Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Trujillo Alto

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $1,768 in Trujillo Alto, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Trujillo Alto
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Trujillo Alto Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Trujillo Alto

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro and in Trujillo Alto

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,768 in Trujillo Alto.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Trujillo Alto $1,768

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $2,648 in Trujillo Alto.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Trujillo Alto $2,648

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $3,529 in Trujillo Alto.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Trujillo Alto $3,529

Living in Rio de Janeiro costs roughly 27% less than in Trujillo Alto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio de Janeiro is 5% below, Trujillo Alto is 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$13.07 $13.07

-23.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$81.2 $81.2

-50.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$8.96 $8.96

-4.58%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$2.91 $2.91

-18.21%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$1.89 $1.89

-14.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.97 $0.97

6.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$3.08 $3.08

-19.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$3.88 $3.88

-4.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$2.10 $2.10

-43.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$3.32 $3.32

-38.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$2.35 $2.35

-45.53%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$4.77 $4.77

-51.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$8.63 $8.63

24.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$9.51 $9.51

-53.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$7.80 $7.80

26.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$4.48 $4.48

-37.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$2.55 $2.55

-30.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$5.00 $5.00

-68.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$3.96 $3.96

-54.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$3.70 $3.70

-67.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$3.88 $3.88

-73.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$3.50 $3.50

-78.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.54 $1.54

-56.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$10.15 $10.15

-70.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$15.14 $15.14

-46.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$3.09 $3.09

-61.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$4.11 $4.11

-38.93%

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

$1.52 $1.52

-39.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$41.59 $41.59

-78.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.03 $1.03

26.21%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$34.5K $34.5K

-30.85%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$28.3K $28.3K

16.17%

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

$133 R$676

$322 $322

-58.56%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$59.9 $59.9

-81.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$70.6 $70.6

-67.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$30.38 $30.38

1.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$10.09 $10.09

215.66%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$10.46 $10.46

-23.04%

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

$598 R$3,029

$346 $346

72.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$5,414 $5,414

147.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$39.37 $39.37

6.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$54.9 $54.9

-9.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$89.7 $89.7

-16.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$113 $113

-39.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$700 $700

29.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$557 $557

-4.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$1,158 $1,158

14.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$948 $948

-20.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$1,918 $1,918

109.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

$1,611 $1,611

-3.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$3,362 $3,362

-80.97%

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 Trujillo Alto: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Trujillo Alto

$557 31.5% 5.1% $27

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Trujillo Alto

$362 20.5% 68.8% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Trujillo Alto

$452 25.6% 171% $285

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Trujillo Alto

$201 11.4% 21.8% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Trujillo Alto

$134 7.6% 26.6% $28

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Trujillo Alto

$10 * 0.6% 83.1% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Trujillo Alto

$51 2.9% 9.4% $4.4

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 $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $700 in Trujillo Alto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Trujillo Alto pays 426% 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 $81.0 in Trujillo Alto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $362 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇵🇷 Trujillo Alto

🕒 Local time

17:30 5:30 PM

16:30 4:30 PM

1 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

43,712

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 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 = 0.889 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Trujillo Alto 5,210 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Trujillo Alto

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 Trujillo Alto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Trujillo Alto differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($1,289 vs $1,768 including rent). Rio de Janeiro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 426% lower in Trujillo Alto. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $700 in Trujillo Alto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $598 in Rio de Janeiro versus $346 in Trujillo Alto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $81.0 in Trujillo Alto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,768 in Trujillo Alto, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio de Janeiro but tight or insufficient in Trujillo Alto. The gap between the two cities makes Rio de Janeiro the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Rio de Janeiro and Trujillo Alto 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 Rio de Janeiro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Trujillo Alto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.