Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Lima

For one person, living costs are similar in Brasilia and in Lima: $994 and $996 a month, rent and utilities included.

49

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$994

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brasilia 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 Brasilia and in Lima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $994 in Brasilia versus $996 in Lima.

Brasilia $994
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,593 in Brasilia versus $1,594 in Lima.

Brasilia $1,593
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,193 in Brasilia versus $2,191 in Lima.

Brasilia $2,193
Lima $2,191

Monthly costs are close between Brasilia and Lima; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 26% lower, Lima 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.18 R$46.05

$4.42 PEN 15.21

107.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.43 R$203

$35.04 PEN 121

15.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.44 R$42.34

$6.84 PEN 23.52

23.39%

Cappuccino

$2.73 R$13.69

$3.27 PEN 11.26

-16.51%

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

$1.51 R$7.59

$1.10 PEN 3.80

37.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$4.99

$0.65 PEN 2.23

52.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.37 R$11.89

$2.58 PEN 8.88

-8.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 R$19.83

$4.47 PEN 15.39

-11.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 R$5.55

$1.59 PEN 5.48

-30.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 R$10.33

$2.58 PEN 8.89

-20.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.72

$1.36 PEN 4.67

-1.47%

Eggs

$2.56 R$12.86

$2.95 PEN 10.14

-13.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.60 R$58.2

$9.10 PEN 31.30

27.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.15 R$20.80

$5.81 PEN 19.98

-28.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.27 R$46.51

$9.83 PEN 33.80

-5.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 R$11.98

$2.01 PEN 6.92

18.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.77

$1.08 PEN 3.70

43.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 R$6.54

$1.37 PEN 4.71

-5.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R$8.29

$1.48 PEN 5.08

11.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 R$5.99

$0.96 PEN 3.32

23.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.22

$0.85 PEN 2.93

22.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 R$4.14

$0.88 PEN 3.03

-5.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.80

$0.87 PEN 2.98

10.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 R$12.18

$5.90 PEN 20.31

-58.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.15 R$40.87

$8.81 PEN 30.31

-7.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R$6.46

$1.92 PEN 6.59

-32.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 R$12.56

$3.20 PEN 11.02

-21.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 R$5.35

$0.68 PEN 2.33

57.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.76 R$179

$26.74 PEN 92.0

33.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R$5.52

$3.81 PEN 13.10

-71.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 R$4.34

$2.04 PEN 7.02

-57.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.56 R$32.90

$7.14 PEN 24.57

-8.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.47

$1.65 PEN 5.67

-21.82%

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

$23.9K R$120.1K

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

7.95%

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

$33.6K R$168.5K

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

30.80%

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

$97.6 R$490

$73.0 PEN 251

33.64%

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

$12.78 R$64.1

$16.26 PEN 55.9

-21.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.79 R$114

$27.60 PEN 94.9

-17.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.48 R$173

$33.07 PEN 114

4.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.17 R$141

$19.49 PEN 67.1

44.54%

Cinema Ticket

$7.80 R$39.13

$7.39 PEN 25.41

5.55%

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

$844 R$4,233

$182 PEN 626

363.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K R$84.1K

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

25.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 R$285

$52.6 PEN 181

7.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.89 R$220

$34.23 PEN 118

28.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.3 R$433

$83.8 PEN 288

3.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 R$448

$79.0 PEN 272

13.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$498 R$2,497

$723 PEN 2,488

-31.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 R$1,413

$340 PEN 1,170

-17.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 R$5,802

$1,184 PEN 4,074

-2.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 R$2,878

$635 PEN 2,183

-9.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,497 R$12.5K

$2,449 PEN 8,423

2.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,735 R$8,705

$1,372 PEN 4,718

26.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$848 R$4,256

$653 PEN 2,245

29.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

8.94

35.57%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Brasilia: October 5, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$282 27.9%

Lima

$340 33.6% 20.8% $58

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$213 21.2%

Lima

$226 22.4% 6% $13

Eating Out

Brasilia

$161 16%

Lima

$124 12.3% 23.1% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$133 13.2%

Lima

$117 11.6% 12.2% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$124 12.3%

Lima

$112 11.1% 9.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$50 5%

Lima

$48 4.7% 4.5% $2.2

Getting Around

Brasilia

$45 4.5%

Lima

$43 4.3% 4.3% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $498 in Brasilia and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 30% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $40.00 in Brasilia vs $35.00 in Lima. Groceries flip the comparison at $213 vs $226, with Brasilia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

00:03 12:03 AM

2 h behind Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

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 = 0.291 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.63 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brasilia Lima 3,170 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
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

Brasilia vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 30% higher in Brasilia, 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: $498 in Brasilia versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $844 in Brasilia versus $182 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Brasilia – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $35.00 in Lima. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $994 in Brasilia versus $996 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Brasilia but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Brasilia 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.

It comes down to priorities – Brasilia wins on affordability, Lima on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.