Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Arequipa

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.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Arequipa $719

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

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

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

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

Rio de Janeiro costs about 79% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$3.41 PEN 11.69

192.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$27.27 PEN 93.5

47.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$5.68 PEN 19.46

49.30%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$2.47 PEN 8.45

-4.45%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$0.82 PEN 2.82

98.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$0.38 PEN 1.31

165.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$2.07 PEN 7.10

17.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$4.40 PEN 15.08

-16.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$1.33 PEN 4.57

-13.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$1.36 PEN 4.68

52.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$1.52 PEN 5.20

-15.13%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$2.25 PEN 7.73

0.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$6.39 PEN 21.89

72.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$4.37 PEN 14.98

-1.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$7.48 PEN 25.65

30.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$1.77 PEN 6.07

59.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$1.22 PEN 4.19

50.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$1.13 PEN 3.89

41.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$1.03 PEN 3.52

74.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$0.64 PEN 2.19

96.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$0.67 PEN 2.30

59.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$0.54 PEN 1.86

38.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$0.76 PEN 2.60

-13.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

$5.18 PEN 17.76

-41.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$5.04 PEN 17.26

62.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$2.72 PEN 9.34

-56.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$2.20 PEN 7.55

8.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

$0.28 PEN 0.95

260.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

$2.01 PEN 6.88

-36.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

$1.97 PEN 6.76

-54.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

$13.00 PEN 44.55

-27.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$1.53 PEN 5.26

-13.07%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

$19.2K PEN 65.7K

22.22%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$25.0K PEN 85.8K

34.08%

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

$134 R$666

$24.05 PEN 82.5

455.09%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$10.15 PEN 34.80

20.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$23.01 PEN 78.9

-1.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$25.05 PEN 85.9

25.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

$8.13 PEN 27.88

279.70%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$7.41 PEN 25.39

11.07%

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

$603 R$3,011

$74.8 PEN 256

706.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

$6,596 PEN 22.6K

100.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$48.85 PEN 167

-14.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$26.46 PEN 90.7

88.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$68.0 PEN 233

10.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$57.3 PEN 196

19.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

$354 PEN 1,213

155.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

$236 PEN 809

123.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

$714 PEN 2,449

88.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

$418 PEN 1,431

85.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

$1,991 PEN 6,824

99.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

$974 PEN 3,340

60.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

$617 PEN 2,115

4.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

-20.47%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Arequipa

$236 33.3% 55.3% $291

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Arequipa

$174 24.6% 18.9% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Arequipa

$57 8.1% 66% $111

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Arequipa

$98 13.8% 40.3% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Arequipa

$90 12.7% 14.6% $15

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Arequipa

$13 * 1.8% 78.4% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Arequipa

$40 5.6% 17% $8.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $354 in Arequipa. 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 $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $27.00 in Arequipa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $174 – making Arequipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🕒 Local time

08:31 8:31 AM

06:31 6:31 AM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

17,062

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

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).

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).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Arequipa

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

Rio de Janeiro vs Arequipa: 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 $1,927 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $1,078 in Arequipa. 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 $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro and $27.00 in Arequipa. 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.