Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Manzanillo

For one person, living costs are similar in Rio de Janeiro and in Manzanillo: $1,289 and $1,230 a month, rent and utilities included.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Manzanillo
Learn more

Manzanillo Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Manzanillo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,230

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,230 in Manzanillo.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Manzanillo $1,230

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,152 in Manzanillo.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Manzanillo $2,152

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,075 in Manzanillo.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Manzanillo $3,075

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 5% more expensive than in Manzanillo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Manzanillo 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$11.10 MX$205

-9.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$32.44 MX$599

24.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$10.83 MX$200

-21.05%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.58 MX$66.2

-33.52%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.17 MX$21.59

37.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.17 MX$21.54

-11.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$2.16 MX$40.00

14.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$4.39 MX$81.1

-15.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.48 MX$27.40

-19.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.60 MX$47.96

-21.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.20 MX$22.26

6.67%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$2.09 MX$38.64

9.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$8.28 MX$153

29.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$5.41 MX$100

-18.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$9.93 MX$184

-0.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$2.93 MX$54.2

-4.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.42 MX$26.31

25.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$1.78 MX$32.89

-10.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$1.52 MX$28.14

18.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$2.23 MX$41.12

-45.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$1.69 MX$31.24

-38.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$1.87 MX$34.57

-58.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.20 MX$22.10

-44.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$5.44 MX$100

-44.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$6.62 MX$122

22.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.83 MX$33.77

-34.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.52 MX$46.60

-0.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.75 MX$13.90

32.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.41 MX$44.55

-49.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$2.43 MX$44.84

-62.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$9.40 MX$174

-4.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.36 MX$25.17

-4.41%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$20.9K MX$386.6K

14.11%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$24.4K MX$450.4K

34.82%

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

$133 R$676

$65.5 MX$1,211

103.60%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$19.83 MX$367

-45.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$29.37 MX$543

-22.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$65.3 MX$1,206

-52.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$33.01 MX$610

-3.51%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$4.46 MX$82.4

80.49%

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

$598 R$3,029

$163 MX$3,016

266.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$7,172 MX$132.5K

87.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$43.02 MX$795

-2.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$24.85 MX$459

99.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$75.6 MX$1,397

-1.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$120 MX$2,213

-42.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$684 MX$12.6K

31.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$479 MX$8,845

10.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$1,519 MX$28.1K

-12.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$1,373 MX$25.4K

-44.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$409 MX$7,563

56.26%

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 Manzanillo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Manzanillo

$479 38.9% 9.6% $51

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Manzanillo

$233 18.9% 8.5% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Manzanillo

$115 9.3% 31.3% $52

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Manzanillo

$193 15.7% 17.1% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Manzanillo

$118 9.6% 12.1% $13

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Manzanillo

$18 * 1.4% 70.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Manzanillo

$74 6% 58.2% $27

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 $684 in Manzanillo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 56% 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 $32.00 in Manzanillo. Groceries flip the comparison at $215 vs $233, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇲🇽 Manzanillo

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

00:04 12:04 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

159,853

💱 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 Manzanillo 8,110 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Manzanillo

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 Manzanillo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Manzanillo differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,289 vs $1,230 including rent). Manzanillo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 56% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $684 in Manzanillo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Rio de Janeiro pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,230 in Manzanillo – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,230 in Manzanillo versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Manzanillo but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Manzanillo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Manzanillo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.