Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Zacatecas

For one person, living is cheaper in Zacatecas: $738 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Zacatecas
Learn more

Zacatecas Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Zacatecas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $738 in Zacatecas.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Zacatecas $738

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,170 in Zacatecas.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Zacatecas $1,170

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,602 in Zacatecas.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Zacatecas $1,602

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 75% more expensive than in Zacatecas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Zacatecas 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$6.12 MX$113

64.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$31.70 MX$586

27.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$7.50 MX$139

14.00%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$2.96 MX$54.7

-19.59%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.21 MX$22.31

33.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.72 MX$13.31

43.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$1.86 MX$34.45

32.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$4.08 MX$75.4

-9.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.37 MX$25.41

-13.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.21 MX$40.91

-7.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.54 MX$28.52

-16.88%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$2.29 MX$42.31

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$7.32 MX$135

46.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$6.12 MX$113

-27.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$9.25 MX$171

6.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$1.75 MX$32.31

60.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.66 MX$30.63

7.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$2.02 MX$37.30

-20.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$1.46 MX$27.05

23.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$2.00 MX$36.98

-39.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$1.76 MX$32.50

-40.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$1.52 MX$28.04

-49.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$0.84 MX$15.60

-20.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$4.29 MX$79.4

-29.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$10.67 MX$197

-24.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.67 MX$30.90

-28.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$3.38 MX$62.5

-25.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.53 MX$9.88

86.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$16.52 MX$305

203.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.21 MX$40.77

-44.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.08 MX$19.91

-14.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$12.28 MX$227

-26.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.45 MX$26.79

-10.34%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$21.1K MX$390.6K

12.96%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$24.5K MX$452.6K

34.18%

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

$133 R$676

$23.16 MX$428

475.99%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$8.38 MX$155

29.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$25.17 MX$465

-9.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$25.02 MX$462

23.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$8.17 MX$151

289.84%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$4.39 MX$81.1

83.37%

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

$598 R$3,029

$256 MX$4,736

133.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$3,234 MX$59.8K

314.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$45.26 MX$836

-7.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$40.19 MX$743

23.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$91.6 MX$1,692

-18.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$43.08 MX$796

59.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$242 MX$4,467

273.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$162 MX$2,994

226.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$383 MX$7,074

246.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$249 MX$4,606

203.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$571 MX$10.5K

173.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$407 MX$7,527

57.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

10.8

10.46%

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 Zacatecas: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Zacatecas

$162 22% 69.4% $367

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Zacatecas

$228 30.9% 6.1% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Zacatecas

$57 7.7% 66.1% $110

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Zacatecas

$132 17.9% 19.9% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Zacatecas

$99 13.4% 6.3% $6.7

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Zacatecas

$26 3.6% 56.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Zacatecas

$34 4.6% 27.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $242 in Zacatecas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 57% 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 Zacatecas. Groceries flip the comparison at $215 vs $228, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇲🇽 Zacatecas

🕒 Local time

09:24 9:24 AM

06:24 6:24 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

138,444

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Zacatecas 8,190 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Zacatecas

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 Zacatecas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Zacatecas differ by about 75% in total monthly costs ($1,289 vs $738 including rent). Zacatecas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 57% 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 $242 in Zacatecas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Zacatecas – 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.

All in, you'll spend $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $738 in Zacatecas – a 75% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $738 in Zacatecas versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zacatecas but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Zacatecas 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 Zacatecas 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 Zacatecas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.