Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Zihuatanejo

For one person, living is cheaper in Zihuatanejo: $1,131 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Zihuatanejo
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Zihuatanejo Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Zihuatanejo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,131 in Zihuatanejo.

Rio de Janeiro $1,273
Zihuatanejo $1,131

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,824 in Zihuatanejo.

Rio de Janeiro $1,841
Zihuatanejo $1,824

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,517 in Zihuatanejo.

Rio de Janeiro $2,409
Zihuatanejo $2,517

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 13% more expensive than in Zihuatanejo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 6% lower, Zihuatanejo 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.38 R$46.86

$10.86 MX$203

-13.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$200

$44.16 MX$827

-9.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.34 R$41.68

$8.74 MX$164

-4.58%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R$11.45

$3.48 MX$65.2

-34.20%

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

$1.59 R$7.93

$1.36 MX$25.45

16.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.03

$1.02 MX$19.08

-0.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 R$10.69

$2.45 MX$45.89

-12.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R$18.28

$3.98 MX$74.4

-8.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.63

$1.66 MX$31.05

-31.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 R$10.45

$2.55 MX$47.69

-18.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.27

$1.65 MX$30.90

-24.24%

Eggs

$2.25 R$11.23

$2.44 MX$45.61

-7.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.92 R$54.5

$8.11 MX$152

34.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 R$21.79

$8.52 MX$159

-48.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 R$47.96

$11.56 MX$216

-16.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 R$14.26

$2.72 MX$51.0

4.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.03

$1.56 MX$29.27

16.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 R$7.91

$1.94 MX$36.39

-18.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.15

$1.77 MX$33.10

3.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.01

$1.94 MX$36.24

-38.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.28

$1.88 MX$35.15

-43.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.76

$1.43 MX$26.71

-47.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.40

$1.09 MX$20.47

-37.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 R$14.68

$4.28 MX$80.1

-31.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$39.85

$10.27 MX$192

-22.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.89

$1.82 MX$34.04

-35.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.09

$3.06 MX$57.3

-20.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$4.71

$0.68 MX$12.77

38.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$251

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 R$6.01

$2.61 MX$48.93

-54.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 R$4.14

$2.02 MX$37.88

-58.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$44.83

$11.18 MX$209

-19.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.44

$1.44 MX$26.93

-10.42%

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

$22.8K R$113.8K

$21.3K MX$398.4K

7.00%

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

$34.0K R$169.7K

$23.9K MX$447.0K

42.20%

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

$134 R$671

$57.3 MX$1,072

134.58%

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

$10.73 R$53.6

$23.00 MX$431

-53.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.84 R$114

$29.80 MX$558

-23.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.16 R$151

$34.76 MX$651

-13.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.49 R$157

$20.02 MX$375

57.29%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 R$38.60

$5.14 MX$96.2

50.39%

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

$584 R$2,917

$216 MX$4,041

170.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K R$64.0K

$4,526 MX$84.7K

182.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.12 R$205

$55.5 MX$1,038

-25.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 R$246

$40.25 MX$753

22.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R$368

$98.5 MX$1,844

-25.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 R$329

$90.0 MX$1,684

-26.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 R$4,495

$596 MX$11.1K

51.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,634

$384 MX$7,182

37.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 R$6,657

$1,053 MX$19.7K

26.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 R$3,736

$759 MX$14.2K

-1.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,990 R$19.9K

$1,915 MX$35.8K

108.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,794

$1,149 MX$21.5K

35.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,200

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.3

5.58%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Last update for Zihuatanejo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4%

Zihuatanejo

$384 34% 27.2% $144

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8%

Zihuatanejo

$264 23.3% 23.4% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2%

Zihuatanejo

$110 9.7% 34.4% $58

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3%

Zihuatanejo

$185 16.3% 18.4% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1%

Zihuatanejo

$128 11.3% 23.6% $24

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7%

Zihuatanejo

$15 * 1.4% 74% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6%

Zihuatanejo

$45 4% 1.3% $0.6

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 $900 in Rio de Janeiro and $596 in Zihuatanejo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40 in Rio de Janeiro vs $44 in Zihuatanejo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $264 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇲🇽 Zihuatanejo

🕒 Local time

08:52 8:52 AM

05:52 5:52 AM

3 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

67,408

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.61 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Zihuatanejo 7,780 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Zihuatanejo

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 Zihuatanejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Zihuatanejo differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($1,273 vs $1,131 including rent). Zihuatanejo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,910 in Rio de Janeiro and $1,696 in Zihuatanejo 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: $900 in Rio de Janeiro versus $596 in Zihuatanejo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $584 in Rio de Janeiro versus $216 in Zihuatanejo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40 versus $44 in Zihuatanejo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Zihuatanejo 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.