Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Cusco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cusco: $688 a month against $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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 Cusco
Learn more

Cusco Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro versus $688 in Cusco.

Rio de Janeiro $1,285
Cusco $688

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,096 in Cusco.

Rio de Janeiro $1,888
Cusco $1,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,505 in Cusco.

Rio de Janeiro $2,491
Cusco $1,505

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 87% more expensive than in Cusco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 4% lower, Cusco 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 R$49.83

$1.99 PEN 6.82

401.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.34 R$201

$20.55 PEN 70.4

96.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 R$42.35

$6.70 PEN 22.96

26.57%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R$11.80

$2.11 PEN 7.22

11.85%

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

$1.63 R$8.13

$0.78 PEN 2.68

108.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.06

$0.33 PEN 1.13

206.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.19

$1.72 PEN 5.90

41.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R$18.43

$4.33 PEN 14.85

-14.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R$5.72

$1.24 PEN 4.26

-7.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.34

$2.32 PEN 7.95

-10.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.42

$1.29 PEN 4.42

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.32

$3.63 PEN 12.44

-37.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 R$54.9

$4.69 PEN 16.08

134.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 R$21.51

$4.43 PEN 15.19

-2.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 R$48.63

$7.37 PEN 25.26

32.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 R$14.12

$2.55 PEN 8.75

10.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.17

$0.77 PEN 2.62

138.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$7.96

$1.47 PEN 5.02

8.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.00

$0.85 PEN 2.93

111.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.28

$1.02 PEN 3.51

23.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.34

$1.10 PEN 3.79

-2.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$3.75

$0.49 PEN 1.66

53.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 R$3.29

$0.75 PEN 2.57

-12.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.21

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$40.84

$5.93 PEN 20.34

37.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$5.92

$1.85 PEN 6.36

-35.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R$11.92

$4.12 PEN 14.11

-41.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.06

$0.30 PEN 1.04

236.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 R$250

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 R$6.33

$1.72 PEN 5.89

-26.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.51

$1.93 PEN 6.63

-53.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.44 R$47.13

$2.82 PEN 9.65

234.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R$6.65

$1.57 PEN 5.40

-15.29%

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

$23.4K R$117.0K

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$28.9K PEN 99.2K

16.03%

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

$134 R$666

$29.31 PEN 100

355.48%

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

$12.23 R$61.0

$14.31 PEN 49.05

-14.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.65 R$113

$44.13 PEN 151

-48.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.56 R$158

$28.51 PEN 97.7

10.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.87 R$154

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R$41.07

$4.26 PEN 14.59

93.19%

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

$603 R$3,011

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K R$66.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.62 R$208

$37.39 PEN 128

11.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 R$249

$33.43 PEN 115

49.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 R$375

$54.4 PEN 186

38.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 R$341

$72.2 PEN 248

-5.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 R$4,519

$218 PEN 746

316.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 R$2,633

$191 PEN 654

176.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 R$6,720

$538 PEN 1,843

150.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 R$3,865

$416 PEN 1,426

86.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,981 R$19.9K

$3,249 PEN 11.1K

22.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 R$7,798

$1,823 PEN 6,248

-14.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$643 R$3,210

$433 PEN 1,485

48.44%

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 6, 2026

Last update for Cusco: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41%

Cusco

$191 27.8% 63.8% $337

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Cusco

$187 27.2% 13% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1%

Cusco

$88 12.8% 47.9% $81

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7%

Cusco

$83 12.1% 49.3% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Cusco

$89 12.9% 16% $17

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Cusco

$13 * 1.8% 79% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7%

Cusco

$37 5.4% 22.9% $11

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 $905 in Rio de Janeiro and $218 in Cusco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 48% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro vs $21.00 in Cusco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $187 per month, with Cusco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇵🇪 Cusco

🕒 Local time

05:27 5:27 AM

03:27 3:27 AM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

428,450

💱 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 = 5.6 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 Cusco 3,210 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Cusco

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 Cusco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cusco is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 87% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 48% 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: $905 in Rio de Janeiro versus $218 in Cusco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Rio de Janeiro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cusco – a meal for two runs $21.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $688 in Cusco versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cusco but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Cusco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cusco 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.

Expats usually find Cusco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 87% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.