Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Fortaleza

For one person, living is cheaper in Fortaleza: $942 a month against $996 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $650 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Fortaleza
Learn more

Fortaleza Living Index

Jump to prices

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Fortaleza

🇧🇷 Brazil

$942

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Fortaleza

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

A single person spends $996 per month in Lima vs $942 in Fortaleza, rent included.

Lima $996
Fortaleza $942

A couple spends around $1,594 per month in Lima vs $1,419 in Fortaleza, rent included.

Lima $1,594
Fortaleza $1,419

A family of three spends $2,191 per month in Lima vs $1,897 in Fortaleza, rent included.

Lima $2,191
Fortaleza $1,897

Lima costs about 6% more than Fortaleza, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Lima and Fortaleza are more affordable than the global median – Lima 26% lower, Fortaleza 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.16

$5.97 R$29.79

-25.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 120

$30.26 R$151

15.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.44

$7.86 R$39.22

-12.98%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.22

$2.26 R$11.26

44.69%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.78

$1.20 R$6.00

-8.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.22

$0.68 R$3.42

-4.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.85

$2.26 R$11.29

14.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.34

$3.98 R$19.89

12.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.46

$1.19 R$5.95

33.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.86

$1.98 R$9.89

30.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.65

$1.15 R$5.74

18.26%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.11

$1.86 R$9.29

58.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.19

$7.76 R$38.73

17.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.91

$4.05 R$20.22

43.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.68

$9.48 R$47.34

3.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.89

$2.86 R$14.28

-29.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.69

$1.32 R$6.60

-18.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$0.83 R$4.14

65.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.06

$1.74 R$8.69

-14.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.30

$1.28 R$6.40

-25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.92

$1.12 R$5.58

-24.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.02

$1.00 R$4.99

-12.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.97

$1.03 R$5.14

-15.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.24

$2.13 R$10.63

177.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.21

$7.06 R$35.25

24.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.57

$1.54 R$7.67

24.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 10.98

$1.66 R$8.26

92.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.98 R$4.89

-30.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 91.7

$19.74 R$98.6

35.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.06

$1.44 R$7.17

164.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.00

$0.80 R$3.99

155.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.49

$7.43 R$37.08

-3.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.65

$1.33 R$6.63

24.06%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

$23.6K R$117.7K

-5.99%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

$32.0K R$159.8K

-19.82%

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

$73.0 PEN 250

$127 R$634

-42.46%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.7

$10.79 R$53.9

50.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.6

$21.43 R$107

28.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 113

$26.70 R$133

23.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 66.8

$43.44 R$217

-55.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.33

$5.89 R$29.38

25.47%

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

$182 PEN 624

$207 R$1,033

-12.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

$4,034 R$20.1K

230.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 180

$67.1 R$335

-21.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 117

$61.0 R$304

-43.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 287

$126 R$630

-33.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 271

$68.9 R$344

14.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,479

$428 R$2,137

68.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,166

$236 R$1,177

44.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,060

$584 R$2,917

102.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,176

$359 R$1,792

76.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,394

$2,653 R$13.2K

-7.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,702

$1,184 R$5,909

15.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,237

$482 R$2,404

35.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

11.38

-21.44%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for Fortaleza: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

Fortaleza

$236 25.3% 30.6% $104

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

Fortaleza

$198 21.2% 12.7% $29

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Fortaleza

$125 13.5% 0.9% $1.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Fortaleza

$159 17.1% 36.1% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Fortaleza

$145 15.6% 29.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

Fortaleza

$38 4.1% 19.6% $9.4

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Fortaleza

$29 3.1% 33.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $723 in Lima versus $428 in Fortaleza. 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 36% 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 Fortaleza. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $198 – making Fortaleza the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇧🇷 Fortaleza

🕒 Local time

23:03 11:03 PM

01:03 1:03 AM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

2,428,708

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Fortaleza 4,340 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Fortaleza

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 Fortaleza: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima costs about 6% more than Fortaleza, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,494 per month in Lima and $1,413 in Fortaleza. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Lima and $30.00 in Fortaleza. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $996 in Lima and $942 in Fortaleza. That's a gap of about 6%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Fortaleza, where all-in costs run around $942, than in Lima at $996. In Fortaleza it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lima it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Fortaleza costs $942 versus $996 in Lima. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Fortaleza. 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.