Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Pedro and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $1,623 in San Pedro, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

Jump to prices

San Pedro

🇧🇿 Belize

$1,623

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,623 in San Pedro versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

San Pedro $1,623
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,725 in San Pedro versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

San Pedro $2,725
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,828 in San Pedro versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

San Pedro $3,828
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in San Pedro is roughly 26% more expensive than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Pedro is 20% above, Rio de Janeiro is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.42 BZD 18.84

$10.06 R$51.0

-6.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.94 BZD 59.9

$40.44 R$205

-25.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

Cappuccino

$3.07 BZD 6.13

$2.38 R$12.04

28.99%

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

$1.33 BZD 2.66

$1.61 R$8.18

-17.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 BZD 2.98

$1.03 R$5.22

44.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 BZD 5.93

$2.47 R$12.54

19.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 BZD 8.11

$3.70 R$18.77

9.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$5.09 BZD 10.18

$1.19 R$6.05

327.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 BZD 4.91

$2.05 R$10.38

20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.62 BZD 11.23

$1.28 R$6.49

339.06%

Eggs

$1.87 BZD 3.73

$2.29 R$11.60

-18.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.55 BZD 23.11

$10.76 R$54.5

7.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.95 BZD 25.90

$4.41 R$22.36

193.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.65 BZD 21.31

$9.84 R$49.86

8.23%

Apples (1kg)

$14.23 BZD 28.47

$2.81 R$14.25

406.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 BZD 2.17

$1.78 R$9.03

-38.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

Tomato (1kg)

$7.72 BZD 15.44

$1.80 R$9.11

328.89%

Potato (1kg)

$6.75 BZD 13.49

$1.22 R$6.17

453.28%

Onion (1kg)

$3.70 BZD 7.40

$1.04 R$5.26

255.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 BZD 2.56

$0.77 R$3.92

66.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 BZD 3.81

$0.67 R$3.38

183.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

Wine (Bottle)

$23.93 BZD 47.87

$8.08 R$40.94

196.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.77 BZD 7.54

$1.19 R$6.03

216.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 BZD 8.00

$2.51 R$12.73

59.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.01 BZD 10.03

$0.92 R$4.66

444.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 BZD 3.27

$1.30 R$6.57

25.38%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

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

$177 BZD 355

$133 R$676

32.88%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.47 BZD 59.0

$30.79 R$156

-4.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

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

$598 R$3,029

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$992 BZD 1,984

$903 R$4,578

9.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$761 BZD 1,522

$529 R$2,684

43.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,768 BZD 5,537

$1,326 R$6,724

108.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,998 BZD 3,997

$756 R$3,831

164.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,724 BZD 5,450

$4,010 R$20.3K

-32.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,645 BZD 3,291

$1,560 R$7,910

5.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

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

Last update for San Pedro: October 12, 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

San Pedro

–

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Groceries & Markets

San Pedro

–

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Pedro

–

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Eating Out

San Pedro

–

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Clothing & Footwear

San Pedro

–

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Getting Around

San Pedro

–

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Sport & Entertainment

San Pedro

–

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $992 in San Pedro and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in San Pedro vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Groceries flip the comparison at $483 vs $215, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇿 San Pedro

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

03:11 3:11 AM

06:11 6:11 AM

3 h ahead of San Pedro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,456

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Belize Dollar BZD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BZD = 0.5 USD

1 BZD = 0.445 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to BZD – Belize Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇿 Belize Dollar ($)

Belize Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 2 BZD (1 BZD = 0.5 USD). 1 EUR = 2.25 BZD (1 BZD = 0.445 EUR).

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).

USD to BZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Pedro Rio de Janeiro 6,650 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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

San Pedro and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($1,623 vs $1,289 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,434 in San Pedro and $1,933 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: $992 in San Pedro versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $30.00 in San Pedro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,623 per month in San Pedro versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,623 in San Pedro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in San Pedro. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro 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 Pedro 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 Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in San Pedro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.