Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Contenda and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Contenda: $870 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Contenda
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Contenda Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Contenda

🇧🇷 Brazil

$870

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $870 per month in Contenda vs $1,012 in Lima, rent included.

Contenda $870
Lima $1,012

A couple spends around $1,325 per month in Contenda vs $1,589 in Lima, rent included.

Contenda $1,325
Lima $1,589

A family of three spends $1,780 per month in Contenda vs $2,167 in Lima, rent included.

Contenda $1,780
Lima $2,167

Contenda is about 14% cheaper than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Contenda and Lima are more affordable than the global median – Contenda 36% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 R$19.69

$4.40 PEN 15.08

-10.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.83 R$59.5

$35.17 PEN 121

-66.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.16 R$41.00

$6.89 PEN 23.61

18.43%

Cappuccino

$2.40 R$12.07

$3.26 PEN 11.18

-26.38%

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

$1.38 R$6.95

$1.12 PEN 3.83

23.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 R$3.07

$0.62 PEN 2.11

-1.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 R$9.84

$2.65 PEN 9.08

-26.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 R$9.85

$4.41 PEN 15.12

-55.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 R$5.37

$1.63 PEN 5.60

-34.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 R$8.18

$2.56 PEN 8.76

-36.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.72

$1.35 PEN 4.64

-0.74%

Eggs

$2.57 R$12.90

$2.90 PEN 9.94

-11.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 R$50.2

$8.85 PEN 30.32

12.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 R$19.89

$5.98 PEN 20.48

-33.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.05 R$40.49

$9.78 PEN 33.53

-17.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 R$12.27

$2.05 PEN 7.01

19.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 R$5.98

$1.06 PEN 3.65

12.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.91

$1.35 PEN 4.63

-12.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 R$6.95

$1.50 PEN 5.14

-8.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 R$4.89

$0.88 PEN 3.02

10.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 R$4.69

$0.92 PEN 3.15

1.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 R$4.11

$0.89 PEN 3.06

-7.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 R$3.60

$0.90 PEN 3.10

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 R$15.18

$5.90 PEN 20.24

-48.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.96 R$19.89

$8.52 PEN 29.21

-53.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 R$7.42

$1.88 PEN 6.44

-21.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 R$10.15

$3.22 PEN 11.03

-37.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$4.99

$0.68 PEN 2.33

45.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.35 R$218

$26.86 PEN 92.1

61.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 R$5.97

$3.81 PEN 13.07

-68.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 R$5.17

$2.02 PEN 6.92

-49.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.19 R$51.2

$7.11 PEN 24.37

43.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 R$6.13

$1.72 PEN 5.89

-29.07%

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

$18.3K R$91.8K

$22.3K PEN 76.5K

-18.10%

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

$21.8K R$109.6K

$25.5K PEN 87.4K

-14.47%

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

$84.0 R$422

$73.1 PEN 250

15.01%

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

$8.20 R$41.24

$16.35 PEN 56.1

-49.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.25 R$102

$27.47 PEN 94.2

-26.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.41 R$133

$31.90 PEN 109

-17.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.34 R$137

$19.41 PEN 66.6

40.86%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 R$40.93

$7.05 PEN 24.18

15.46%

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

$284 R$1,427

$182 PEN 626

55.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K R$55.8K

$13.0K PEN 44.7K

-14.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 R$333

$53.8 PEN 184

23.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.0 R$357

$34.32 PEN 118

106.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 R$574

$82.8 PEN 284

37.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.9 R$356

$78.2 PEN 268

-9.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 R$1,722

$721 PEN 2,472

-52.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$226 R$1,135

$343 PEN 1,177

-34.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$743 R$3,732

$1,219 PEN 4,178

-39.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 R$2,132

$651 PEN 2,231

-34.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,493 R$7,502

$2,414 PEN 8,277

-38.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,359 R$6,831

$1,357 PEN 4,652

0.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,222

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.61

8.94

18.68%

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

Last update for Contenda: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Contenda

$226 26%

Lima

$343 33.9% 52.1% $118

Groceries & Markets

Contenda

$183 21.1%

Lima

$226 22.3% 23.2% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Contenda

$145 16.7%

Lima

$112 11.1% 22.7% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Contenda

$113 12.9%

Lima

$117 11.6% 3.9% $4.4

Eating Out

Contenda

$106 12.2%

Lima

$124 12.3% 16.6% $18

Getting Around

Contenda

$54 6.2%

Lima

$43 4.3% 19% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Contenda

$43 4.9%

Lima

$46 4.6% 7.8% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $343 in Contenda versus $721 in Lima. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12.00 in Contenda versus $35.00 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $183 vs $226 – making Contenda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Contenda

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

12:15 12:15 PM

10:15 10:15 AM

2 h behind Contenda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,128

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

Contenda Lima 3,260 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Contenda
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

Contenda vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima costs about 16% more than Contenda, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,304 per month in Contenda and $1,518 in Lima. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Contenda, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $284 per month in Contenda and $182 in Lima. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Lima, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Contenda, where all-in costs run around $870, than in Lima at $1,012. In Contenda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lima it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Contenda costs $870 versus $1,012 in Lima. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Contenda. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lima makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.