Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Zamora de Hidalgo

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,185 a month against $1,226 in Zamora de Hidalgo, rent and utilities included – about $490 less a year. The total is higher in Zamora de Hidalgo despite lower rent and utilities.

57

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Zamora de Hidalgo
Learn more

Zamora de Hidalgo Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,185

/mo nomad

Zamora de Hidalgo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,226

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Zamora de Hidalgo

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 Zamora de Hidalgo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,226 in Zamora de Hidalgo.

Rio de Janeiro $1,185
Zamora de Hidalgo $1,226

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,737 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,845 in Zamora de Hidalgo.

Rio de Janeiro $1,737
Zamora de Hidalgo $1,845

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,464 in Zamora de Hidalgo.

Rio de Janeiro $2,289
Zamora de Hidalgo $2,464

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 3% less than in Zamora de Hidalgo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 12% lower, Zamora de Hidalgo 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.16 R$44.89

$7.92 MX$148

3.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 R$205

$19.01 MX$356

95.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 R$41.40

$9.17 MX$172

-17.99%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R$11.58

$3.63 MX$68.0

-42.15%

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

$1.36 R$7.49

$1.62 MX$30.37

-16.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$5.29

$1.04 MX$19.43

-7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R$10.88

$1.65 MX$30.82

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 R$17.94

$2.61 MX$48.83

24.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.97

$1.83 MX$34.26

-40.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 R$10.27

$2.64 MX$49.41

-29.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.19

$2.00 MX$37.49

-44.00%

Eggs

$2.20 R$12.12

$2.63 MX$49.25

-16.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.91 R$54.6

$8.55 MX$160

15.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 R$22.62

$8.74 MX$163

-52.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 R$50.9

$13.19 MX$247

-29.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 R$14.26

$3.30 MX$61.8

-21.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R$9.28

$1.61 MX$30.18

4.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 R$8.08

$2.15 MX$40.14

-31.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 R$9.45

$1.93 MX$36.02

-10.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.36

$1.73 MX$32.34

-32.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.50

$1.79 MX$33.43

-44.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 R$3.61

$1.50 MX$28.03

-56.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R$3.35

$1.22 MX$22.83

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 R$14.81

$4.44 MX$83.1

-39.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 R$39.64

$17.54 MX$328

-58.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R$5.90

$2.13 MX$39.90

-49.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 R$12.32

$3.80 MX$71.1

-41.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.82

$0.62 MX$11.69

41.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.3 R$288

$29.74 MX$556

75.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.49

$3.14 MX$58.7

-62.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 R$3.72

$2.52 MX$47.16

-73.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 R$47.94

$10.85 MX$203

-19.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.59

$1.52 MX$28.51

-21.05%

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

$21.9K R$120.4K

$23.8K MX$444.7K

-8.01%

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

$31.0K R$170.7K

$23.6K MX$441.8K

31.27%

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

$126 R$691

$56.3 MX$1,053

123.09%

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

$10.14 R$55.8

$26.77 MX$501

-62.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.95 R$115

$24.38 MX$456

-14.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 R$157

$32.63 MX$610

-12.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.87 R$159

$19.83 MX$371

45.59%

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 R$40.75

$7.30 MX$137

1.37%

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

$537 R$2,955

$263 MX$4,918

104.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K R$87.4K

$5,037 MX$94.2K

215.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.68 R$213

$52.4 MX$980

-26.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R$248

$43.44 MX$813

3.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 R$378

$99.2 MX$1,856

-30.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.1 R$353

$97.6 MX$1,825

-34.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$4,225

$594 MX$11.1K

29.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 R$2,701

$434 MX$8,119

13.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 R$8,026

$1,043 MX$19.5K

39.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R$4,088

$740 MX$13.8K

0.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,325 R$18.3K

$1,890 MX$35.4K

75.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R$8,542

$1,115 MX$20.8K

39.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 R$3,708

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.99

-0.50%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: November 3, 2026

Last update for Zamora de Hidalgo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$491 41.4%

Zamora de Hidalgo

$434 35.4% 11.5% $57

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$198 16.7%

Zamora de Hidalgo

$299 24.4% 51.2% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$157 13.2%

Zamora de Hidalgo

$107 8.8% 31.4% $49

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$139 11.7%

Zamora de Hidalgo

$159 12.9% 14.3% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$97 8.2%

Zamora de Hidalgo

$132 10.7% 35.2% $34

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 5.1%

Zamora de Hidalgo

$48 3.9% 20.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$43 3.7%

Zamora de Hidalgo

$47 3.9% 9% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $768 in Rio de Janeiro and $594 in Zamora de Hidalgo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37 in Rio de Janeiro vs $19 in Zamora de Hidalgo. Groceries flip the comparison at $198 vs $299, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇲🇽 Zamora de Hidalgo

🕒 Local time

19:31 7:31 PM

16:31 4:31 PM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

186,102

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Zamora de Hidalgo 7,990 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Zamora de Hidalgo

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 Zamora de Hidalgo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,185 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,226 in Zamora de Hidalgo, so Rio de Janeiro is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,778 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,840 in Zamora de Hidalgo 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: $768 in Rio de Janeiro versus $594 in Zamora de Hidalgo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Zamora de Hidalgo – a meal for two runs $19 versus $37 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,185 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,226 in Zamora de Hidalgo – Rio de Janeiro is about 3% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Rio de Janeiro gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.