Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Mayari

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $1,484 in Mayari, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Mayari
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Mayari Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Mayari

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,484

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,484 in Mayari.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Mayari $1,484

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,453 in Mayari.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Mayari $2,453

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,423 in Mayari.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Mayari $3,423

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 13% less than in Mayari, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 4% below, Mayari is 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$5.87 CUP 141

70.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$19.85 CUP 476

103.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$6.42 CUP 154

32.09%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$1.32 CUP 31.74

78.79%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$2.14 CUP 51.5

-23.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$1.23 CUP 29.49

-17.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$2.52 CUP 60.5

-3.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$2.95 CUP 70.8

25.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$3.01 CUP 72.2

-61.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$0.77 CUP 18.40

168.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$2.43 CUP 58.3

-46.91%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$3.07 CUP 73.7

-26.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$5.81 CUP 139

89.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$5.23 CUP 125

-17.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$11.96 CUP 287

-18.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$5.05 CUP 121

-43.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$1.18 CUP 28.41

55.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$1.42 CUP 34.11

12.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$1.42 CUP 33.97

26.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$1.93 CUP 46.37

-34.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$2.88 CUP 69.1

-62.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$1.02 CUP 24.39

-26.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$1.12 CUP 26.88

-41.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$3.55 CUP 85.1

-14.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$9.86 CUP 237

-17.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$1.71 CUP 40.96

-30.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$1.99 CUP 47.78

20.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

$0.19 CUP 4.46

431.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

$20.16 CUP 484

148.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

$2.29 CUP 55.1

-44.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

$0.41 CUP 9.92

119.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

$19.78 CUP 475

-52.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$1.24 CUP 29.74

7.26%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

$70.0K CUP 1.7M

-66.52%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$80.4K CUP 1.9M

-58.26%

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

$134 R$666

$35.53 CUP 853

275.74%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$40.35 CUP 968

-69.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$252 CUP 6,052

-91.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$39.42 CUP 946

-19.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

$14.92 CUP 358

106.90%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$0.98 CUP 23.61

739.80%

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

$603 R$3,011

$119 CUP 2,859

406.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

$17.2K CUP 412.2K

-22.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$54.3 CUP 1,303

-23.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$40.33 CUP 968

23.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$45.69 CUP 1,096

64.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$49.17 CUP 1,180

38.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

$211 CUP 5,069

328.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

$679 CUP 16.3K

-22.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

$376 CUP 9,016

258.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

$1,737 CUP 41.7K

-55.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

$390 CUP 9,357

921.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

$354 CUP 8,506

340.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

$21.80 CUP 523

2849.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

19.30%

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 Mayari: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Mayari

$679 44.7% 28.6% $151

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Mayari

$246 16.2% 14.4% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Mayari

$328 21.6% 94.8% $160

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Mayari

$114 7.5% 30.4% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Mayari

$85 5.6% 19.3% $20

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Mayari

$25 1.7% 57.9% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Mayari

$41 2.7% 13.8% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $905 in Rio de Janeiro and $211 in Mayari. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 2850% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $20.00 in Mayari. Groceries flip the comparison at $215 vs $246, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇨🇺 Mayari

🕒 Local time

11:24 11:24 AM

10:24 10:24 AM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

29,259

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.89 CUP (100 CUP = 3.72 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Mayari 5,990 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Mayari

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 Mayari: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Mayari. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rio de Janeiro the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 2850% 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: $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $211 in Mayari. 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 $20.00 in Mayari. 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 $1,484 in Mayari – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,484 in Mayari, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Mayari. 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 16% less than in Mayari. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.