Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Ayacucho

For one person, living is cheaper in Ayacucho: $472 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Ayacucho
Learn more

Ayacucho Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Ayacucho

🇵🇪 Peru

$472

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Ayacucho actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $472 in Ayacucho.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Ayacucho $472

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $763 in Ayacucho.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Ayacucho $763

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,053 in Ayacucho.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Ayacucho $1,053

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 173% more expensive than in Ayacucho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Ayacucho 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$1.77 PEN 6.09

468.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$1.71 PEN 5.89

39.18%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$0.89 PEN 3.04

80.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.30 PEN 1.04

243.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$1.48 PEN 5.08

66.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$4.25 PEN 14.61

-12.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$0.57 PEN 1.95

124.56%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$1.76 PEN 6.04

30.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$2.87 PEN 9.86

274.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$4.46 PEN 15.32

-1.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$5.79 PEN 19.89

69.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$1.18 PEN 4.04

138.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$0.61 PEN 2.08

191.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$0.57 PEN 1.94

180.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$0.59 PEN 2.04

205.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$0.28 PEN 0.95

335.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$0.30 PEN 1.04

246.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$0.30 PEN 1.03

156.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$0.89 PEN 3.04

-24.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$5.74 PEN 19.72

40.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$2.85 PEN 9.79

-58.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$4.40 PEN 15.12

-42.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.60 PEN 2.05

65.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$34.67 PEN 119

44.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.37 PEN 8.15

-48.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.13 PEN 3.88

-18.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$4.41 PEN 15.14

103.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.69 PEN 5.81

-23.08%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$10.2K PEN 35.0K

134.38%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$12.2K PEN 41.8K

170.03%

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

$133 R$676

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$11.77 PEN 40.41

-8.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$17.21 PEN 59.1

33.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$14.37 PEN 49.36

114.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$28.66 PEN 98.4

11.13%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$4.33 PEN 14.88

85.91%

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

$598 R$3,029

$72.7 PEN 250

721.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$17.65 PEN 60.6

138.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$26.59 PEN 91.3

86.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$103 PEN 353

-27.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$101 PEN 345

-31.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$345 PEN 1,186

161.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$88.1 PEN 302

501.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$860 PEN 2,952

54.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$229 PEN 786

230.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$1,876 PEN 6,443

113.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$1,759 PEN 6,041

-11.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$479 PEN 1,645

33.51%

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 Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ayacucho: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Ayacucho

$88 18.7% 83.4% $441

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Ayacucho

$120 * 25.4% 44% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Ayacucho

$29 * 6.1% 82.7% $138

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Ayacucho

$55 * 11.7% 66.4% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Ayacucho

$111 23.6% 5.4% $5.7

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Ayacucho

$45 9.6% 24.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Ayacucho

$23 4.9% 50.9% $24

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 $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $345 in Ayacucho. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 34% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇵🇪 Ayacucho

🕒 Local time

09:13 9:13 AM

07:13 7:13 AM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

99,427

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Ayacucho 3,450 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Ayacucho

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 Ayacucho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ayacucho wins on cost – living expenses run 173% lower than in Rio de Janeiro. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ayacucho the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 34% higher in Rio de Janeiro, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $345 in Ayacucho. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $598 in Rio de Janeiro versus $72.7 in Ayacucho. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Ayacucho runs roughly 45% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $472 in Ayacucho versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ayacucho but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Ayacucho the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ayacucho delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $472 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ayacucho hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Rio de Janeiro and Ayacucho 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 Ayacucho gentler on the wallet – expenses run 173% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.