Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Zacapoaxtla

For one person, living is cheaper in Zacapoaxtla: $1,055 a month against $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Zacapoaxtla
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Zacapoaxtla Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,182

/mo nomad

Zacapoaxtla

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,055

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,182 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,055 in Zacapoaxtla.

Rio de Janeiro $1,182
Zacapoaxtla $1,055

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,750 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,651 in Zacapoaxtla.

Rio de Janeiro $1,750
Zacapoaxtla $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,318 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,246 in Zacapoaxtla.

Rio de Janeiro $2,318
Zacapoaxtla $2,246

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 12% more expensive than in Zacapoaxtla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 13% lower, Zacapoaxtla 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.08 R$48.54

$4.67 MX$87.0

94.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.25 R$199

$48.73 MX$908

-23.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 R$42.87

$5.50 MX$103

45.82%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.71

$1.92 MX$35.71

14.06%

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

$1.46 R$7.82

$0.95 MX$17.79

53.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.27

$1.22 MX$22.68

-18.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.84

$1.20 MX$22.39

69.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 R$18.43

$2.14 MX$39.86

61.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.66

$1.25 MX$23.35

-15.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 R$10.61

$1.12 MX$20.83

76.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.27

$1.06 MX$19.84

10.38%

Eggs

$2.21 R$11.80

$1.65 MX$30.82

33.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 R$54.1

$11.41 MX$213

-11.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 R$22.00

$4.56 MX$85.0

-9.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R$49.04

$4.96 MX$92.5

84.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 R$14.54

$1.59 MX$29.62

71.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 R$9.15

$1.26 MX$23.58

35.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.18

$0.52 MX$9.66

194.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R$8.89

$0.72 MX$13.41

130.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.09

$0.77 MX$14.36

48.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.32

$1.05 MX$19.58

-5.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 R$3.46

$0.92 MX$17.22

-29.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.20

$0.96 MX$17.89

-37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 R$14.94

$4.19 MX$78.1

-33.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 R$39.99

$13.02 MX$243

-42.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.83

$1.11 MX$20.73

-1.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$12.48

$4.44 MX$82.7

-47.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 R$4.79

$0.62 MX$11.62

45.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 R$283

$30.07 MX$561

76.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$6.24

$1.07 MX$19.85

9.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.17

$0.53 MX$9.90

47.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R$44.75

$5.48 MX$102

52.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.48

$1.41 MX$26.30

-14.18%

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

$21.5K R$114.8K

$13.8K MX$257.3K

55.53%

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

$31.1K R$166.5K

$24.3K MX$452.2K

28.34%

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

$124 R$665

$43.05 MX$802

189.11%

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

$10.03 R$53.7

$26.42 MX$493

-62.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.88 R$112

$31.94 MX$595

-34.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.35 R$152

$30.23 MX$564

-6.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.33 R$157

$17.11 MX$319

71.42%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 R$40.72

$6.33 MX$118

20.38%

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

$563 R$3,010

$439 MX$8,192

28.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$64.4K

$4,535 MX$84.5K

165.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.25 R$210

$68.5 MX$1,276

-42.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.36 R$248

$52.9 MX$985

-12.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.4 R$366

$106 MX$1,970

-35.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 R$339

$114 MX$2,134

-44.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 R$4,150

$607 MX$11.3K

27.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 R$2,530

$437 MX$8,150

8.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 R$7,437

$1,014 MX$18.9K

37.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 R$3,951

$752 MX$14.0K

-1.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,393 R$18.1K

$1,853 MX$34.5K

83.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R$8,396

$1,018 MX$19.0K

54.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$597 R$3,192

$597 MX$11.1K

-0.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.35

5.11%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zacapoaxtla: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$473 40%

Zacapoaxtla

$437 41.4% 7.6% $36

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$201 17%

Zacapoaxtla

$188 17.8% 6.6% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$155 13.1%

Zacapoaxtla

$101 9.6% 34.7% $54

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$150 12.7%

Zacapoaxtla

$96 9.1% 36% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$98 8.3%

Zacapoaxtla

$154 14.6% 57% $56

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$62 5.2%

Zacapoaxtla

$36 3.4% 41.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$44 3.7%

Zacapoaxtla

$43 4.1% 1.6% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $776 in Rio de Janeiro and $607 in Zacapoaxtla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37 in Rio de Janeiro vs $49 in Zacapoaxtla. Groceries flip the comparison at $201 vs $188, with Zacapoaxtla cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇲🇽 Zacapoaxtla

🕒 Local time

14:36 2:36 PM

11:36 11:36 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

8,000

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Zacapoaxtla 7,580 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Zacapoaxtla

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 Zacapoaxtla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Zacapoaxtla differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($1,182 vs $1,055 including rent). Zacapoaxtla is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,774 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,583 in Zacapoaxtla 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: $776 in Rio de Janeiro versus $607 in Zacapoaxtla. 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 $37 versus $49 in Zacapoaxtla. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,182 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,055 in Zacapoaxtla – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Zacapoaxtla is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.