Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Tuxtla Gutierrez

For one person, living is cheaper in Tuxtla Gutierrez: $915 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Tuxtla Gutierrez
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Tuxtla Gutierrez Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Tuxtla Gutierrez

🇲🇽 Mexico

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Tuxtla Gutierrez

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $915 in Tuxtla Gutierrez.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Tuxtla Gutierrez $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,529 in Tuxtla Gutierrez.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Tuxtla Gutierrez $1,529

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,142 in Tuxtla Gutierrez.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Tuxtla Gutierrez $2,142

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 41% more expensive than in Tuxtla Gutierrez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Tuxtla Gutierrez 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$6.69 MX$124

50.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$19.09 MX$353

111.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$7.30 MX$135

17.12%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.87 MX$71.4

-38.50%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.38 MX$25.53

16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.09 MX$20.08

-5.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$2.16 MX$39.85

14.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$2.48 MX$45.86

49.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.55 MX$28.61

-23.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.76 MX$51.1

-25.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.75 MX$32.33

-26.86%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$2.61 MX$48.31

-12.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$18.67 MX$345

-42.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$7.96 MX$147

-44.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$10.75 MX$199

-8.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$2.70 MX$49.81

4.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.39 MX$25.64

28.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$2.53 MX$46.74

-36.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$1.64 MX$30.34

9.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.76 MX$32.54

-30.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$2.03 MX$37.46

-48.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$1.13 MX$20.91

-31.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$0.65 MX$12.06

3.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$4.51 MX$83.3

-33.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$11.03 MX$204

-26.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.45 MX$26.76

-17.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$3.86 MX$71.4

-34.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.53 MX$9.74

86.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$29.17 MX$539

71.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.70 MX$49.83

-54.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$2.81 MX$52.0

-67.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$8.18 MX$151

9.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.45 MX$26.87

-10.34%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$22.3K MX$411.3K

7.26%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$25.1K MX$463.4K

31.05%

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

$133 R$676

$24.62 MX$455

441.84%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$20.22 MX$374

-46.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$25.40 MX$469

-9.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$41.92 MX$775

-26.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$13.75 MX$254

131.64%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$5.90 MX$109

36.44%

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

$598 R$3,029

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$2,297 MX$42.5K

484.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$33.97 MX$628

23.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$16.54 MX$306

200.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$68.6 MX$1,267

8.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$55.6 MX$1,028

23.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$330 MX$6,099

173.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$229 MX$4,240

130.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$821 MX$15.2K

61.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$608 MX$11.2K

24.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$501 MX$9,254

27.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

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 Tuxtla Gutierrez: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$229 25.1% 56.7% $300

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$288 31.4% 34% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$70 7.7% 58% $97

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$147 16.1% 10.6% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$79 8.6% 25.6% $27

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$48 5.3% 19.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Tuxtla Gutierrez

$54 5.9% 14.6% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $330 in Tuxtla Gutierrez. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 28% 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 $19.00 in Tuxtla Gutierrez. Groceries flip the comparison at $215 vs $288, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇲🇽 Tuxtla Gutierrez

🕒 Local time

05:45 5:45 AM

02:45 2:45 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

578,830

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Tuxtla Gutierrez 6,990 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Tuxtla Gutierrez

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 Tuxtla Gutierrez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Tuxtla Gutierrez differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($1,289 vs $915 including rent). Tuxtla Gutierrez is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 28% 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 $330 in Tuxtla Gutierrez. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Tuxtla Gutierrez – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Tuxtla Gutierrez runs roughly 72% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $915 in Tuxtla Gutierrez versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tuxtla Gutierrez but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Tuxtla Gutierrez 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 Tuxtla Gutierrez gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.