Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Mayaguez

For one person, living costs are similar in Rio de Janeiro and in Mayaguez: $1,289 and $1,288 a month, rent and utilities included.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Mayaguez
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Mayaguez Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Mayaguez

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,288

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,288 in Mayaguez.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Mayaguez $1,288

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,991 in Mayaguez.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Mayaguez $1,991

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,694 in Mayaguez.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Mayaguez $2,694

Monthly costs are close between Rio de Janeiro and Mayaguez; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$12.78 $12.78

-21.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$67.1 $67.1

-39.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$9.01 $9.01

-5.11%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.60 $3.60

-33.89%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.25 $1.25

28.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.11 $1.11

-7.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$2.98 $2.98

-17.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$4.38 $4.38

-15.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$2.14 $2.14

-44.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$3.68 $3.68

-44.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$2.32 $2.32

-44.83%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$7.34 $7.34

-68.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$12.75 $12.75

-15.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$9.68 $9.68

-54.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$13.06 $13.06

-24.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$5.04 $5.04

-44.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$2.54 $2.54

-29.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$4.83 $4.83

-66.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$4.94 $4.94

-63.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$3.74 $3.74

-67.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$3.93 $3.93

-73.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$3.42 $3.42

-77.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.61 $1.61

-58.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$11.92 $11.92

-74.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$15.54 $15.54

-48.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$2.96 $2.96

-59.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$4.06 $4.06

-38.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.47 $2.47

-50.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.48 $1.48

-37.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$41.76 $41.76

-78.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.01 $1.01

28.71%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$39.3K $39.3K

-39.29%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$27.4K $27.4K

19.79%

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

$133 R$676

$318 $318

-57.99%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$69.1 $69.1

-84.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$69.9 $69.9

-67.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$27.89 $27.89

10.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$10.66 $10.66

-24.48%

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

$598 R$3,029

$814 $814

-26.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$12.5K $12.5K

7.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$56.5 $56.5

-25.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$61.4 $61.4

-19.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$111 $111

-32.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$113 $113

-39.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.55

82.14%

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 Mayaguez: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Mayaguez

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Mayaguez

$413 32.1% 92.5% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Mayaguez

$457 35.4% 173% $289

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Mayaguez

$206 16% 24.6% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Mayaguez

$154 12% 45.6% $48

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Mayaguez

$9.9 * 0.8% 83.5% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Mayaguez

$49 3.8% 4.9% $2.3

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $67.0 in Mayaguez for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $413 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇵🇷 Mayaguez

🕒 Local time

18:17 6:17 PM

17:17 5:17 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

57,566

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Mayaguez 5,260 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Mayaguez

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 Mayaguez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You'd need roughly $1,933 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,932 in Mayaguez 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.

Dining out is cheaper in Mayaguez – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $598 in Rio de Janeiro versus $814 in Mayaguez. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,288 in Mayaguez versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mayaguez but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Mayaguez the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Mayaguez 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.

It comes down to priorities – Mayaguez wins on affordability, Rio de Janeiro on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.