Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Merida

For one person, living costs are similar in Rio de Janeiro and in Merida: $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 Merida
Learn more

Merida Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Merida

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,334

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,285 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,334 in Merida, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Merida $1,334

A couple spends around $1,888 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,174 in Merida, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Merida $2,174

A family of three spends $2,491 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,014 in Merida, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Merida $3,014

Rio de Janeiro is about 4% cheaper than Merida, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Rio de Janeiro sits 4% below the global median, while Merida is 0% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$13.90 MX$255

-28.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$55.7 MX$1,022

-27.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$8.11 MX$149

4.56%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$3.97 MX$73.0

-40.55%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$1.14 MX$21.00

42.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$1.18 MX$21.67

-14.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$3.07 MX$56.4

-20.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$3.87 MX$71.1

-4.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$1.60 MX$29.30

-28.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$2.64 MX$48.41

-21.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$1.73 MX$31.83

-25.43%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$1.97 MX$36.18

15.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$10.31 MX$189

6.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$7.70 MX$141

-44.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$12.54 MX$230

-22.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$2.77 MX$50.9

2.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$1.41 MX$25.89

30.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$2.14 MX$39.21

-25.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$2.08 MX$38.10

-13.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$2.36 MX$43.25

-46.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$1.83 MX$33.53

-41.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$1.43 MX$26.27

-47.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$1.13 MX$20.80

-41.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$4.44 MX$81.4

-31.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$10.90 MX$200

-24.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$1.47 MX$27.06

-19.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$2.51 MX$46.08

-4.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

$0.67 MX$12.36

50.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

$19.76 MX$363

153.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

$2.73 MX$50.1

-53.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

$3.76 MX$69.1

-76.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

$8.82 MX$162

7.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$1.58 MX$29.04

-15.82%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

$21.5K MX$393.9K

9.21%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$24.4K MX$447.1K

37.88%

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

$134 R$666

$113 MX$2,076

18.09%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$21.35 MX$392

-42.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$35.42 MX$650

-36.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$30.12 MX$553

4.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

$11.83 MX$217

160.95%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$7.57 MX$139

8.72%

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

$603 R$3,011

$266 MX$4,880

126.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

$3,584 MX$65.8K

269.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$55.6 MX$1,020

-25.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$54.2 MX$995

-7.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$102 MX$1,869

-26.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$87.2 MX$1,602

-21.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

$634 MX$11.6K

42.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

$468 MX$8,585

12.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

$1,243 MX$22.8K

8.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

$967 MX$17.8K

-19.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

$2,252 MX$41.4K

76.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

$1,234 MX$22.7K

26.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

$604 MX$11.1K

6.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.64

2.49%

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 Merida: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Merida

$468 34.7% 11.3% $60

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Merida

$270 20% 25.6% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Merida

$170 12.6% 0.9% $1.4

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Merida

$216 16% 31.6% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Merida

$134 10% 27.2% $29

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Merida

$44 3.3% 26.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Merida

$45 3.4% 5.8% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $634 in Merida. 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 6% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $56.0 in Merida. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $270 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇲🇽 Merida

🕒 Local time

07:10 7:10 AM

04:10 4:10 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

975,000

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Merida 7,010 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Merida

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 Merida: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Merida is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,927 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $2,001 in Merida. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rio de Janeiro, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $603 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $266 in Merida. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Merida, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,285, than in Merida at $1,334. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Merida it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rio de Janeiro – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Rio de Janeiro. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Merida makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.