Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Cajamarca

For one person, living is cheaper in Cajamarca: $695 a month against $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Cajamarca
Learn more

Cajamarca Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Cajamarca

🇵🇪 Peru

$695

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $695 in Cajamarca.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Cajamarca $695

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,177 in Cajamarca.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Cajamarca $1,177

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,658 in Cajamarca.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Cajamarca $1,658

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 85% more expensive than in Cajamarca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 4% lower, Cajamarca 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$50.1

$3.57 PEN 12.30

179.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$202

$28.96 PEN 99.6

39.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.57

$5.95 PEN 20.46

42.52%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.86

$2.64 PEN 9.08

-10.61%

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

$1.63 R$8.18

$0.79 PEN 2.72

106.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.09

$0.62 PEN 2.12

62.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.25

$2.30 PEN 7.92

6.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.53

$3.64 PEN 12.50

1.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.75

$1.38 PEN 4.76

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.40

$3.27 PEN 11.25

-36.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.45

$1.29 PEN 4.44

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.38

$2.28 PEN 7.85

-0.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$55.2

$7.58 PEN 26.09

45.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.62

$6.28 PEN 21.60

-31.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.88

$13.12 PEN 45.12

-25.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.19

$1.06 PEN 3.66

166.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.21

$0.78 PEN 2.69

135.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.01

$1.23 PEN 4.22

30.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.04

$1.08 PEN 3.71

66.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.31

$0.74 PEN 2.53

70.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.37

$1.00 PEN 3.42

7.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.77

$0.72 PEN 2.48

4.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.31

$0.75 PEN 2.57

-12.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.29

$8.98 PEN 30.89

-66.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$41.05

$10.19 PEN 35.05

-19.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.95

$2.59 PEN 8.92

-54.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.98

$2.45 PEN 8.44

-2.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.08

$0.56 PEN 1.93

80.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$252

$8.93 PEN 30.72

461.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.37

$1.76 PEN 6.05

-27.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.53

$1.33 PEN 4.56

-32.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.37

$5.05 PEN 17.37

86.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.69

$1.51 PEN 5.21

-11.92%

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

$23.4K R$117.6K

$23.7K PEN 81.6K

-1.26%

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

$33.6K R$168.5K

$25.9K PEN 88.9K

29.85%

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

$134 R$670

$49.76 PEN 171

168.29%

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

$12.23 R$61.4

$9.79 PEN 33.68

24.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$114

$29.01 PEN 99.8

-21.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$30.97 PEN 107

1.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$155

$20.52 PEN 70.6

50.44%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.29

$4.76 PEN 16.37

72.90%

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

$603 R$3,027

$137 PEN 472

339.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.4K

$4,463 PEN 15.4K

196.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$209

$51.7 PEN 178

-19.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$251

$29.33 PEN 101

70.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$377

$80.8 PEN 278

-7.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$343

$80.9 PEN 278

-15.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,543

$199 PEN 683

356.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,647

$103 PEN 354

412.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,755

$527 PEN 1,812

155.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,885

$317 PEN 1,089

144.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$20.0K

$2,338 PEN 8,043

70.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,838

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,227

$727 PEN 2,500

-11.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

10.5

13.62%

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 Cajamarca: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Cajamarca

$103 14.9% 80.5% $425

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Cajamarca

$229 33.1% 6.7% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Cajamarca

$89 12.8% 47.4% $80

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Cajamarca

$103 14.8% 37.4% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Cajamarca

$109 15.8% 3.4% $3.6

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Cajamarca

$20 2.8% 67.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Cajamarca

$40 5.9% 15.7% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $905 in Rio de Janeiro and $199 in Cajamarca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cajamarca pays 13% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $29.00 in Cajamarca. Groceries flip the comparison at $215 vs $229, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇵🇪 Cajamarca

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

06:24 6:24 AM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

218,741

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.85 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Cajamarca 4,160 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Cajamarca

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 Cajamarca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cajamarca is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. The 85% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Cajamarca. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $199 in Cajamarca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cajamarca runs roughly 462% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $603 in Rio de Janeiro versus $137 in Cajamarca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $695 in Cajamarca versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cajamarca but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Cajamarca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cajamarca is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Rio de Janeiro, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Rio de Janeiro and Cajamarca 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 Cajamarca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 85% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.