Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Luquillo

For one person, living costs are similar in Rio de Janeiro and in Luquillo: $1,289 and $1,260 a month, rent and utilities included.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Luquillo
Learn more

Luquillo Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Luquillo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,260

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,260 in Luquillo.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Luquillo $1,260

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,013 in Luquillo.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Luquillo $2,013

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,766 in Luquillo.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Luquillo $2,766

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 2% more expensive than in Luquillo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Luquillo 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$19.51 $19.51

-48.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$80.9 $80.9

-50.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$9.07 $9.07

-5.73%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.56 $3.56

-33.15%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.60 $1.60

0.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$1.46 $1.46

-29.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$3.06 $3.06

-19.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$2.28 $2.28

62.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$2.23 $2.23

-46.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$3.54 $3.54

-42.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$2.32 $2.32

-44.83%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$7.61 $7.61

-69.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$12.44 $12.44

-13.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$9.60 $9.60

-54.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$13.39 $13.39

-26.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$4.94 $4.94

-43.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$2.53 $2.53

-29.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$4.73 $4.73

-66.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$4.92 $4.92

-63.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$3.74 $3.74

-67.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$4.00 $4.00

-74.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$3.42 $3.42

-77.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.66 $1.66

-59.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$11.86 $11.86

-74.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$12.10 $12.10

-33.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$3.04 $3.04

-60.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$3.94 $3.94

-36.29%

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

$2.54 $2.54

-51.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.54 $1.54

-40.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$41.93 $41.93

-78.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$0.85 $0.85

52.94%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$39.8K $39.8K

-40.00%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$27.7K $27.7K

18.49%

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

$133 R$676

$274 $274

-51.24%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$69.4 $69.4

-84.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$69.2 $69.2

-66.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$10.51 $10.51

-23.41%

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

$598 R$3,029

$825 $825

-27.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$12.4K $12.4K

7.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$55.8 $55.8

-24.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$61.5 $61.5

-19.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$108 $108

-30.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$112 $112

-38.49%

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

$4,190 $4,190

-84.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

6.55

82.14%

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 Luquillo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Luquillo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Luquillo

$406 32.3% 89.4% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Luquillo

$412 32.7% 147% $245

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Luquillo

$258 20.5% 56.4% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Luquillo

$152 12% 43.4% $46

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Luquillo

$10 * 0.8% 82.9% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Luquillo

$21 * 1.7% 55.2% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

Luquillo pays 555% 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 $81.0 in Luquillo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $406 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇵🇷 Luquillo

🕒 Local time

19:05 7:05 PM

18:05 6:05 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

20,000

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Luquillo 5,200 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Luquillo

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 Luquillo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Luquillo is cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 555% lower in Luquillo. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Shoppers in Rio de Janeiro pay roughly 89% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,260 in Luquillo – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,260 in Luquillo versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Luquillo but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Luquillo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Luquillo 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 Luquillo 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 Luquillo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.