Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Moquegua

For one person, living is cheaper in Moquegua: $446 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Moquegua
Learn more

Moquegua Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Moquegua

🇵🇪 Peru

$446

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $446 in Moquegua, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Moquegua $446

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $743 in Moquegua, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Moquegua $743

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,041 in Moquegua, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Moquegua $1,041

Rio de Janeiro costs about 189% more than Moquegua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Moquegua are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Moquegua 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$3.38 PEN 11.61

197.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$27.26 PEN 93.6

48.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$5.77 PEN 19.81

48.18%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$2.46 PEN 8.44

-3.25%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$0.83 PEN 2.85

93.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.36 PEN 1.22

186.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$2.16 PEN 7.40

14.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$4.47 PEN 15.36

-17.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.27 PEN 4.37

-6.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$1.34 PEN 4.60

52.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.51 PEN 5.18

-15.23%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$2.28 PEN 7.83

0.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$6.39 PEN 21.96

68.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$4.47 PEN 15.36

-1.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$7.52 PEN 25.81

30.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$1.77 PEN 6.06

58.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$1.18 PEN 4.07

50.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$1.13 PEN 3.87

41.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$1.00 PEN 3.43

80.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$0.62 PEN 2.13

96.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$0.72 PEN 2.47

44.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$0.51 PEN 1.74

50.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$0.80 PEN 2.73

-16.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$5.12 PEN 17.58

-41.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$5.00 PEN 17.18

61.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$2.72 PEN 9.34

-56.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.23 PEN 7.67

12.56%

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

$2.06 PEN 7.08

-40.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$1.99 PEN 6.85

-53.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$12.78 PEN 43.91

-29.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.57 PEN 5.39

-17.20%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$18.7K PEN 64.1K

27.97%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$25.7K PEN 88.4K

27.70%

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

$133 R$676

$23.88 PEN 82.0

458.63%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$10.09 PEN 34.66

7.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$23.10 PEN 79.3

-0.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$7.46 PEN 25.64

7.91%

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

$598 R$3,029

$74.3 PEN 255

704.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$6,663 PEN 22.9K

101.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$49.04 PEN 168

-14.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$25.96 PEN 89.1

91.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$65.6 PEN 225

13.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$58.2 PEN 200

18.00%

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

-20.47%

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 Moquegua: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Moquegua

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Moquegua

$174 39% 19% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Moquegua

$57 12.8% 65.9% $110

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Moquegua

$98 22.1% 40.4% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Moquegua

$89 20.1% 15.4% $16

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Moquegua

$12 * 2.7% 79.9% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Moquegua

$15 * 3.4% 68.2% $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 $27.00 in Moquegua. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $174 – making Moquegua the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇵🇪 Moquegua

🕒 Local time

23:03 11:03 PM

21:03 9:03 PM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

18,861

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Moquegua 2,960 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Moquegua

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 Moquegua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Rio de Janeiro is pricier by about 189%, 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 $668 in Moquegua. 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 $446 in Moquegua. That's a gap of about 189%.

Kindergarten costs $598 per month in Rio de Janeiro and $74.3 in Moquegua. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Moquegua, where all-in costs run around $446, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Moquegua it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Moquegua. 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.