Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Cabo Frio

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabo Frio: $678 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Cabo Frio
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Cabo Frio Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Cabo Frio

🇧🇷 Brazil

$678

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Cabo Frio

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

A single person spends $1,012 per month in Lima vs $678 in Cabo Frio, rent included.

Lima $1,012
Cabo Frio $678

A couple spends around $1,589 per month in Lima vs $1,113 in Cabo Frio, rent included.

Lima $1,589
Cabo Frio $1,113

A family of three spends $2,167 per month in Lima vs $1,548 in Cabo Frio, rent included.

Lima $2,167
Cabo Frio $1,548

Lima costs about 49% more than Cabo Frio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lima and Cabo Frio are more affordable than the global median – Lima 25% lower, Cabo Frio 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$5.87 R$29.77

-25.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$29.90 R$152

17.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$6.86 R$34.79

0.44%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$1.74 R$8.81

87.36%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$1.38 R$6.98

-18.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$0.51 R$2.60

21.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$1.22 R$6.19

117.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$1.95 R$9.87

126.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$0.77 R$3.90

111.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$1.50 R$7.61

70.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$0.76 R$3.87

77.63%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$1.62 R$8.20

79.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$8.21 R$41.59

7.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$3.41 R$17.30

75.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$9.61 R$48.74

1.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$1.92 R$9.71

6.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.19 R$6.05

-10.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$0.96 R$4.89

40.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$1.22 R$6.19

22.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$0.67 R$3.38

31.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$0.85 R$4.32

8.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$0.57 R$2.87

56.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.58 R$2.95

55.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$1.63 R$8.24

261.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$6.03 R$30.58

41.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$0.99 R$5.00

89.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$1.37 R$6.95

135.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$1.37 R$6.97

-50.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

$82.1 R$416

-67.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$1.28 R$6.51

197.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$0.80 R$4.07

152.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$8.23 R$41.74

-13.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.23 R$6.22

39.84%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$21.1K R$106.7K

5.97%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$31.0K R$157.2K

-17.73%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$58.6 R$297

24.61%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$7.84 R$39.76

108.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$13.82 R$70.0

98.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$21.66 R$110

47.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$4.92 R$24.95

43.29%

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

$182 PEN 627

$148 R$748

23.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$2,691 R$13.6K

384.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$46.04 R$233

16.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$40.39 R$205

-15.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$55.0 R$279

50.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$48.67 R$247

60.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$444 R$2,251

62.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$119 R$604

188.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$677 R$3,429

80.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$280 R$1,420

132.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

$278 R$1,411

132.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

10.67

-16.21%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cabo Frio: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Cabo Frio

$119 17.6% 65.3% $224

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Cabo Frio

$162 23.9% 28.2% $64

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Cabo Frio

$106 15.6% 14.5% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Cabo Frio

$80 11.9% 31.3% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Cabo Frio

$86 12.6% 23.7% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Cabo Frio

$32 4.7% 31.5% $15

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Cabo Frio

$93 13.7% 114% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Lima versus $444 in Cabo Frio. 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 133% 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 Cabo Frio. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $162 – making Cabo Frio the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇧🇷 Cabo Frio

🕒 Local time

03:27 3:27 AM

05:27 5:27 AM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

222,161

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Lima Cabo Frio 3,890 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Cabo Frio

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 Cabo Frio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lima is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,518 per month in Lima and $1,016 in Cabo Frio. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,012 in Lima and $678 in Cabo Frio. That's a gap of about 49%.

Public transport costs about 206% less in Cabo Frio. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cabo Frio, where all-in costs run around $678, than in Lima at $1,012. In Cabo Frio it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lima it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cabo Frio – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Cabo Frio. 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.