Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and La Merced

For one person, living is cheaper in La Merced: $565 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
28

Cost of Living Index in La Merced
Learn more

La Merced Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

La Merced

🇵🇪 Peru

$565

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in La Merced

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $565 in La Merced, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
La Merced $565

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $917 in La Merced, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
La Merced $917

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,269 in La Merced, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
La Merced $1,269

Rio de Janeiro costs about 128% more than La Merced, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Rio de Janeiro and La Merced are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, La Merced 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$4.38 PEN 15.04

129.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$34.69 PEN 119

16.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$6.77 PEN 23.26

26.29%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.16 PEN 10.84

-24.68%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.07 PEN 3.67

50.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.64 PEN 2.20

60.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$2.60 PEN 8.93

-5.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$4.33 PEN 14.87

-14.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.63 PEN 5.60

-26.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$1.98 PEN 6.79

3.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.28 PEN 4.40

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$2.34 PEN 8.04

-2.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$7.09 PEN 24.34

51.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$5.88 PEN 20.21

-25.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$8.65 PEN 29.69

13.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$1.01 PEN 3.45

178.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$0.46 PEN 1.58

286.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$0.28 PEN 0.95

471.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$0.75 PEN 2.57

140.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$0.30 PEN 1.05

306.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$0.42 PEN 1.45

147.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$0.61 PEN 2.08

26.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$0.91 PEN 3.14

-26.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$5.61 PEN 19.25

-46.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$7.36 PEN 25.26

9.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.87 PEN 6.43

-36.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$3.23 PEN 11.10

-22.29%

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

$3.82 PEN 13.12

-68.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$2.08 PEN 7.14

-55.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$7.40 PEN 25.41

21.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.74 PEN 5.97

-25.29%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$22.1K PEN 76.0K

7.92%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$25.5K PEN 87.5K

28.94%

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

$133 R$676

$72.8 PEN 250

83.14%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$16.49 PEN 56.6

-34.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$27.80 PEN 95.5

-17.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$7.34 PEN 25.22

9.67%

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

$598 R$3,029

$181 PEN 622

229.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$13.2K PEN 45.3K

1.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$52.6 PEN 181

-20.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$35.20 PEN 121

41.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$82.0 PEN 282

-9.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$79.1 PEN 272

-13.17%

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

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

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 La Merced: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

La Merced

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

La Merced

$186 32.8% 13.6% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

La Merced

$117 20.7% 29.9% $50

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

La Merced

$122 21.5% 26.2% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

La Merced

$112 19.8% 5.9% $6.3

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

La Merced

$14 * 2.5% 76.3% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

La Merced

$15 * 2.6% 68.7% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $35.00 in La Merced. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $186 – making La Merced the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇵🇪 La Merced

🕒 Local time

19:47 7:47 PM

17:47 5:47 PM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

8,000

💱 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 La Merced 3,940 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
La Merced

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 La Merced: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro costs about 128% more than La Merced, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $848 in La Merced. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro and $565 in La Merced. That's a gap of about 128%.

Kindergarten costs $598 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $181 in La Merced. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in La Merced, where all-in costs run around $565, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In La Merced 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. La Merced costs $565 versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with La Merced. 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.