Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Felipe and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in San Felipe: $1,106 a month against $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

54

Cost of Living Index in San Felipe
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San Felipe Living Index
62

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

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San Felipe

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,106

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,273

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Felipe 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 San Felipe and in Rio de Janeiro actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,106 in San Felipe versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro.

San Felipe $1,106
Rio de Janeiro $1,273

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,777 in San Felipe versus $1,841 in Rio de Janeiro.

San Felipe $1,777
Rio de Janeiro $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in San Felipe versus $2,409 in Rio de Janeiro.

San Felipe $2,448
Rio de Janeiro $2,409

Living in San Felipe costs roughly 13% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: San Felipe 18% lower, Rio de Janeiro 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.35 MX$136

$9.38 R$47.54

-21.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.63 MX$806

$40.00 R$203

9.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.27 MX$153

$8.34 R$42.28

-0.84%

Cappuccino

$3.49 MX$64.4

$2.29 R$11.62

52.40%

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

$1.35 MX$24.91

$1.59 R$8.05

-15.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 MX$19.41

$1.01 R$5.10

3.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 MX$45.34

$2.14 R$10.85

14.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 MX$75.8

$3.66 R$18.55

12.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 MX$30.38

$1.13 R$5.72

45.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 MX$46.89

$2.09 R$10.60

21.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MX$31.80

$1.25 R$6.36

37.60%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.82

$2.25 R$11.39

12.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.42 MX$156

$10.92 R$55.3

-22.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.46 MX$156

$4.36 R$22.10

94.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 MX$217

$9.60 R$48.66

22.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 MX$49.26

$2.85 R$14.46

-6.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 MX$28.23

$1.81 R$9.16

-15.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.02

$1.58 R$8.02

19.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MX$33.76

$1.83 R$9.28

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.84

$1.20 R$6.10

65.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.64

$1.06 R$5.35

76.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MX$26.39

$0.75 R$3.81

90.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$20.02

$0.68 R$3.45

58.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MX$83.1

$2.94 R$14.90

53.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.26 MX$190

$7.98 R$40.43

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 MX$32.42

$1.18 R$5.98

48.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 MX$56.8

$2.42 R$12.26

26.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.65

$0.94 R$4.78

-32.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 R$255

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 MX$48.65

$1.20 R$6.10

119.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 MX$35.73

$0.83 R$4.20

132.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.06 MX$204

$8.97 R$45.48

23.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.73

$1.29 R$6.53

12.40%

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

$21.4K MX$395.3K

$22.8K R$115.5K

-6.08%

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

$24.5K MX$452.2K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-27.93%

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

$57.9 MX$1,070

$134 R$681

-56.89%

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

$23.12 MX$427

$10.73 R$54.4

115.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.50 MX$545

$22.84 R$116

29.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.66 MX$622

$30.16 R$153

11.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.47 MX$378

$31.49 R$160

-35.00%

Cinema Ticket

$5.36 MX$99.0

$7.73 R$39.17

-30.66%

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

$219 MX$4,051

$584 R$2,960

-62.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,580 MX$84.6K

$12.8K R$64.9K

-64.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 MX$1,002

$41.12 R$208

31.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.18 MX$742

$49.26 R$250

-18.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 MX$1,842

$73.7 R$373

35.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 MX$1,662

$65.9 R$334

36.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$617 MX$11.4K

$900 R$4,561

-31.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 MX$7,184

$527 R$2,673

-26.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 MX$19.6K

$1,332 R$6,754

-20.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$757 MX$14.0K

$748 R$3,790

1.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,934 MX$35.7K

$3,990 R$20.2K

-51.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,147 MX$21.2K

$1,560 R$7,908

-26.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,246

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.93

-5.28%

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

Last update for San Felipe: October 17, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Felipe

$389 35.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41.4% 35.6% $138

Groceries & Markets

San Felipe

$265 23.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$214 16.8% 19.2% $51

Eating Out

San Felipe

$156 14.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$156 12.3% 0.3% $0.4

Clothing & Footwear

San Felipe

$128 11.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$103 8.1% 19% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Felipe

$111 10%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.2% 51.9% $57

Sport & Entertainment

San Felipe

$44 4%

Rio de Janeiro

$46 3.6% 2.8% $1.2

Getting Around

San Felipe

$15 * 1.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$59 4.7% 301% $45

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 $617 in San Felipe and $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44.00 in San Felipe vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $265 vs $214 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 San Felipe

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

20:29 8:29 PM

23:29 11:29 PM

3 h ahead of San Felipe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,452

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

San Felipe Rio de Janeiro 7,990 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

San Felipe
Rio de Janeiro

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

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

San Felipe and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,106 vs $1,273 including rent). San Felipe is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,660 in San Felipe and $1,910 in Rio de Janeiro 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: $617 in San Felipe versus $900 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $219 in San Felipe versus $584 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 San Felipe – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,106 in San Felipe versus $1,273 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in San Felipe but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes San Felipe 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, San Felipe 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 San Felipe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.