

$837 Q 6,396

8.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,647

$534 Q 4,082

-1.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,755

$1,537 Q 11.7K

-12.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,885

$803 Q 6,139

-3.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$20.0K

$2,071 Q 15.8K

92.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,838

$1,092 Q 8,344

43.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,227

$841 Q 6,425

-23.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.62

2.67%

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 Guatemala City: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Guatemala City

$534 39.8% 1.3% $6.7

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Guatemala City

$283 21.1% 31.7% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Guatemala City

$147 11% 12.7% $21

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Guatemala City

$151 11.3% 7.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Guatemala City

$148 11.1% 40.4% $43

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Guatemala City

$25 * 1.8% 58.9% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Guatemala City

$53 4% 11.2% $5.4

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 $905 in Rio de Janeiro and $837 in Guatemala City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Guatemala City pays 31% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $50.0 in Guatemala City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $283 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇬🇹 Guatemala City

🕒 Local time

05:55 5:55 AM

02:55 2:55 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

2,450,212 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.63 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.57 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Guatemala City 6,630 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Guatemala City

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 Guatemala City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Guatemala City. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rio de Janeiro the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Guatemala City. 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 $837 in Guatemala City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $50.0 in Guatemala City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,285 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,334 in Guatemala City – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,334 in Guatemala City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Guatemala City. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Rio de Janeiro delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,285 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Rio de Janeiro hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Guatemala City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.