Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Reynosa

For one person, living is cheaper in Reynosa: $1,183 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 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
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Reynosa
Learn more

Reynosa Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Reynosa

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,183 in Reynosa.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Reynosa $1,183

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,784 in Reynosa.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Reynosa $1,784

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,386 in Reynosa.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Reynosa $2,386

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 9% more expensive than in Reynosa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Reynosa 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$10.82 MX$200

-7.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$33.95 MX$627

19.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$5.72 MX$106

49.48%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.50 MX$64.6

-32.00%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$0.96 MX$17.75

67.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.57 MX$10.52

80.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$1.37 MX$25.31

80.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$1.96 MX$36.20

88.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.53 MX$28.23

-22.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.24 MX$41.37

-8.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.18 MX$21.85

8.47%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$1.84 MX$34.00

24.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$8.89 MX$164

21.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$6.28 MX$116

-29.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$9.90 MX$183

-0.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$2.25 MX$41.50

24.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.14 MX$21.13

56.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$2.67 MX$49.40

-40.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$1.34 MX$24.84

34.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.73 MX$31.97

-29.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$2.54 MX$46.86

-59.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$1.43 MX$26.49

-46.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.01 MX$18.67

-33.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$3.95 MX$73.1

-23.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$10.38 MX$192

-22.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.74 MX$32.17

-31.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$1.61 MX$29.71

55.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.69 MX$12.73

43.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.55 MX$47.19

-52.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.94 MX$35.87

-52.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$10.76 MX$199

-16.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.26 MX$23.28

3.17%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$19.0K MX$352.0K

25.35%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$23.4K MX$431.7K

40.69%

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

$133 R$676

$48.27 MX$892

176.36%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$11.00 MX$203

-1.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$29.64 MX$548

-22.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$33.79 MX$624

-8.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$21.47 MX$397

48.35%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$4.95 MX$91.5

62.63%

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

$598 R$3,029

$163 MX$3,012

266.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$2,612 MX$48.3K

413.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$56.0 MX$1,034

-24.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$57.6 MX$1,064

-13.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$84.5 MX$1,562

-11.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$126 MX$2,330

-45.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$608 MX$11.2K

48.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$493 MX$9,109

7.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$1,030 MX$19.0K

28.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$781 MX$14.4K

-3.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$1,885 MX$34.8K

112.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$1,033 MX$19.1K

51.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$607 MX$11.2K

5.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

10.53

13.30%

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 Reynosa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Reynosa

$493 41.7% 6.9% $37

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Reynosa

$234 19.8% 8.9% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Reynosa

$89 7.5% 46.8% $78

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Reynosa

$163 13.7% 1.5% $2.4

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Reynosa

$146 12.3% 38% $40

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Reynosa

$15 * 1.3% 74.9% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Reynosa

$44 3.7% 6.8% $3.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $608 in Reynosa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 5% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $34.00 in Reynosa. Groceries flip the comparison at $215 vs $234, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇲🇽 Reynosa

🕒 Local time

02:39 2:39 AM

00:39 12:39 AM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

691,557

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Reynosa 8,050 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Reynosa

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 Reynosa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reynosa is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 5% 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: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $608 in Reynosa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Rio de Janeiro pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,183 in Reynosa – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,183 in Reynosa versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Reynosa but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Reynosa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Reynosa is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Rio de Janeiro, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Reynosa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.