Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Puerto Escondido

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Escondido: $1,151 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Escondido
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Puerto Escondido Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Puerto Escondido

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,151

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Puerto Escondido

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,151 in Puerto Escondido, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Puerto Escondido $1,151

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,856 in Puerto Escondido, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Puerto Escondido $1,856

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,561 in Puerto Escondido, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Puerto Escondido $2,561

Rio de Janeiro costs about 12% more than Puerto Escondido, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Puerto Escondido are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Puerto Escondido 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$10.52 MX$194

-4.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$42.96 MX$794

-5.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$8.65 MX$160

-1.16%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.58 MX$66.1

-33.52%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.42 MX$26.25

13.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.05 MX$19.38

-1.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$3.04 MX$56.2

-18.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$4.05 MX$74.9

-8.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.85 MX$34.14

-35.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.84 MX$52.5

-27.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.64 MX$30.22

-21.95%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$2.80 MX$51.7

-18.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$8.20 MX$152

31.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$10.98 MX$203

-59.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$11.54 MX$213

-14.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$2.68 MX$49.45

4.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.59 MX$29.42

11.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$1.86 MX$34.42

-13.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$1.73 MX$32.01

4.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.59 MX$29.46

-23.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$2.02 MX$37.35

-48.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$1.48 MX$27.28

-47.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.14 MX$21.15

-41.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$4.48 MX$82.7

-32.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$10.36 MX$191

-22.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$2.46 MX$45.43

-51.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$3.09 MX$57.1

-18.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.83 MX$15.35

19.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.80 MX$51.7

-56.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.78 MX$32.92

-48.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$9.89 MX$183

-9.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.36 MX$25.14

-4.41%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$18.7K MX$344.9K

27.92%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$25.2K MX$465.2K

30.54%

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

$133 R$676

$64.7 MX$1,196

106.18%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$22.92 MX$424

-52.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$36.45 MX$674

-37.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$27.77 MX$513

10.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$19.89 MX$368

60.13%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$4.56 MX$84.2

76.54%

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

$598 R$3,029

$220 MX$4,069

171.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$4,364 MX$80.6K

207.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$49.88 MX$922

-15.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$42.79 MX$791

16.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$91.6 MX$1,693

-18.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$84.0 MX$1,553

-18.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$601 MX$11.1K

50.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$382 MX$7,061

38.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$960 MX$17.7K

38.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$778 MX$14.4K

-2.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$2,036 MX$37.6K

97.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$1,289 MX$23.8K

21.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$327 MX$6,035

95.85%

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 Puerto Escondido: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Puerto Escondido

$382 33.2% 27.8% $147

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Puerto Escondido

$285 24.8% 33% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Puerto Escondido

$124 10.8% 25.8% $43

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Puerto Escondido

$186 16.2% 12.9% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Puerto Escondido

$121 10.5% 14.2% $15

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Puerto Escondido

$15 * 1.3% 74.9% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Puerto Escondido

$37 3.2% 21.3% $10

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $601 in Puerto Escondido. 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 96% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $43.00 in Puerto Escondido. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $285 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇲🇽 Puerto Escondido

🕒 Local time

13:59 1:59 PM

10:59 10:59 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

25,902

💱 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 Puerto Escondido 7,270 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Puerto Escondido

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 Puerto Escondido: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rio de Janeiro is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,726 in Puerto Escondido. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,151 in Puerto Escondido. That's a gap of about 12%.

Kindergarten costs $598 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $220 in Puerto Escondido. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Puerto Escondido, where all-in costs run around $1,151, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Puerto Escondido it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Puerto Escondido – 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 Puerto Escondido. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rio de Janeiro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.