Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Curitiba

For one person, living costs are similar in Lima and in Curitiba: $996 and $1,035 a month, rent and utilities included.

Lima
🇵🇪 Peru
$996
/mo nomad
Curitiba
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,035
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Curitiba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Lima versus $1,035 in Curitiba.

  • Lima $996
  • Curitiba $1,035

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Lima versus $1,617 in Curitiba.

  • Lima $1,594
  • Curitiba $1,617

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Lima versus $2,199 in Curitiba.

  • Lima $2,191
  • Curitiba $2,199

Living in Lima costs roughly 4% less than in Curitiba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 26% lower, Curitiba 23% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lima
Curitiba
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.42 PEN 15.21
$8.04 R$40.36
-45.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.04 PEN 121
$40.63 R$204
-13.76%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.84 PEN 23.52
$9.14 R$45.88
-25.16%
Cappuccino
$3.27 PEN 11.26
$2.71 R$13.62
20.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.10 PEN 3.80
$1.16 R$5.80
-5.17%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.65 PEN 2.23
$0.90 R$4.50
-27.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.58 PEN 8.88
$2.74 R$13.73
-5.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 PEN 15.39
$4.08 R$20.49
9.56%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lima
Curitiba
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.59 PEN 5.48
$1.10 R$5.50
44.55%
White Bread (500g)
$2.58 PEN 8.89
$1.85 R$9.28
39.46%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.36 PEN 4.67
$1.35 R$6.77
0.74%
Eggs
$2.95 PEN 10.14
$2.49 R$12.48
18.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.10 PEN 31.30
$10.30 R$51.7
-11.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.81 PEN 19.98
$4.93 R$24.72
17.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.83 PEN 33.80
$10.54 R$52.9
-6.74%
Apples (1kg)
$2.01 PEN 6.92
$1.75 R$8.80
14.86%
Banana (1kg)
$1.08 PEN 3.70
$1.12 R$5.60
-3.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.37 PEN 4.71
$1.00 R$5.04
37.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.48 PEN 5.08
$1.35 R$6.76
9.63%
Potato (1kg)
$0.96 PEN 3.32
$0.86 R$4.29
11.63%
Onion (1kg)
$0.85 PEN 2.93
$0.78 R$3.94
8.97%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.88 PEN 3.03
$0.73 R$3.68
20.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.87 PEN 2.98
$0.83 R$4.17
4.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.90 PEN 20.31
$3.05 R$15.29
93.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.81 PEN 30.31
$7.64 R$38.32
15.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.92 PEN 6.59
$1.30 R$6.52
47.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.20 PEN 11.02
$2.44 R$12.22
31.15%
🚌 Getting Around
Lima
Curitiba
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.68 PEN 2.33
$1.17 R$5.87
-41.88%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.74 PEN 92.0
$73.4 R$369
-63.59%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.81 PEN 13.10
$1.32 R$6.64
188.64%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.04 PEN 7.02
$0.81 R$4.09
151.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.14 PEN 24.57
$5.98 R$30.00
19.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.65 PEN 5.67
$1.36 R$6.83
21.32%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.2K PEN 76.3K
$23.4K R$117.6K
-5.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.7K PEN 88.3K
$33.4K R$167.7K
-23.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lima
Curitiba
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$73.0 PEN 251
$103 R$519
-29.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.26 PEN 55.9
$14.97 R$75.1
8.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.60 PEN 94.9
$23.58 R$118
17.05%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lima
Curitiba
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$33.07 PEN 114
$29.27 R$147
12.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.49 PEN 67.1
$20.06 R$101
-2.84%
Cinema Ticket
$7.39 PEN 25.41
$7.64 R$38.34
-3.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lima
Curitiba
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$182 PEN 626
$379 R$1,904
-52.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.3K PEN 45.8K
$11.2K R$56.0K
19.37%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lima
Curitiba
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.6 PEN 181
$56.5 R$283
-6.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.23 PEN 118
$56.0 R$281
-38.89%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.8 PEN 288
$97.4 R$489
-13.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.0 PEN 272
$80.1 R$402
-1.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lima
Curitiba
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$723 PEN 2,488
$520 R$2,609
39.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$340 PEN 1,170
$300 R$1,506
13.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 PEN 4,074
$827 R$4,150
43.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$635 PEN 2,183
$545 R$2,737
16.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,449 PEN 8,423
$2,450 R$12.3K
-0.07%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,372 PEN 4,718
$1,755 R$8,808
-21.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lima
Curitiba
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$653 PEN 2,245
$689 R$3,456
-5.25%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.94
11.54
-22.53%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for Curitiba: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lima
$340
Curitiba
$300 11.7% $40
Groceries & Markets
Lima
$226
Curitiba
$202 10.8% $24
Eating Out
Lima
$124
Curitiba
$154 24.5% $30
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lima
$117
Curitiba
$142 21.4% $25
Clothing & Footwear
Lima
$112
Curitiba
$130 16.2% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Lima
$48
Curitiba
$45 6.9% $3.3
Getting Around
Lima
$43
Curitiba
$84 92.1% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $723 in Lima and $520 in Curitiba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Curitiba pays 6% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $41.00 in Curitiba. Groceries flip the comparison at $226 vs $202, with Curitiba cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇵🇪 Lima
🇧🇷 Curitiba
🕒 Local time
02:09 2:09 AM
04:09 4:09 AM
2 h ahead of Lima
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,989,369 Capital
1,773,718
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lima Curitiba 3,270 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lima
  • Curitiba

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 Curitiba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Lima or Curitiba?
Lima wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Curitiba. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lima the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Lima or in Curitiba?
On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Curitiba. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Lima compared to Curitiba?
Rent for a central apartment: $723 in Lima versus $520 in Curitiba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Lima compared to Curitiba?
A monthly transit pass in Lima runs roughly 175% less than in Curitiba. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
How do childcare costs compare in Lima and in Curitiba?
Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $379 in Curitiba. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Lima or in Curitiba?
At $996 in Lima versus $1,035 in Curitiba, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Curitiba. The gap between the two cities makes Lima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Lima or Curitiba?
Both work as nomad bases, but Lima delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $996 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lima hard to pass up.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Curitiba. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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