Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and San Luis Potosi

For one person, living costs are similar in Rio de Janeiro and in San Luis Potosi: $1,285 and $1,299 a month, rent and utilities included.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in San Luis Potosi
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San Luis Potosi Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

San Luis Potosi

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,299

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,299 in San Luis Potosi.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
San Luis Potosi $1,299

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,028 in San Luis Potosi.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
San Luis Potosi $2,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,757 in San Luis Potosi.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
San Luis Potosi $2,757

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 1% less than in San Luis Potosi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 4% lower, San Luis Potosi 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$14.08 MX$259

-29.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$42.03 MX$772

-4.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$9.63 MX$177

-11.94%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$3.35 MX$61.6

-29.55%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$1.33 MX$24.45

22.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$0.97 MX$17.78

4.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$2.67 MX$49.05

-8.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$4.76 MX$87.4

-22.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$1.56 MX$28.67

-26.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$2.63 MX$48.23

-21.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$1.79 MX$32.88

-27.93%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$2.64 MX$48.53

-14.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$8.63 MX$158

27.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$10.15 MX$186

-57.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$11.43 MX$210

-14.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$3.34 MX$61.4

-15.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$1.65 MX$30.26

11.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$2.23 MX$40.94

-28.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$2.57 MX$47.25

-29.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$2.69 MX$49.31

-53.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$3.14 MX$57.7

-65.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$1.10 MX$20.23

-31.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$1.30 MX$23.80

-49.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$4.03 MX$74.0

-24.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$14.00 MX$257

-41.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$2.15 MX$39.50

-44.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$3.89 MX$71.4

-38.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

$0.85 MX$15.54

18.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

$71.5 MX$1,313

-29.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

$0.81 MX$14.88

56.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

$1.68 MX$30.86

-46.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

$9.80 MX$180

-3.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$1.47 MX$26.98

-9.52%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

$21.2K MX$388.7K

10.68%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$24.1K MX$442.1K

39.43%

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

$134 R$666

$41.85 MX$768

219.00%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$16.14 MX$296

-24.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$31.49 MX$578

-28.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$31.00 MX$569

1.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

$27.81 MX$511

11.00%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$5.84 MX$107

40.92%

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

$603 R$3,011

$263 MX$4,821

129.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

$3,591 MX$65.9K

268.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$54.6 MX$1,002

-23.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$39.28 MX$721

27.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$102 MX$1,876

-26.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$78.6 MX$1,444

-13.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

$665 MX$12.2K

36.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

$466 MX$8,547

13.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

$1,184 MX$21.7K

13.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

$774 MX$14.2K

0.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

$1,399 MX$25.7K

184.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

$884 MX$16.2K

76.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

$872 MX$16.0K

-26.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

12.68

-5.91%

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 San Luis Potosi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

San Luis Potosi

$465 35.3% 11.7% $62

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

San Luis Potosi

$300 22.7% 39.7% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

San Luis Potosi

$89 6.8% 46.9% $79

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

San Luis Potosi

$214 16.2% 30.5% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

San Luis Potosi

$124 9.4% 16.9% $18

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

San Luis Potosi

$84 6.4% 40.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

San Luis Potosi

$43 3.2% 11.1% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $905 in Rio de Janeiro and $665 in San Luis Potosi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Luis Potosi pays 36% 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 $42.00 in San Luis Potosi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $300 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇲🇽 San Luis Potosi

🕒 Local time

10:54 10:54 AM

07:54 7:54 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

845,941

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro San Luis Potosi 8,010 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
San Luis Potosi

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 Luis Potosi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and San Luis Potosi differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($1,285 vs $1,299 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 36% lower in San Luis Potosi. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $665 in San Luis Potosi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $42.00 in San Luis Potosi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,285 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,299 in San Luis Potosi – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,299 in San Luis Potosi, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in San Luis Potosi. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro 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 San Luis Potosi 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 Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in San Luis Potosi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.