Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Villahermosa and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living costs are similar in Villahermosa and in Rio de Janeiro: $1,237 and $1,289 a month, rent and utilities included.

Villahermosa
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,237
/mo nomad
Rio de Janeiro
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,289
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,237 in Villahermosa versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

  • Villahermosa $1,237
  • Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,106 in Villahermosa versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

  • Villahermosa $2,106
  • Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,975 in Villahermosa versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

  • Villahermosa $2,975
  • Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Villahermosa costs roughly 4% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Villahermosa 8% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Villahermosa
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.89 MX$201
$10.06 R$51.0
8.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.88 MX$663
$40.44 R$205
-11.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.87 MX$201
$8.55 R$43.35
27.13%
Cappuccino
$3.31 MX$61.2
$2.38 R$12.04
39.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.39
$1.61 R$8.18
-21.12%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.20 MX$22.17
$1.03 R$5.22
16.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.81 MX$52.0
$2.47 R$12.54
13.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.58 MX$103
$3.70 R$18.77
50.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Villahermosa
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.75 MX$32.42
$1.19 R$6.05
47.06%
White Bread (500g)
$1.78 MX$32.95
$2.05 R$10.38
-13.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.41 MX$25.98
$1.28 R$6.49
10.16%
Eggs
$1.92 MX$35.41
$2.29 R$11.60
-16.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.51 MX$157
$10.76 R$54.5
-20.91%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.55 MX$195
$4.41 R$22.36
139.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.90 MX$257
$9.84 R$49.86
41.26%
Apples (1kg)
$3.38 MX$62.4
$2.81 R$14.25
20.28%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 MX$26.04
$1.78 R$9.03
-20.79%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.61 MX$29.68
$1.60 R$8.13
0.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.22 MX$22.50
$1.80 R$9.11
-32.22%
Potato (1kg)
$1.61 MX$29.75
$1.22 R$6.17
31.97%
Onion (1kg)
$1.35 MX$24.99
$1.04 R$5.26
29.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.40 MX$25.86
$0.77 R$3.92
81.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.38
$0.67 R$3.38
89.55%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.45 MX$119
$3.01 R$15.27
114.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.36 MX$173
$8.08 R$40.94
15.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.76 MX$50.9
$1.19 R$6.03
131.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.47 MX$119
$2.51 R$12.73
157.77%
🚌 Getting Around
Villahermosa
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.57 MX$10.59
$0.99 R$5.00
-42.42%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$23.36 MX$432
$50.1 R$254
-53.38%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.20 MX$40.72
$1.22 R$6.20
80.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.24 MX$41.37
$0.92 R$4.66
143.48%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.08 MX$205
$8.97 R$45.45
23.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.39 MX$25.61
$1.30 R$6.57
6.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.2K MX$428.3K
$23.9K R$121.0K
-2.91%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K MX$484.9K
$32.9K R$166.6K
-20.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Villahermosa
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.5 MX$1,173
$133 R$676
-52.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.82 MX$551
$10.82 R$54.8
175.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.36 MX$598
$22.90 R$116
41.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Villahermosa
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.2 MX$928
$30.79 R$156
63.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$31.85 R$161
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.29 MX$79.2
$8.05 R$40.83
-46.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Villahermosa
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$311 MX$5,741
$598 R$3,029
-48.01%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,546 MX$84.0K
$13.4K R$68.0K
-66.12%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Villahermosa
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64.7 MX$1,196
$42.04 R$213
54.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$49.68 R$252
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.2 MX$1,407
$74.5 R$378
2.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$61.3 MX$1,132
$68.7 R$348
-10.80%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Villahermosa
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$496 MX$9,160
$903 R$4,578
-45.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$448 MX$8,275
$529 R$2,684
-15.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,588 MX$29.3K
$1,326 R$6,724
19.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,212 MX$22.4K
$756 R$3,831
60.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,010 R$20.3K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,222 MX$22.6K
$1,560 R$7,910
-21.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Villahermosa
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$640 R$3,242
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
11.93
-

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

Last update for Villahermosa: 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
Villahermosa
$448
Rio de Janeiro
$529 18.2% $82
Groceries & Markets
Villahermosa
$280
Rio de Janeiro
$215 23.4% $66
Eating Out
Villahermosa
$195
Rio de Janeiro
$165 15.2% $30
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Villahermosa
$126
Rio de Janeiro
$167 33% $41
Clothing & Footwear
Villahermosa
$91 *
Rio de Janeiro
$106 16.2% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Villahermosa
$59
Rio de Janeiro
$47 20.3% $12
Getting Around
Villahermosa
$39
Rio de Janeiro
$60 53.3% $21

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 $496 in Villahermosa and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $36.00 in Villahermosa vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Groceries flip the comparison at $280 vs $215, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Villahermosa
🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro
🕒 Local time
22:25 10:25 PM
01:25 1:25 AM
3 h ahead of Villahermosa
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
340,060
6,211,223
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Villahermosa Rio de Janeiro 7,060 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Villahermosa
  • 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
Villahermosa vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Villahermosa and in Rio de Janeiro?
Villahermosa and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,237 vs $1,289 including rent). Villahermosa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Villahermosa compared to Rio de Janeiro?
You'd need roughly $1,856 in Villahermosa 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Villahermosa and in Rio de Janeiro?
Rent for a central apartment: $496 in Villahermosa versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Villahermosa – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Villahermosa or Rio de Janeiro?
All in, you'll spend $1,237 per month in Villahermosa versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,237 in Villahermosa versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Villahermosa but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Villahermosa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Villahermosa and Rio de Janeiro?
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.
Where should expats move: Villahermosa or Rio de Janeiro?
Expats usually find Villahermosa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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