Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Queretaro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,285 a month against $1,458 in Queretaro, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Queretaro despite lower rent and utilities.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Queretaro
Learn more

Queretaro Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Queretaro

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,458

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,285 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,458 in Queretaro, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Queretaro $1,458

A couple spends around $1,888 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,209 in Queretaro, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Queretaro $2,209

A family of three spends $2,491 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,960 in Queretaro, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Queretaro $2,960

Rio de Janeiro is about 12% cheaper than Queretaro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Rio de Janeiro sits 4% below the global median, while Queretaro is 9% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$11.24 MX$206

-11.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$64.3 MX$1,180

-37.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$9.59 MX$176

-11.57%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$3.59 MX$65.9

-34.26%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$1.61 MX$29.54

1.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$1.10 MX$20.20

-8.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$3.26 MX$59.8

-25.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$5.55 MX$102

-33.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$1.96 MX$35.97

-41.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$2.77 MX$50.9

-25.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$2.04 MX$37.38

-36.76%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$2.70 MX$49.58

-15.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$9.21 MX$169

19.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$8.86 MX$163

-51.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$13.80 MX$253

-29.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$3.40 MX$62.4

-16.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$1.68 MX$30.78

9.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$2.16 MX$39.65

-25.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$1.92 MX$35.33

-6.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$1.86 MX$34.06

-32.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$1.82 MX$33.43

-41.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$1.55 MX$28.37

-51.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$1.25 MX$22.99

-47.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$4.64 MX$85.2

-34.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$18.28 MX$336

-55.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$2.19 MX$40.22

-45.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$3.91 MX$71.9

-38.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

$0.60 MX$11.00

68.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

$26.03 MX$478

92.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

$3.25 MX$59.6

-60.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

$2.57 MX$47.11

-64.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

$10.88 MX$200

-13.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$1.58 MX$29.07

-15.82%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

$21.5K MX$394.9K

8.93%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$24.4K MX$447.5K

37.77%

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

$134 R$666

$58.0 MX$1,065

130.25%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$27.03 MX$496

-54.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$24.66 MX$453

-8.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$57.1 MX$1,048

-44.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

$25.02 MX$459

23.38%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$7.54 MX$138

9.15%

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

$603 R$3,011

$269 MX$4,934

124.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

$5,127 MX$94.1K

158.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$52.8 MX$969

-21.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$44.39 MX$815

12.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$102 MX$1,871

-26.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$101 MX$1,845

-32.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

$850 MX$15.6K

6.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

$574 MX$10.5K

-8.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

$1,460 MX$26.8K

-7.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

$849 MX$15.6K

-8.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

$2,208 MX$40.5K

80.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

$1,244 MX$22.8K

25.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

$943 MX$17.3K

-31.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.99

-0.50%

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 Queretaro: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Queretaro

$574 39.7% 8.7% $46

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Queretaro

$311 21.5% 44.8% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Queretaro

$110 7.6% 34.9% $59

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Queretaro

$200 13.8% 22% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Queretaro

$135 9.3% 27.5% $29

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Queretaro

$45 3.1% 25.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Queretaro

$72 5% 50.3% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $850 in Queretaro. 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 47% higher in Queretaro, 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 $64.0 in Queretaro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $311 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇲🇽 Queretaro

🕒 Local time

08:36 8:36 AM

05:36 5:36 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

804,663

💱 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 Queretaro 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Queretaro

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 Queretaro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Queretaro costs about 13% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,927 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $2,187 in Queretaro. 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.

Public transport costs about 93% less in Rio de Janeiro. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $603 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $269 in Queretaro. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,285, than in Queretaro at $1,458. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Queretaro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Rio de Janeiro costs $1,285 versus $1,458 in Queretaro. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Queretaro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.