Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Tegucigalpa

For one person, living costs are similar in Rio de Janeiro and in Tegucigalpa: $1,285 and $1,244 a month, rent and utilities included.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Tegucigalpa
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Tegucigalpa Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Tegucigalpa

🇭🇳 Honduras

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,244 in Tegucigalpa.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Tegucigalpa $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,802 in Tegucigalpa.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Tegucigalpa $1,802

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,361 in Tegucigalpa.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Tegucigalpa $2,361

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 3% more expensive than in Tegucigalpa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 4% lower, Tegucigalpa 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$7.66 HNL 206

30.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$31.92 HNL 857

26.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$7.25 HNL 195

16.97%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$2.22 HNL 59.7

6.31%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$1.07 HNL 28.85

52.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$1.01 HNL 27.20

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$1.15 HNL 30.79

112.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$2.92 HNL 78.5

26.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$1.42 HNL 38.21

-19.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$1.89 HNL 50.9

9.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$1.28 HNL 34.34

0.78%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$1.73 HNL 46.50

31.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$6.86 HNL 184

60.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$5.66 HNL 152

-23.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$8.94 HNL 240

8.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$3.52 HNL 94.7

-19.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$1.52 HNL 40.71

21.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$2.20 HNL 59.1

-27.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$2.01 HNL 54.0

-10.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$1.92 HNL 51.6

-34.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$2.02 HNL 54.2

-47.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$1.06 HNL 28.52

-29.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$0.99 HNL 26.48

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$3.01 HNL 80.9

1.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$9.45 HNL 254

-13.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$1.53 HNL 41.16

-22.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$2.06 HNL 55.3

16.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

$1.10 HNL 29.46

-8.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

$3.76 HNL 101

-66.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

$1.99 HNL 53.4

-54.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

$4.79 HNL 129

97.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$1.22 HNL 32.81

9.02%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

$19.4K HNL 520.0K

21.02%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$22.0K HNL 590.5K

52.70%

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

$134 R$666

$142 HNL 3,826

-6.28%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$21.93 HNL 589

-44.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$34.51 HNL 927

-34.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$37.59 HNL 1,009

-16.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

$14.64 HNL 393

110.86%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$5.69 HNL 153

44.64%

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

$603 R$3,011

$227 HNL 6,093

165.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

$6,731 HNL 180.8K

96.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$52.8 HNL 1,419

-21.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$49.26 HNL 1,323

1.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$104 HNL 2,788

-27.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$108 HNL 2,897

-36.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

$457 HNL 12.3K

98.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

$463 HNL 12.4K

13.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

$1,209 HNL 32.5K

11.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

$747 HNL 20.1K

3.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

$2,728 HNL 73.3K

45.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

$1,575 HNL 42.3K

-0.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

$610 HNL 16.4K

5.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.38

4.83%

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 Tegucigalpa: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Tegucigalpa

$463 37.9% 12.3% $65

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Tegucigalpa

$223 18.2% 3.9% $8.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Tegucigalpa

$199 16.3% 18.1% $31

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Tegucigalpa

$130 10.6% 20.9% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Tegucigalpa

$141 11.6% 33.6% $35

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Tegucigalpa

$18 * 1.5% 69.8% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Tegucigalpa

$49 4% 2% $0.9

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 $905 in Rio de Janeiro and $457 in Tegucigalpa. 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 $32.00 in Tegucigalpa. Groceries flip the comparison at $215 vs $223, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇭🇳 Tegucigalpa

🕒 Local time

10:47 10:47 AM

07:47 7:47 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

1,126,534 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Honduran Lempira HNL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Honduran Lempira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 26.86 HNL (100 HNL = 3.72 USD). 1 EUR = 30.1 HNL (100 HNL = 3.32 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Tegucigalpa 6,310 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Tegucigalpa

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 Tegucigalpa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Tegucigalpa differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($1,285 vs $1,244 including rent). Tegucigalpa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

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: $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $457 in Tegucigalpa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $603 in Rio de Janeiro versus $227 in Tegucigalpa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tegucigalpa – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,244 in Tegucigalpa versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tegucigalpa but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Tegucigalpa 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 Tegucigalpa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.