Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barbacena and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Barbacena: $857 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Barbacena
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Barbacena Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Barbacena

🇧🇷 Brazil

$857

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barbacena and in Lima

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barbacena and in Lima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $857 in Barbacena versus $1,012 in Lima.

Barbacena $857
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,305 in Barbacena versus $1,589 in Lima.

Barbacena $1,305
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,753 in Barbacena versus $2,167 in Lima.

Barbacena $1,753
Lima $2,167

Living in Barbacena costs roughly 15% less than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Barbacena 37% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.35 R$26.90

$4.40 PEN 15.08

21.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.84 R$105

$35.17 PEN 121

-40.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.93 R$29.80

$6.89 PEN 23.61

-13.93%

Cappuccino

$1.74 R$8.74

$3.26 PEN 11.18

-46.63%

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

$1.57 R$7.90

$1.12 PEN 3.83

40.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 R$4.31

$0.62 PEN 2.11

38.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.32 R$6.63

$2.65 PEN 9.08

-50.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 R$11.39

$4.41 PEN 15.12

-48.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 R$5.71

$1.63 PEN 5.60

-30.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 R$10.38

$2.56 PEN 8.76

-19.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.13

$1.35 PEN 4.64

-9.63%

Eggs

$2.38 R$11.98

$2.90 PEN 9.94

-17.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.81 R$54.4

$8.85 PEN 30.32

22.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.44 R$22.29

$5.98 PEN 20.48

-25.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.97 R$50.1

$9.78 PEN 33.53

1.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 R$14.56

$2.05 PEN 7.01

41.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.21

$1.06 PEN 3.65

72.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 R$7.91

$1.35 PEN 4.63

16.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 R$9.01

$1.50 PEN 5.14

19.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.09

$0.88 PEN 3.02

37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.21

$0.92 PEN 3.15

13.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 R$3.56

$0.89 PEN 3.06

-20.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 R$3.51

$0.90 PEN 3.10

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 R$15.20

$5.90 PEN 20.24

-48.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 R$39.36

$8.52 PEN 29.21

-8.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.94

$1.88 PEN 6.44

-37.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.16

$3.22 PEN 11.03

-24.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 R$4.87

$0.68 PEN 2.33

42.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.05 R$226

$26.86 PEN 92.1

67.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 R$6.35

$3.81 PEN 13.07

-66.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 R$4.27

$2.02 PEN 6.92

-57.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.35 R$46.99

$7.11 PEN 24.37

31.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 R$6.57

$1.72 PEN 5.89

-23.84%

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

$23.5K R$118.2K

$22.3K PEN 76.5K

5.37%

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

$32.7K R$164.4K

$25.5K PEN 87.4K

28.23%

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

$136 R$686

$73.1 PEN 250

86.75%

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

$11.02 R$55.4

$16.35 PEN 56.1

-32.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.95 R$115

$27.47 PEN 94.2

-16.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.50 R$133

$31.90 PEN 109

-16.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.48 R$148

$19.41 PEN 66.6

51.88%

Cinema Ticket

$7.94 R$39.92

$7.05 PEN 24.18

12.62%

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

$596 R$2,997

$182 PEN 626

226.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$67.4K

$13.0K PEN 44.7K

2.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.74 R$210

$53.8 PEN 184

-22.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.77 R$245

$34.32 PEN 118

42.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 R$380

$82.8 PEN 284

-8.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.2 R$338

$78.2 PEN 268

-14.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$234 R$1,174

$721 PEN 2,472

-67.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 R$842

$343 PEN 1,177

-51.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 R$2,182

$1,219 PEN 4,178

-64.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$307 R$1,542

$651 PEN 2,231

-52.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,629 R$8,189

$2,414 PEN 8,277

-32.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,334 R$6,704

$1,357 PEN 4,652

-1.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,222

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 Barbacena: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Barbacena

$215 25.1%

Lima

$226 22.3% 5.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barbacena

$170 19.9%

Lima

$117 11.6% 31.4% $54

Accommodation & Living

Barbacena

$168 19.6%

Lima

$343 33.9% 105% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Barbacena

$105 12.3%

Lima

$112 11.1% 6.8% $7.1

Eating Out

Barbacena

$102 11.9%

Lima

$124 12.3% 21.2% $22

Getting Around

Barbacena

$54 6.4%

Lima

$43 4.3% 20.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Barbacena

$42 5%

Lima

$46 4.6% 8.5% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $234 in Barbacena and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $21.00 in Barbacena vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $226 per month, with Barbacena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Barbacena

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

08:03 8:03 AM

06:03 6:03 AM

2 h behind Barbacena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,317

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.03 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.63 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barbacena Lima 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Barbacena
Lima

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

Barbacena vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barbacena and Lima differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($857 vs $1,012 including rent). Barbacena is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,286 in Barbacena and $1,518 in Lima to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $234 in Barbacena versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $857 per month in Barbacena versus $1,012 in Lima – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Barbacena runs roughly 68% less than in Lima. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $857 in Barbacena versus $1,012 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Barbacena but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Barbacena 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 Barbacena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.