Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Barbacena

For one person, living is cheaper in Barbacena: $857 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Barbacena
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Barbacena Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Barbacena

🇧🇷 Brazil

$857

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Barbacena

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $857 in Barbacena.

Lima $1,012
Barbacena $857

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $1,305 in Barbacena.

Lima $1,589
Barbacena $1,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $1,753 in Barbacena.

Lima $2,167
Barbacena $1,753

Living in Lima is roughly 18% more expensive than in Barbacena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Barbacena 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.08

$5.35 R$26.90

-17.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$20.84 R$105

68.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.61

$5.93 R$29.80

16.19%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.18

$1.74 R$8.74

87.36%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.83

$1.57 R$7.90

-28.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$0.86 R$4.31

-27.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.08

$1.32 R$6.63

100.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.12

$2.27 R$11.39

94.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.60

$1.14 R$5.71

42.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.76

$2.06 R$10.38

24.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$1.22 R$6.13

10.66%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.94

$2.38 R$11.98

21.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.32

$10.81 R$54.4

-18.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.48

$4.44 R$22.29

34.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.53

$9.97 R$50.1

-1.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.01

$2.90 R$14.56

-29.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.65

$1.83 R$9.21

-42.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.63

$1.57 R$7.91

-14.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.14

$1.79 R$9.01

-16.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.02

$1.21 R$6.09

-27.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$1.04 R$5.21

-11.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.06

$0.71 R$3.56

25.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.70 R$3.51

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.24

$3.02 R$15.20

95.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.21

$7.83 R$39.36

8.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.44

$1.18 R$5.94

59.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.03

$2.42 R$12.16

33.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.97 R$4.87

-29.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.1

$45.05 R$226

-40.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.07

$1.26 R$6.35

202.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.92

$0.85 R$4.27

137.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.37

$9.35 R$46.99

-23.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.89

$1.31 R$6.57

31.30%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.5K

$23.5K R$118.2K

-5.10%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.4K

$32.7K R$164.4K

-22.01%

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

$73.1 PEN 250

$136 R$686

-46.45%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.1

$11.02 R$55.4

48.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.2

$22.95 R$115

19.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 109

$26.50 R$133

20.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.6

$29.48 R$148

-34.16%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.18

$7.94 R$39.92

-11.21%

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

$182 PEN 626

$596 R$2,997

-69.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.7K

$13.4K R$67.4K

-2.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 184

$41.74 R$210

28.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$48.77 R$245

-29.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$75.6 R$380

9.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 268

$67.2 R$338

16.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,472

$234 R$1,174

208.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,177

$168 R$842

104.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,178

$434 R$2,182

180.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,231

$307 R$1,542

112.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,277

$1,629 R$8,189

48.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,652

$1,334 R$6,704

1.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,222

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

11.93

-25.06%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barbacena: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Barbacena

$168 19.6% 51.2% $176

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Barbacena

$215 25.1% 4.9% $11

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Barbacena

$102 11.9% 17.5% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Barbacena

$170 19.9% 45.8% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Barbacena

$105 12.3% 6.4% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Barbacena

$42 5% 7.9% $3.6

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Barbacena

$54 6.4% 25.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Lima and $234 in Barbacena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $21.00 in Barbacena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $215 per month, with Barbacena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇧🇷 Barbacena

🕒 Local time

06:55 6:55 AM

08:55 8:55 AM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

125,317

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

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).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lima Barbacena 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Barbacena

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 Barbacena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Barbacena differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $857 including rent). Barbacena is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,518 in Lima and $1,286 in Barbacena to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Lima versus $234 in Barbacena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,012 per month in Lima versus $857 in Barbacena – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

At $857 in Barbacena versus $1,012 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Barbacena but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Barbacena 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 Barbacena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.