Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and San Fernando

For one person, living is cheaper in San Fernando: $1,130 a month against $1,273 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.

62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in San Fernando
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San Fernando Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

San Fernando

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in San Fernando

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,130 in San Fernando.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
San Fernando $1,130

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,832 in San Fernando.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
San Fernando $1,832

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,534 in San Fernando.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
San Fernando $2,534

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 13% more expensive than in San Fernando, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 6% lower, San Fernando 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$47.54

$10.75 MX$199

-12.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$43.30 MX$800

-7.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$42.28

$8.42 MX$156

-0.95%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.62

$3.63 MX$67.0

-36.91%

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

$1.59 R$8.05

$1.42 MX$26.21

11.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.10

$1.06 MX$19.52

-4.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.85

$2.42 MX$44.65

-11.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.55

$4.15 MX$76.7

-11.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.60 MX$29.59

-29.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.60

$2.68 MX$49.57

-22.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.36

$1.71 MX$31.53

-26.90%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.39

$2.53 MX$46.78

-11.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$55.3

$8.19 MX$151

33.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$22.10

$8.27 MX$153

-47.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$48.66

$11.60 MX$214

-17.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.46

$2.67 MX$49.25

6.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.16

$1.60 MX$29.50

13.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$8.02

$1.97 MX$36.32

-19.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$1.84 MX$33.96

-0.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.97 MX$36.36

-39.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.35

$1.82 MX$33.57

-41.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.81

$1.43 MX$26.41

-47.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.45

$1.14 MX$21.00

-40.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.90

$4.32 MX$79.9

-31.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.43

$10.48 MX$194

-23.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.98

$1.79 MX$33.11

-34.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.26

$3.20 MX$59.2

-24.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.78

$0.64 MX$11.85

46.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.10

$2.56 MX$47.39

-53.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.20

$2.01 MX$37.15

-58.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.48

$10.82 MX$200

-17.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.53

$1.49 MX$27.45

-13.42%

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

$22.8K R$115.5K

$21.0K MX$387.5K

8.60%

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

$34.0K R$172.1K

$23.7K MX$438.6K

43.07%

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

$134 R$681

$57.0 MX$1,054

135.57%

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

$10.73 R$54.4

$22.91 MX$423

-53.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$116

$29.54 MX$546

-22.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$153

$33.60 MX$621

-10.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$160

$20.12 MX$372

56.51%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$39.17

$5.23 MX$96.6

47.80%

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

$584 R$2,960

$220 MX$4,060

165.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.9K

$4,534 MX$83.8K

182.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$208

$54.3 MX$1,003

-24.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$250

$40.69 MX$752

21.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$373

$98.8 MX$1,825

-25.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$334

$90.3 MX$1,669

-26.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,561

$612 MX$11.3K

46.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,673

$383 MX$7,076

37.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,754

$1,030 MX$19.0K

29.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,790

$779 MX$14.4K

-3.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$20.2K

$1,910 MX$35.3K

108.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,908

$1,160 MX$21.4K

34.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

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 18, 2026

Last update for San Fernando: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

San Fernando

$383 33.9% 27.4% $144

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

San Fernando

$266 23.5% 24.3% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

San Fernando

$109 9.7% 34.8% $58

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

San Fernando

$185 16.4% 18.7% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

San Fernando

$128 11.3% 23.5% $24

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

San Fernando

$15 * 1.3% 74.5% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

San Fernando

$44 3.9% 3.4% $1.6

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 $900 in Rio de Janeiro and $612 in San Fernando. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $43.00 in San Fernando for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $266 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇲🇽 San Fernando

🕒 Local time

11:50 11:50 AM

08:50 8:50 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

11,867

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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 San Fernando 7,010 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
San Fernando

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 San Fernando: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and San Fernando differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($1,273 vs $1,130 including rent). San Fernando is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,910 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,695 in San Fernando to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $612 in San Fernando. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $584 in Rio de Janeiro versus $220 in San Fernando. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Fernando – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,130 in San Fernando versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in San Fernando but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes San Fernando 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.

Expats usually find San Fernando gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.