Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Quetzaltenango

For one person, living is cheaper in Quetzaltenango: $1,148 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 Quetzaltenango
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Quetzaltenango Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Quetzaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,148

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,148 in Quetzaltenango, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Quetzaltenango $1,148

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,444 in Quetzaltenango, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Quetzaltenango $1,444

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,741 in Quetzaltenango, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Quetzaltenango $1,741

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$6.78 Q 51.9

48.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$49.64 Q 380

-18.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$7.66 Q 58.6

11.62%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.26 Q 24.91

-26.99%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.15 Q 8.77

40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.91 Q 6.97

13.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$3.35 Q 25.60

-26.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$4.66 Q 35.65

-20.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$2.01 Q 15.36

-40.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.66 Q 20.33

-22.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$2.13 Q 16.30

-39.91%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$2.51 Q 19.16

-8.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$6.44 Q 49.23

67.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$7.96 Q 60.9

-44.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$12.86 Q 98.3

-23.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$2.86 Q 21.90

-1.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.70 Q 13.02

4.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$2.92 Q 22.30

-45.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$1.64 Q 12.55

9.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.55 Q 11.81

-21.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$2.19 Q 16.71

-52.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$0.69 Q 5.31

11.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.19 Q 9.10

-43.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$3.35 Q 25.64

-10.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$8.09 Q 61.9

-0.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.72 Q 13.18

-30.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.71 Q 20.70

-7.38%

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

$5.15 Q 39.38

-76.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.73 Q 13.22

-46.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$10.56 Q 80.8

-15.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.38 Q 10.57

-5.80%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$27.5K Q 210.6K

-13.31%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$25.3K Q 193.3K

30.01%

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

$133 R$676

$72.7 Q 556

83.39%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$13.06 Q 99.9

-17.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$46.29 Q 354

-50.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$32.89 Q 251

-6.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$6.35 Q 48.54

26.77%

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

$598 R$3,029

$342 Q 2,611

74.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$6,757 Q 51.7K

98.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$50.0 Q 382

-15.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$46.61 Q 356

6.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$110 Q 844

-32.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$112 Q 857

-38.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$397 Q 3,037

127.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$398 Q 3,046

32.89%

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

11.62

2.67%

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 Quetzaltenango: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Quetzaltenango

$398 34.7% 24.8% $131

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Quetzaltenango

$264 23% 22.8% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Quetzaltenango

$132 11.5% 21% $35

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Quetzaltenango

$151 13.1% 8.7% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Quetzaltenango

$144 12.5% 35.8% $38

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Quetzaltenango

$14 * 1.2% 77% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Quetzaltenango

$46 4% 2.8% $1.3

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 $397 in Quetzaltenango. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $50.0 in Quetzaltenango. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $264 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇬🇹 Quetzaltenango

🕒 Local time

08:58 8:58 AM

05:58 5:58 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

500,000

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, 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).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 7.65 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.6 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Quetzaltenango 6,730 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Quetzaltenango

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 Quetzaltenango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro costs about 12% more than Quetzaltenango, 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 $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,722 in Quetzaltenango. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quetzaltenango, 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 $1,148 in Quetzaltenango. That's a gap of about 12%.

Kindergarten costs $598 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $342 in Quetzaltenango. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Quetzaltenango, where all-in costs run around $1,148, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Quetzaltenango it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Quetzaltenango costs $1,148 versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Quetzaltenango. 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.