Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Trujillo

For one person, living is cheaper in Trujillo: $867 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Trujillo
Learn more

Trujillo Living Index

Jump to prices

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Trujillo

🇵🇪 Peru

$867

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro versus $867 in Trujillo.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Trujillo $867

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,340 in Trujillo.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Trujillo $1,340

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro versus $1,814 in Trujillo.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Trujillo $1,814

Living in Rio de Janeiro is roughly 49% more expensive than in Trujillo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Trujillo 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$3.50 PEN 12.01

187.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$23.64 PEN 81.2

71.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$7.01 PEN 24.07

21.97%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$3.25 PEN 11.17

-26.77%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$0.89 PEN 3.06

80.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.62 PEN 2.12

66.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$1.98 PEN 6.81

24.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$3.46 PEN 11.89

6.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.31 PEN 4.50

-9.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.06 PEN 7.08

-0.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.14 PEN 3.92

12.28%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$3.98 PEN 13.68

-42.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$7.81 PEN 26.82

37.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$6.54 PEN 22.46

-32.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$9.20 PEN 31.61

6.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$1.67 PEN 5.74

68.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$0.61 PEN 2.08

191.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$0.60 PEN 2.06

166.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$0.89 PEN 3.07

102.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.00 PEN 3.42

22.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$1.14 PEN 3.90

-8.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$1.24 PEN 4.24

-37.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.14 PEN 3.93

-41.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$4.22 PEN 14.49

-28.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$5.72 PEN 19.66

41.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$1.71 PEN 5.88

-30.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$1.63 PEN 5.61

53.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.57 PEN 1.94

73.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

$17.65 PEN 60.6

183.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$2.53 PEN 8.68

-51.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$2.21 PEN 7.58

-58.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$5.98 PEN 20.55

50.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.70 PEN 5.84

-23.53%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$17.5K PEN 60.2K

36.27%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$27.8K PEN 95.3K

18.38%

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

$133 R$676

$97.9 PEN 336

36.25%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$12.84 PEN 44.08

-15.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$27.05 PEN 92.9

-15.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$39.49 PEN 136

-22.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

$5.79 PEN 19.89

450.09%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$4.40 PEN 15.11

82.95%

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

$598 R$3,029

$107 PEN 369

456.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$2,078 PEN 7,136

545.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$71.8 PEN 247

-41.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$14.35 PEN 49.28

246.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$46.03 PEN 158

61.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$43.97 PEN 151

56.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$384 PEN 1,319

135.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$253 PEN 869

109.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$744 PEN 2,555

78.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$512 PEN 1,758

47.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

$1,177 PEN 4,043

240.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$548 PEN 1,884

16.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

11.7

1.97%

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: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Trujillo

$253 29.2% 52.2% $277

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Trujillo

$204 23.5% 4.9% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Trujillo

$138 15.9% 17.5% $29

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Trujillo

$111 12.8% 32.8% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Trujillo

$79 9.2% 25% $26

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Trujillo

$33 3.9% 44.1% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Trujillo

$48 5.6% 3% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Rio de Janeiro and $384 in Trujillo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 17% 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 $24.00 in Trujillo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $204 per month, with Trujillo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇵🇪 Trujillo

🕒 Local time

13:02 1:02 PM

11:02 11:02 AM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

314,939

💱 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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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Trujillo 4,160 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
Trujillo

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro and Trujillo differ by about 49% in total monthly costs ($1,289 vs $867 including rent). Trujillo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 17% 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: $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $384 in Trujillo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Trujillo – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro versus $867 in Trujillo – a 49% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $867 in Trujillo versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Trujillo but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Trujillo 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.

Expats usually find Trujillo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.