Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Contagem

For one person, living is cheaper in Contagem: $788 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Contagem
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Contagem Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Contagem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$788

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Contagem

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

A single person spends $1,012 per month in Lima vs $788 in Contagem, rent included.

Lima $1,012
Contagem $788

A couple spends around $1,589 per month in Lima vs $1,272 in Contagem, rent included.

Lima $1,589
Contagem $1,272

A family of three spends $2,167 per month in Lima vs $1,755 in Contagem, rent included.

Lima $2,167
Contagem $1,755

Lima costs about 28% more than Contagem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lima and Contagem are more affordable than the global median – Lima 25% lower, Contagem 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$6.06 R$30.73

-27.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$30.50 R$155

15.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$7.32 R$37.10

-5.87%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$1.76 R$8.93

85.23%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$1.42 R$7.19

-21.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$0.58 R$2.96

6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$1.32 R$6.69

100.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$2.57 R$13.05

71.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.00 R$5.09

63.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$1.84 R$9.34

39.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.37 R$6.94

-1.46%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$1.98 R$10.06

46.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$10.07 R$51.1

-12.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$3.47 R$17.61

72.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$7.50 R$38.03

30.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$1.91 R$9.69

7.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.17 R$5.91

-9.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$0.94 R$4.75

43.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$1.67 R$8.48

-10.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.09 R$5.53

-19.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$0.99 R$5.00

-7.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$0.85 R$4.33

4.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.82 R$4.14

9.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$1.64 R$8.31

259.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$6.04 R$30.61

41.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$1.02 R$5.18

84.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$1.37 R$6.94

135.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$1.50 R$7.61

-54.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

$80.1 R$406

-66.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$1.19 R$6.04

220.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$0.79 R$3.99

155.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$6.28 R$31.84

13.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.32 R$6.67

30.30%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$23.5K R$119.3K

-5.17%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$31.6K R$160.4K

-19.37%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$76.2 R$386

-4.06%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$10.11 R$51.3

61.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$19.26 R$97.7

42.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$26.55 R$135

20.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

$23.62 R$120

-17.82%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$7.31 R$37.04

-3.56%

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

$182 PEN 627

$144 R$732

26.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$2,630 R$13.3K

395.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$61.6 R$312

-12.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$49.74 R$252

-31.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$68.6 R$348

20.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$48.25 R$245

62.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$232 R$1,174

211.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$158 R$798

118.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$488 R$2,475

149.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$334 R$1,693

94.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

$1,991 R$10.1K

21.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

$1,015 R$5,146

33.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

$261 R$1,324

148.21%

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 Contagem: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Contagem

$158 20% 54.1% $186

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Contagem

$179 22.7% 20.8% $47

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Contagem

$111 14.1% 10.2% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Contagem

$106 13.4% 9.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Contagem

$103 13% 8.4% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Contagem

$41 5.2% 10.5% $4.9

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Contagem

$91 11.6% 110% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Lima versus $232 in Contagem. 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 148% 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 $31.00 in Contagem. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $179 – making Contagem the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇧🇷 Contagem

🕒 Local time

06:43 6:43 AM

08:43 8:43 AM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

621,863

💱 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 Contagem 3,620 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Contagem

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 Contagem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lima is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,518 per month in Lima and $1,183 in Contagem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 198% less in Contagem. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $182 per month in Lima and $144 in Contagem. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Contagem, where all-in costs run around $788, than in Lima at $1,012. In Contagem it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lima it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Contagem – 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 Contagem. 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.