Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caruaru and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Caruaru: $665 a month against $996 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Caruaru
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Caruaru Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

Caruaru

🇧🇷 Brazil

$665

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $665 in Caruaru versus $996 in Lima.

Caruaru $665
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,106 in Caruaru versus $1,594 in Lima.

Caruaru $1,106
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,547 in Caruaru versus $2,191 in Lima.

Caruaru $1,547
Lima $2,191

Living in Caruaru costs roughly 33% less than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Caruaru 50% lower, Lima 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.95 R$29.70

$4.42 PEN 15.16

34.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.63 R$148

$35.04 PEN 120

-15.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.08 R$40.35

$6.84 PEN 23.44

18.13%

Cappuccino

$1.53 R$7.62

$3.27 PEN 11.22

-53.21%

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

$1.06 R$5.27

$1.10 PEN 3.78

-3.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 R$3.50

$0.65 PEN 2.22

7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.74 R$8.71

$2.58 PEN 8.85

-32.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$11.63

$4.47 PEN 15.34

-47.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.13

$1.59 PEN 5.46

-22.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 R$5.62

$2.58 PEN 8.86

-56.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 R$6.88

$1.36 PEN 4.65

1.47%

Eggs

$2.09 R$10.43

$2.95 PEN 10.11

-29.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.54 R$22.65

$9.10 PEN 31.19

-50.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 R$25.31

$5.81 PEN 19.91

-12.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.68 R$38.34

$9.83 PEN 33.68

-21.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.38 R$6.89

$2.01 PEN 6.89

-31.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.07

$1.08 PEN 3.69

-5.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.86 R$4.27

$1.37 PEN 4.70

-37.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 R$5.63

$1.48 PEN 5.06

-23.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 R$8.20

$0.96 PEN 3.30

70.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.19

$0.85 PEN 2.92

45.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$3.78

$0.88 PEN 3.02

-13.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 R$4.45

$0.87 PEN 2.97

2.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 R$15.23

$5.90 PEN 20.24

-48.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 R$39.10

$8.81 PEN 30.21

-11.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 R$7.66

$1.92 PEN 6.57

-20.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 R$12.18

$3.20 PEN 10.98

-23.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 R$4.62

$0.68 PEN 2.33

36.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.88 R$134

$26.74 PEN 91.7

0.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.09

$3.81 PEN 13.06

-67.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 R$9.69

$2.04 PEN 7.00

-4.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 R$15.51

$7.14 PEN 24.49

-56.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.46

$1.65 PEN 5.65

-21.82%

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

$23.6K R$118.0K

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

6.61%

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

$33.1K R$165.1K

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

28.83%

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

$56.4 R$282

$73.0 PEN 250

-22.75%

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

$8.13 R$40.58

$16.26 PEN 55.7

-50.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.96 R$49.73

$27.60 PEN 94.6

-63.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.85 R$74.1

$33.07 PEN 113

-55.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.39 R$152

$19.49 PEN 66.8

55.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.14 R$35.65

$7.39 PEN 25.33

-3.38%

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

$109 R$545

$182 PEN 624

-39.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,766 R$33.8K

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

-49.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.41 R$202

$52.6 PEN 180

-23.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 R$253

$34.23 PEN 117

48.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 R$446

$83.8 PEN 287

6.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.1 R$330

$79.0 PEN 271

-16.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$164 R$820

$723 PEN 2,479

-77.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$132 R$657

$340 PEN 1,166

-61.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$349 R$1,740

$1,184 PEN 4,060

-70.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$263 R$1,314

$635 PEN 2,176

-58.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,394

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,702

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$263 R$1,312

$653 PEN 2,237

-59.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

23.04%

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

Last update for Caruaru: October 4, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Caruaru

$171 25.5%

Lima

$226 22.4% 32.5% $56

Accommodation & Living

Caruaru

$132 19.7%

Lima

$340 33.6% 159% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Caruaru

$111 16.6%

Lima

$112 11.1% 1.2% $1.3

Eating Out

Caruaru

$111 16.5%

Lima

$124 12.3% 12.2% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caruaru

$75 11.1%

Lima

$117 11.6% 56.9% $42

Getting Around

Caruaru

$42 6.2%

Lima

$43 4.3% 4.8% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Caruaru

$29 4.4%

Lima

$48 4.7% 64.3% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $164 in Caruaru and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 148% 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: $30.00 in Caruaru vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $171 vs $226 per month, with Caruaru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Caruaru

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

01:58 1:58 AM

23:58 11:58 PM

2 h behind Caruaru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

377,911

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 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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Highest

Between locations

Caruaru Lima 4,510 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Caruaru
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

Caruaru vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caruaru and Lima differ by about 50% in total monthly costs ($665 vs $996 including rent). Caruaru is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 148% lower in Lima. 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: $164 in Caruaru versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $109 in Caruaru versus $182 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $665 in Caruaru versus $996 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Caruaru but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Caruaru 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 Caruaru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.