Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Joao Pessoa and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,059 in Joao Pessoa, rent and utilities included – about $760 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Joao Pessoa
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Joao Pessoa Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Joao Pessoa

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,059

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,059 in Joao Pessoa versus $996 in Lima.

Joao Pessoa $1,059
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,635 in Joao Pessoa versus $1,594 in Lima.

Joao Pessoa $1,635
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,210 in Joao Pessoa versus $2,191 in Lima.

Joao Pessoa $2,210
Lima $2,191

Living in Joao Pessoa is roughly 6% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Joao Pessoa 21% lower, Lima 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.18 R$35.82

$4.42 PEN 15.16

62.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.50 R$147

$35.04 PEN 120

-15.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.99 R$39.91

$6.84 PEN 23.44

16.81%

Cappuccino

$1.60 R$7.98

$3.27 PEN 11.22

-51.07%

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

$1.02 R$5.07

$1.10 PEN 3.78

-7.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 R$3.43

$0.65 PEN 2.22

6.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.88 R$9.41

$2.58 PEN 8.85

-27.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 R$17.56

$4.47 PEN 15.34

-21.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.13

$1.59 PEN 5.46

-22.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 R$10.61

$2.58 PEN 8.86

-17.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 R$7.69

$1.36 PEN 4.65

13.24%

Eggs

$2.13 R$10.62

$2.95 PEN 10.11

-27.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.63 R$43.08

$9.10 PEN 31.19

-5.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.02 R$25.04

$5.81 PEN 19.91

-13.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.43 R$37.08

$9.83 PEN 33.68

-24.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 R$16.29

$2.01 PEN 6.89

62.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.10

$1.08 PEN 3.69

-5.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.92 R$4.61

$1.37 PEN 4.70

-32.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.87

$1.48 PEN 5.06

-20.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 R$8.17

$0.96 PEN 3.30

70.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.31

$0.85 PEN 2.92

48.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$3.78

$0.88 PEN 3.02

-13.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 R$4.27

$0.87 PEN 2.97

-1.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$14.92

$5.90 PEN 20.24

-49.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.95 R$44.69

$8.81 PEN 30.21

1.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 R$7.78

$1.92 PEN 6.57

-18.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 R$16.54

$3.20 PEN 10.98

3.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 R$5.10

$0.68 PEN 2.33

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.5 R$352

$26.74 PEN 91.7

163.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 R$10.04

$3.81 PEN 13.06

-47.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 R$9.86

$2.04 PEN 7.00

-3.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 R$16.24

$7.14 PEN 24.49

-54.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R$6.37

$1.65 PEN 5.65

-22.42%

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

$23.7K R$118.5K

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

7.02%

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

$33.2K R$165.5K

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

29.17%

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

$131 R$652

$73.0 PEN 250

78.74%

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

$23.38 R$117

$16.26 PEN 55.7

43.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.22 R$121

$27.60 PEN 94.6

-12.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.84 R$194

$33.07 PEN 113

17.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.64 R$148

$19.49 PEN 66.8

52.08%

Cinema Ticket

$10.88 R$54.3

$7.39 PEN 25.33

47.23%

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

$441 R$2,204

$182 PEN 624

142.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,925 R$34.6K

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

-48.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 R$272

$52.6 PEN 180

3.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.7 R$343

$34.23 PEN 117

100.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.5 R$447

$83.8 PEN 287

6.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.3 R$386

$79.0 PEN 271

-2.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 R$2,014

$723 PEN 2,479

-44.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 R$1,328

$340 PEN 1,166

-21.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 R$3,303

$1,184 PEN 4,060

-44.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 R$2,609

$635 PEN 2,176

-17.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,432 R$12.1K

$2,449 PEN 8,394

-0.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,189 R$5,935

$1,372 PEN 4,702

-13.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$505 R$2,521

$653 PEN 2,237

-22.61%

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 Joao Pessoa: October 3, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Joao Pessoa

$266 25.3%

Lima

$340 33.6% 27.9% $74

Groceries & Markets

Joao Pessoa

$207 19.6%

Lima

$226 22.4% 9.6% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Joao Pessoa

$178 16.9%

Lima

$117 11.6% 34.4% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Joao Pessoa

$131 12.4%

Lima

$112 11.1% 14% $18

Eating Out

Joao Pessoa

$124 11.8%

Lima

$124 12.3% 0.2% $0.2

Getting Around

Joao Pessoa

$86 8.2%

Lima

$43 4.3% 49.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Joao Pessoa

$61 5.8%

Lima

$48 4.7% 21% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $404 in Joao Pessoa and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 29% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $29.00 in Joao Pessoa vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $226 per month, with Joao Pessoa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Joao Pessoa

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

04:13 4:13 AM

02:13 2:13 AM

2 h behind Joao Pessoa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

833,932

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

Joao Pessoa Lima 4,650 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Joao Pessoa
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

Joao Pessoa vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Joao Pessoa and Lima differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,059 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 29% 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: $404 in Joao Pessoa versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $441 in Joao Pessoa versus $182 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Joao Pessoa pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,059 in Joao Pessoa, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Joao Pessoa. The gap between the two cities makes Lima 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 Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Joao Pessoa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.