Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Americana

For one person, living is cheaper in Americana: $886 a month against $1,014 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Americana
Learn more

Americana Living Index

Jump to prices

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,014

/mo nomad

Americana

🇧🇷 Brazil

$886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Americana

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 Americana actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,014 in Lima versus $886 in Americana.

Lima $1,014
Americana $886

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,613 in Lima versus $1,400 in Americana.

Lima $1,613
Americana $1,400

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,211 in Lima versus $1,914 in Americana.

Lima $2,211
Americana $1,914

Living in Lima is roughly 14% more expensive than in Americana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Americana 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.19

$5.84 R$29.61

-24.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.56 PEN 119

$24.19 R$123

42.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.80 PEN 23.37

$8.10 R$41.07

-16.05%

Cappuccino

$3.30 PEN 11.34

$2.08 R$10.54

58.65%

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

$1.06 PEN 3.64

$1.83 R$9.26

-42.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 PEN 2.26

$1.26 R$6.39

-47.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 PEN 8.71

$1.47 R$7.44

72.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 PEN 14.55

$2.46 R$12.46

72.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.43

$1.03 R$5.20

53.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 PEN 8.97

$1.73 R$8.78

50.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 PEN 4.60

$1.30 R$6.57

3.08%

Eggs

$2.93 PEN 10.08

$2.18 R$11.07

34.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.45 PEN 32.45

$9.17 R$46.48

3.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.75 PEN 19.75

$4.34 R$22.02

32.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 PEN 33.29

$8.33 R$42.21

16.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 PEN 6.95

$2.24 R$11.36

-9.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 PEN 3.66

$1.25 R$6.35

-14.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$1.23 R$6.24

11.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 PEN 5.05

$1.47 R$7.43

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 PEN 3.25

$1.21 R$6.15

-21.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 PEN 3.14

$1.09 R$5.52

-16.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.84 R$4.25

7.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 PEN 3.04

$0.78 R$3.97

14.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 PEN 19.71

$2.30 R$11.64

149.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.21 PEN 31.64

$8.93 R$45.26

3.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 PEN 6.31

$1.35 R$6.83

36.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 PEN 10.67

$2.07 R$10.49

50.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 PEN 2.46

$1.01 R$5.11

-28.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.03 PEN 89.4

$43.79 R$222

-40.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 PEN 12.17

$1.31 R$6.64

170.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 PEN 7.12

$0.86 R$4.34

140.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.75 PEN 26.62

$7.94 R$40.25

-2.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 PEN 5.86

$1.22 R$6.17

40.16%

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

$21.6K PEN 74.1K

$23.7K R$120.2K

-8.94%

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

$28.6K PEN 98.2K

$33.7K R$171.1K

-15.30%

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

$68.2 PEN 234

$55.8 R$283

22.24%

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

$15.73 PEN 54.0

$12.50 R$63.3

25.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.48 PEN 90.9

$22.40 R$114

18.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.94 PEN 117

$18.79 R$95.3

80.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.10 PEN 69.0

$27.75 R$141

-27.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.22 PEN 24.80

$7.15 R$36.27

0.98%

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

$201 PEN 689

$280 R$1,417

-28.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

$7,188 R$36.4K

79.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 PEN 184

$78.7 R$399

-31.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.88 PEN 123

$66.5 R$337

-46.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 288

$111 R$562

-24.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.8 PEN 271

$85.5 R$433

-7.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 PEN 2,505

$355 R$1,799

105.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 PEN 1,197

$241 R$1,220

44.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 PEN 4,073

$681 R$3,452

74.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 PEN 2,391

$467 R$2,366

49.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,360 PEN 8,105

$1,734 R$8,792

36.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,356 PEN 4,657

$1,215 R$6,160

11.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 PEN 2,278

$748 R$3,792

-11.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

-20.18%

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

Last update for Lima: October 17, 2026

Last update for Americana: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$349 34.4%

Americana

$241 27.2% 31% $108

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$227 22.4%

Americana

$194 21.9% 14.6% $33

Eating Out

Lima

$123 12.2%

Americana

$121 13.6% 2.3% $2.9

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$113 11.2%

Americana

$154 17.3% 35.4% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$110 10.9%

Americana

$91 10.2% 17.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.8%

Americana

$33 3.7% 31.6% $15

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.2%

Americana

$53 6% 24.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Lima and $355 in Americana. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Americana pays 13% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $24.00 in Americana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $227 vs $194 per month, with Americana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇧🇷 Americana

🕒 Local time

19:48 7:48 PM

21:48 9:48 PM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

237,240

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Americana 3,360 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Americana

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 Americana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Americana wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Lima. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Americana the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Americana. 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: $729 in Lima versus $355 in Americana. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Americana runs roughly 68% less than in Lima. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $201 in Lima versus $280 in Americana. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $886 in Americana versus $1,014 in Lima, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Americana but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Americana the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Americana delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $886 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Americana hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Americana gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.