Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roatan and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living costs are similar in Roatan and in Rio de Janeiro: $1,229 and $1,289 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Roatan
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Roatan Living Index
63

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

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Roatan

🇭🇳 Honduras

$1,229

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Roatan and in Rio de Janeiro actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,229 in Roatan versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Roatan $1,229
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,019 in Roatan versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

Roatan $2,019
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,809 in Roatan versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

Roatan $2,809
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Roatan costs roughly 5% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Roatan 9% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.20 HNL 220

$10.06 R$51.3

-18.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.42 HNL 1,059

$40.44 R$206

-2.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.53 HNL 229

$8.55 R$43.59

-0.23%

Cappuccino

$4.41 HNL 119

$2.38 R$12.11

85.29%

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

$1.01 HNL 27.02

$1.61 R$8.22

-37.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 HNL 22.04

$1.03 R$5.25

-20.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 HNL 68.5

$2.47 R$12.61

3.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 HNL 135

$3.70 R$18.88

35.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 HNL 38.32

$1.19 R$6.09

20.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 HNL 87.0

$2.05 R$10.44

58.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.52 HNL 67.6

$1.28 R$6.53

96.88%

Eggs

$2.02 HNL 54.3

$2.29 R$11.66

-11.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.89 HNL 293

$10.76 R$54.8

1.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 HNL 181

$4.41 R$22.49

53.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.90 HNL 481

$9.84 R$50.2

81.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.33

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 HNL 28.70

$1.78 R$9.08

-39.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.12 HNL 30.08

$1.60 R$8.18

-30.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 HNL 14.25

$1.80 R$9.16

-70.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 HNL 43.57

$1.22 R$6.20

32.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 HNL 40.22

$1.04 R$5.29

44.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 HNL 31.78

$0.77 R$3.94

53.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.05 HNL 81.8

$0.67 R$3.40

355.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 HNL 78.6

$3.01 R$15.36

-2.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.54 HNL 203

$8.08 R$41.18

-6.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 HNL 35.78

$1.19 R$6.06

11.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 HNL 67.6

$2.51 R$12.80

0.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 HNL 52.6

$1.22 R$6.23

60.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.69

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.99 HNL 268

$8.97 R$45.71

11.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 HNL 27.97

$1.30 R$6.61

-20.00%

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

$23.9K R$121.7K

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

$29.7K HNL 796.6K

$32.9K R$167.5K

-9.76%

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

$133 R$680

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

$10.82 R$55.2

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$98.5 HNL 2,645

$22.90 R$117

329.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 HNL 1,625

$30.79 R$157

96.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$162

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$41.06

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

$491 HNL 13.2K

$598 R$3,046

-17.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.22 HNL 1,081

$42.04 R$214

-4.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.63 HNL 527

$49.68 R$253

-60.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$40.14 HNL 1,078

$74.5 R$380

-46.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.83 HNL 1,339

$68.7 R$350

-27.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$840 HNL 22.6K

$903 R$4,604

-6.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 HNL 14.8K

$529 R$2,699

4.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,971 HNL 52.9K

$1,326 R$6,762

48.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 HNL 34.1K

$756 R$3,853

67.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,854 HNL 49.8K

$4,010 R$20.4K

-53.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,332 HNL 35.8K

$1,560 R$7,954

-14.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$491 HNL 13.2K

$640 R$3,260

-23.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

50.88%

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

Last update for Roatan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Roatan

$552 44.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 4.1% $22

Groceries & Markets

Roatan

$274 * 22.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 21.8% $60

Eating Out

Roatan

$174 14.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 5.3% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roatan

$98 * 8%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 69.8% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Roatan

$67 5.5%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 56.8% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Roatan

$61 * 4.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 22.5% $14

Getting Around

Roatan

$2 * 0.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 2955% $58

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 $840 in Roatan and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 30% 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: $39.00 in Roatan vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Groceries flip the comparison at $274 vs $215, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇭🇳 Roatan

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

11:41 11:41 AM

14:41 2:41 PM

3 h ahead of Roatan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,425

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Honduran Lempira HNL L

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 HNL = 3.72 USD

100 HNL = 3.32 EUR

1 BRL = 0.196 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to HNL – Honduran Lempira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇳 Honduran Lempira (L)

Honduran Lempira exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 26.86 HNL (100 HNL = 3.72 USD). 1 EUR = 30.13 HNL (100 HNL = 3.32 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 5.1 BRL (1 BRL = 0.196 USD). 1 EUR = 5.72 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to HNL in detail →

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Between locations

Roatan Rio de Janeiro 6,420 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Roatan
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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

Roatan vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Roatan and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,229 vs $1,289 including rent). Roatan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 30% lower in Rio de Janeiro. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $840 in Roatan versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $491 in Roatan versus $598 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Roatan – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,229 in Roatan versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Roatan but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Roatan 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, Roatan and Rio de Janeiro 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 Roatan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.