Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Brasilia

For one person, living costs are similar in Lima and in Brasilia: $996 and $994 a month, rent and utilities included.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$994

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Brasilia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Lima versus $994 in Brasilia.

Lima $996
Brasilia $994

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Lima versus $1,593 in Brasilia.

Lima $1,594
Brasilia $1,593

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Lima versus $2,193 in Brasilia.

Lima $2,191
Brasilia $2,193

Monthly costs are close between Lima and Brasilia; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 26% lower, Brasilia 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.21

$9.18 R$46.05

-51.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 121

$40.43 R$203

-13.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.52

$8.44 R$42.34

-18.96%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.26

$2.73 R$13.69

19.78%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.80

$1.51 R$7.59

-27.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.23

$0.99 R$4.99

-34.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.88

$2.37 R$11.89

8.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.39

$3.95 R$19.83

13.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.48

$1.11 R$5.55

43.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.89

$2.06 R$10.33

25.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.67

$1.34 R$6.72

1.49%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.14

$2.56 R$12.86

15.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.30

$11.60 R$58.2

-21.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.98

$4.15 R$20.80

40.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.80

$9.27 R$46.51

6.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.92

$2.39 R$11.98

-15.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.70

$1.55 R$7.77

-30.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.71

$1.30 R$6.54

5.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.08

$1.65 R$8.29

-10.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.32

$1.19 R$5.99

-19.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.93

$1.04 R$5.22

-18.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$0.83 R$4.14

6.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.98

$0.96 R$4.80

-9.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.31

$2.43 R$12.18

142.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.31

$8.15 R$40.87

8.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.59

$1.29 R$6.46

48.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 11.02

$2.50 R$12.56

28.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$1.07 R$5.35

-36.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 92.0

$35.76 R$179

-25.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.10

$1.10 R$5.52

246.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.02

$0.86 R$4.34

137.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.57

$6.56 R$32.90

8.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.67

$1.29 R$6.47

27.91%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

$23.9K R$120.1K

-7.36%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

$33.6K R$168.5K

-23.55%

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

$73.0 PEN 251

$97.6 R$490

-25.17%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.9

$12.78 R$64.1

27.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.9

$22.79 R$114

21.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 114

$34.48 R$173

-4.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 67.1

$28.17 R$141

-30.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.41

$7.80 R$39.13

-5.26%

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

$182 PEN 626

$844 R$4,233

-78.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

$16.8K R$84.1K

-20.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 181

$56.7 R$285

-7.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 118

$43.89 R$220

-22.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 288

$86.3 R$433

-2.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 272

$89.3 R$448

-11.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,488

$498 R$2,497

45.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,170

$282 R$1,413

20.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,074

$1,156 R$5,802

2.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,183

$574 R$2,878

10.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,423

$2,497 R$12.5K

-1.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,718

$1,735 R$8,705

-20.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,245

$848 R$4,256

-23.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

12.12

-26.24%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

Brasilia

$282 27.9% 17.2% $58

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

Brasilia

$213 21.2% 5.7% $13

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Brasilia

$161 16% 30% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Brasilia

$133 13.2% 13.9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Brasilia

$124 12.3% 10.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

Brasilia

$50 5% 4.7% $2.2

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Brasilia

$45 4.5% 4.5% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $723 in Lima and $498 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 30% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $40.00 in Brasilia. Groceries flip the comparison at $226 vs $213, with Brasilia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

04:31 4:31 AM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

2,817,381 Capital

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.63 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Brasilia 3,170 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Brasilia

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 Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 30% lower in Brasilia. 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: $723 in Lima versus $498 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $844 in Brasilia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Brasilia – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $35.00 in Lima. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $994 in Brasilia versus $996 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Brasilia but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Brasilia 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.

It comes down to priorities – Brasilia wins on affordability, Lima on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.