Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Cerro de Pasco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerro de Pasco: $555 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Cerro de Pasco
Learn more

Cerro de Pasco Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Cerro de Pasco

🇵🇪 Peru

$555

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Cerro de Pasco

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 Cerro de Pasco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $555 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Cerro de Pasco $555

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $891 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Cerro de Pasco $891

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,227 in Cerro de Pasco, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Cerro de Pasco $1,227

Rio de Janeiro costs about 132% more than Cerro de Pasco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Cerro de Pasco are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Cerro de Pasco 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$2.83 PEN 9.70

255.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$29.34 PEN 101

37.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$6.74 PEN 23.16

26.85%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$2.05 PEN 7.03

16.10%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$0.76 PEN 2.61

111.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.45 PEN 1.55

128.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$2.69 PEN 9.22

-8.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$4.44 PEN 15.27

-16.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.52 PEN 5.23

-21.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.35 PEN 8.07

-12.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.26 PEN 4.34

1.59%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$2.47 PEN 8.47

-7.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$9.18 PEN 31.53

17.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$6.04 PEN 20.74

-26.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$7.92 PEN 27.20

24.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$2.00 PEN 6.86

40.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$0.76 PEN 2.61

134.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$0.43 PEN 1.46

272.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$1.14 PEN 3.91

57.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$0.70 PEN 2.41

74.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$0.54 PEN 1.87

92.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$0.83 PEN 2.85

-7.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$0.84 PEN 2.88

-20.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$5.78 PEN 19.84

-47.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$7.19 PEN 24.68

12.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.92 PEN 6.60

-38.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.65 PEN 9.11

-5.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$3.98 PEN 13.68

-69.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.99 PEN 6.84

-53.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$7.46 PEN 25.62

20.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.67 PEN 5.74

-22.16%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$22.2K PEN 76.4K

7.31%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$26.2K PEN 89.9K

25.57%

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

$133 R$676

$72.8 PEN 250

83.17%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$16.46 PEN 56.5

-34.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$27.53 PEN 94.6

-16.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$7.15 PEN 24.56

12.59%

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

$598 R$3,029

$176 PEN 606

238.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$12.9K PEN 44.4K

3.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$53.3 PEN 183

-21.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$35.36 PEN 121

40.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$83.2 PEN 286

-10.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$77.6 PEN 267

-11.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$408 PEN 1,400

225.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$470 PEN 1,616

35.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

8.94

33.45%

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 Cerro de Pasco: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Cerro de Pasco

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Cerro de Pasco

$203 36.6% 5.4% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Cerro de Pasco

$117 21.1% 30.1% $50

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Cerro de Pasco

$95 17% 42.7% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Cerro de Pasco

$112 20.2% 6.2% $6.5

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Cerro de Pasco

$14 * 2.5% 76.7% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Cerro de Pasco

$14 * 2.6% 69.5% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 36% 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 $29.00 in Cerro de Pasco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $203 – making Cerro de Pasco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇵🇪 Cerro de Pasco

🕒 Local time

21:24 9:24 PM

19:24 7:24 PM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

58,899

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Cerro de Pasco 3,760 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Cerro de Pasco

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 Cerro de Pasco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rio de Janeiro is pricier by about 132%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $832 in Cerro de Pasco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro and $29.00 in Cerro de Pasco. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cerro de Pasco, where all-in costs run around $555, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Cerro de Pasco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cerro de Pasco – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Cerro de Pasco. 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.