Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Alfenas

For one person, living is cheaper in Alfenas: $802 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lima outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Alfenas
Learn more

Alfenas Living Index

Jump to prices

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Alfenas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$802

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Alfenas

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

A single person spends $1,012 per month in Lima vs $802 in Alfenas, rent included.

Lima $1,012
Alfenas $802

A couple spends around $1,589 per month in Lima vs $1,413 in Alfenas, rent included.

Lima $1,589
Alfenas $1,413

A family of three spends $2,167 per month in Lima vs $2,024 in Alfenas, rent included.

Lima $2,167
Alfenas $2,024

Lima costs about 26% more than Alfenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lima and Alfenas are more affordable than the global median – Lima 25% lower, Alfenas 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$3.97 R$20.11

10.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$30.04 R$152

17.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$6.10 R$30.94

12.95%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$0.98 R$4.98

232.65%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$0.59 R$2.98

89.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$0.59 R$2.98

5.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$2.43 R$12.31

9.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$2.93 R$14.84

50.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.18 R$6.00

38.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$1.90 R$9.65

34.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.48 R$7.51

-8.78%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$2.93 R$14.86

-1.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$12.64 R$64.1

-29.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$5.37 R$27.23

11.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$10.68 R$54.1

-8.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$2.76 R$13.99

-25.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.87 R$9.49

-43.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$1.57 R$7.94

-14.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$2.08 R$10.55

-27.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.39 R$7.05

-36.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$1.31 R$6.65

-29.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.31 R$6.65

-32.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.94 R$4.77

-4.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$2.04 R$10.33

189.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$10.07 R$51.1

-15.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$1.86 R$9.45

1.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$2.48 R$12.58

29.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.87 R$4.40

-21.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

$49.82 R$253

-46.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$1.76 R$8.90

116.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$1.02 R$5.18

98.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$10.40 R$52.7

-31.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.29 R$6.54

33.33%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$24.4K R$123.9K

-8.70%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$29.9K R$151.6K

-14.70%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$60.7 R$308

20.32%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$16.86 R$85.5

-3.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$19.97 R$101

37.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$29.16 R$148

9.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

$29.13 R$148

-33.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$7.21 R$36.57

-2.22%

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

$182 PEN 627

$582 R$2,953

-68.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$16.7K R$84.6K

-21.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$65.0 R$330

-17.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$62.5 R$317

-45.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$102 R$516

-18.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$93.0 R$472

-15.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$349 R$1,770

106.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$126 R$640

172.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$663 R$3,359

83.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$473 R$2,398

37.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

$1,464 R$7,422

64.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

$1,302 R$6,600

4.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

$511 R$2,589

26.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

11.68

-23.46%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Alfenas: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Alfenas

$126 15.7% 63.3% $217

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Alfenas

$245 30.5% 8.4% $19

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Alfenas

$85 10.5% 31.8% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Alfenas

$98 12.2% 16.5% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Alfenas

$145 18.1% 29.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Alfenas

$44 5.4% 5.3% $2.4

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Alfenas

$60 7.5% 38.4% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Lima versus $349 in Alfenas. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 27% higher in Lima, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Lima versus $30.00 in Alfenas. Groceries tell a different story – $226 in Lima vs $245 in Alfenas – so Lima wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇧🇷 Alfenas

🕒 Local time

02:19 2:19 AM

04:19 4:19 AM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

78,970

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Alfenas 3,460 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Alfenas

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

Lima vs Alfenas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,012 in Lima, $802 in Alfenas – roughly 26% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,518 per month in Lima and $1,203 in Alfenas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Lima – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Lima and $30.00 in Alfenas. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Alfenas, where all-in costs run around $802, than in Lima at $1,012. In Alfenas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lima it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lima has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $802 in Alfenas to $1,012 in Lima. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Alfenas. 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.