Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arequipa and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Arequipa: $719 a month against $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
Learn more

Arequipa Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

Jump to prices

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$719

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $719 per month in Arequipa vs $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Arequipa $719
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

A couple spends around $1,114 per month in Arequipa vs $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Arequipa $1,114
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

A family of three spends $1,510 per month in Arequipa vs $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Arequipa $1,510
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Arequipa is about 44% cheaper than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Arequipa and Rio de Janeiro are more affordable than the global median – Arequipa 46% lower, Rio de Janeiro 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.41 PEN 11.69

$9.98 R$49.83

-65.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.27 PEN 93.5

$40.34 R$201

-32.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.68 PEN 19.46

$8.48 R$42.35

-33.02%

Cappuccino

$2.47 PEN 8.45

$2.36 R$11.80

4.66%

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

$0.82 PEN 2.82

$1.63 R$8.13

-49.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 PEN 1.31

$1.01 R$5.06

-62.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 PEN 7.10

$2.44 R$12.19

-15.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 PEN 15.08

$3.69 R$18.43

19.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 PEN 4.57

$1.15 R$5.72

15.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 PEN 4.68

$2.07 R$10.34

-34.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 PEN 5.20

$1.29 R$6.42

17.83%

Eggs

$2.25 PEN 7.73

$2.27 R$11.32

-0.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.39 PEN 21.89

$11.00 R$54.9

-41.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.37 PEN 14.98

$4.31 R$21.51

1.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.48 PEN 25.65

$9.74 R$48.63

-23.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 PEN 6.07

$2.83 R$14.12

-37.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 PEN 4.19

$1.84 R$9.17

-33.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 PEN 3.89

$1.60 R$7.96

-29.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 PEN 3.52

$1.80 R$9.00

-42.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 PEN 2.19

$1.26 R$6.28

-49.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 PEN 2.30

$1.07 R$5.34

-37.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 PEN 1.86

$0.75 R$3.75

-28.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 PEN 2.60

$0.66 R$3.29

15.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 PEN 17.76

$3.05 R$15.21

69.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.04 PEN 17.26

$8.18 R$40.84

-38.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 PEN 9.34

$1.19 R$5.92

128.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 PEN 7.55

$2.39 R$11.92

-7.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 PEN 0.95

$1.01 R$5.06

-72.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 PEN 6.88

$1.27 R$6.33

58.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 PEN 6.76

$0.90 R$4.51

118.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.00 PEN 44.55

$9.44 R$47.13

37.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 PEN 5.26

$1.33 R$6.65

15.04%

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

$19.2K PEN 65.7K

$23.4K R$117.0K

-18.18%

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

$25.0K PEN 85.8K

$33.6K R$167.6K

-25.42%

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

$24.05 PEN 82.5

$134 R$666

-81.99%

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

$10.15 PEN 34.80

$12.23 R$61.0

-17.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.01 PEN 78.9

$22.65 R$113

1.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.05 PEN 85.9

$31.56 R$158

-20.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.13 PEN 27.88

$30.87 R$154

-73.66%

Cinema Ticket

$7.41 PEN 25.39

$8.23 R$41.07

-9.96%

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

$74.8 PEN 256

$603 R$3,011

-87.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,596 PEN 22.6K

$13.2K R$66.1K

-50.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.85 PEN 167

$41.62 R$208

17.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.46 PEN 90.7

$49.94 R$249

-47.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.0 PEN 233

$75.0 R$375

-9.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.3 PEN 196

$68.3 R$341

-16.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$354 PEN 1,213

$905 R$4,519

-60.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$236 PEN 809

$527 R$2,633

-55.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$714 PEN 2,449

$1,346 R$6,720

-46.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 PEN 1,431

$774 R$3,865

-46.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,991 PEN 6,824

$3,981 R$19.9K

-49.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$974 PEN 3,340

$1,562 R$7,798

-37.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$617 PEN 2,115

$643 R$3,210

-4.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

25.73%

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

Last update for Arequipa: October 5, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arequipa

$236 33.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 124% $291

Groceries & Markets

Arequipa

$174 24.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 23.3% $41

Eating Out

Arequipa

$98 13.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 67.4% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Arequipa

$90 12.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 17.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arequipa

$57 8.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 194% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Arequipa

$40 5.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 20.4% $8.2

Getting Around

Arequipa

$13 * 1.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 363% $47

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $354 in Arequipa versus $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 4% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Arequipa versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $174 vs $215 – making Arequipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

09:22 9:22 AM

2 h ahead of Arequipa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,062

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Arequipa Rio de Janeiro 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Arequipa
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

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

Rio de Janeiro costs about 79% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,078 per month in Arequipa and $1,927 in Rio de Janeiro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arequipa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Arequipa and $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Rio de Janeiro, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Arequipa, where all-in costs run around $719, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,285. In Arequipa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Arequipa costs $719 versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Arequipa. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rio de Janeiro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.