Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Villahermosa

For one person, living costs are similar in Rio de Janeiro and in Villahermosa: $1,289 and $1,237 a month, rent and utilities included.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Villahermosa
Learn more

Villahermosa Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Villahermosa

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,237

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,237 in Villahermosa.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Villahermosa $1,237

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,106 in Villahermosa.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Villahermosa $2,106

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,975 in Villahermosa.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Villahermosa $2,975

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 4% more expensive than in Villahermosa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Villahermosa 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$10.89 MX$201

-7.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$35.88 MX$663

12.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$10.87 MX$201

-21.34%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.31 MX$61.2

-28.10%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.27 MX$23.39

26.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.20 MX$22.17

-14.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$2.81 MX$52.0

-12.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$5.58 MX$103

-33.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.75 MX$32.42

-32.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$1.78 MX$32.95

15.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.41 MX$25.98

-9.22%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$1.92 MX$35.41

19.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$8.51 MX$157

26.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$10.55 MX$195

-58.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$13.90 MX$257

-29.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$3.38 MX$62.4

-16.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.41 MX$26.04

26.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$1.61 MX$29.68

-0.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$1.22 MX$22.50

47.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.61 MX$29.75

-24.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$1.35 MX$24.99

-22.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$1.40 MX$25.86

-45.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.27 MX$23.38

-47.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$6.45 MX$119

-53.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$9.36 MX$173

-13.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$2.76 MX$50.9

-56.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$6.47 MX$119

-61.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.57 MX$10.59

73.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$23.36 MX$432

114.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.20 MX$40.72

-44.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$2.24 MX$41.37

-58.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$11.08 MX$205

-19.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.39 MX$25.61

-6.47%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$23.2K MX$428.3K

3.00%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$26.2K MX$484.9K

25.25%

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

$133 R$676

$63.5 MX$1,173

110.18%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$29.82 MX$551

-63.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$32.36 MX$598

-29.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$50.2 MX$928

-38.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$4.29 MX$79.2

87.65%

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

$598 R$3,029

$311 MX$5,741

92.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$4,546 MX$84.0K

195.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$64.7 MX$1,196

-35.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$76.2 MX$1,407

-2.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$61.3 MX$1,132

12.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$496 MX$9,160

82.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$448 MX$8,275

18.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$1,588 MX$29.3K

-16.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$1,212 MX$22.4K

-37.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$1,222 MX$22.6K

27.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

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 Villahermosa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Villahermosa

$448 36.2% 15.4% $82

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Villahermosa

$280 22.7% 30.6% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Villahermosa

$126 10.2% 24.8% $41

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Villahermosa

$195 15.7% 17.9% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Villahermosa

$91 * 7.4% 14% $15

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Villahermosa

$39 3.2% 34.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Villahermosa

$59 4.8% 25.4% $12

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 $496 in Villahermosa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $36.00 in Villahermosa. Groceries flip the comparison at $215 vs $280, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇲🇽 Villahermosa

🕒 Local time

21:04 9:04 PM

18:04 6:04 PM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

340,060

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Villahermosa 7,060 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Villahermosa

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 Villahermosa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Villahermosa differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,289 vs $1,237 including rent). Villahermosa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,933 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,856 in Villahermosa 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: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $496 in Villahermosa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Villahermosa – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,237 in Villahermosa – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,237 in Villahermosa versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Villahermosa but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Villahermosa 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 Villahermosa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.