Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Roatan

For one person, living costs are similar in Rio de Janeiro and in Roatan: $1,289 and $1,229 a month, rent and utilities included.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Roatan
Learn more

Roatan Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Roatan

🇭🇳 Honduras

$1,229

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,229 in Roatan.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Roatan $1,229

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,019 in Roatan.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Roatan $2,019

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,809 in Roatan.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Roatan $2,809

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 5% more expensive than in Roatan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Roatan 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.3

$8.20 HNL 220

22.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$206

$39.42 HNL 1,059

2.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.59

$8.53 HNL 229

0.23%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.11

$4.41 HNL 119

-46.03%

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

$1.61 R$8.22

$1.01 HNL 27.02

59.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.25

$0.82 HNL 22.04

25.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.61

$2.55 HNL 68.5

-3.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.88

$5.02 HNL 135

-26.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.09

$1.43 HNL 38.32

-16.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.44

$3.24 HNL 87.0

-36.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.53

$2.52 HNL 67.6

-49.21%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.66

$2.02 HNL 54.3

13.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.8

$10.89 HNL 293

-1.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.49

$6.75 HNL 181

-34.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$50.2

$17.90 HNL 481

-45.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.33

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.08

$1.07 HNL 28.70

66.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.18

$1.12 HNL 30.08

42.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.16

$0.53 HNL 14.25

239.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.20

$1.62 HNL 43.57

-24.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.29

$1.50 HNL 40.22

-30.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.94

$1.18 HNL 31.78

-34.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.40

$3.05 HNL 81.8

-78.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.36

$2.93 HNL 78.6

2.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$41.18

$7.54 HNL 203

7.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.06

$1.33 HNL 35.78

-10.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.80

$2.52 HNL 67.6

-0.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.23

$1.96 HNL 52.6

-37.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.69

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.71

$9.99 HNL 268

-10.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.61

$1.04 HNL 27.97

25.00%

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

$23.9K R$121.7K

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

$32.9K R$167.5K

$29.7K HNL 796.6K

10.82%

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

$133 R$680

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

$10.82 R$55.2

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$117

$98.5 HNL 2,645

-76.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$157

$60.5 HNL 1,625

-49.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$162

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$41.06

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

$598 R$3,046

$491 HNL 13.2K

21.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$214

$40.22 HNL 1,081

4.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$253

$19.63 HNL 527

153.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$380

$40.14 HNL 1,078

85.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$350

$49.83 HNL 1,339

37.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,604

$840 HNL 22.6K

7.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,699

$552 HNL 14.8K

-4.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,762

$1,971 HNL 52.9K

-32.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,853

$1,269 HNL 34.1K

-40.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.4K

$1,854 HNL 49.8K

116.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,954

$1,332 HNL 35.8K

17.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,260

$491 HNL 13.2K

30.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

-33.72%

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 Roatan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Roatan

$552 44.9% 4.2% $22

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Roatan

$274 * 22.3% 27.8% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Roatan

$98 * 8% 41.1% $69

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Roatan

$174 14.2% 5.6% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Roatan

$67 5.5% 36.2% $38

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Roatan

$2 * 0.2% 96.7% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Roatan

$61 * 4.9% 29% $14

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 $840 in Roatan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 30% 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 $39.00 in Roatan. Groceries flip the comparison at $215 vs $274, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇭🇳 Roatan

🕒 Local time

15:35 3:35 PM

12:35 12:35 PM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

17,425

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Honduran Lempira HNL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.196 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

100 HNL = 3.72 USD

100 HNL = 3.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HNL, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 5.1 BRL (1 BRL = 0.196 USD). 1 EUR = 5.72 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Honduran Lempira exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 26.86 HNL (100 HNL = 3.72 USD). 1 EUR = 30.13 HNL (100 HNL = 3.32 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Roatan 6,420 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Roatan

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 Roatan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Roatan differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,289 vs $1,229 including rent). Roatan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 30% 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 $840 in Roatan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $598 in Rio de Janeiro versus $491 in Roatan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Roatan – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,229 in Roatan versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Roatan but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Roatan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Rio de Janeiro and Roatan are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Roatan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.