Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Guarulhos

For one person, living costs are similar in Lima and in Guarulhos: $1,012 and $974 a month, rent and utilities included.

Lima
🇵🇪 Peru
$1,012
/mo nomad
Guarulhos
🇧🇷 Brazil
$974
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Guarulhos

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

A single person spends $1,012 per month in Lima vs $974 in Guarulhos, rent included.

  • Lima $1,012
  • Guarulhos $974

A couple spends around $1,589 per month in Lima vs $1,776 in Guarulhos, rent included.

  • Lima $1,589
  • Guarulhos $1,776

A family of three spends $2,167 per month in Lima vs $2,578 in Guarulhos, rent included.

  • Lima $2,167
  • Guarulhos $2,578

Lima costs about 4% more than Guarulhos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lima and Guarulhos are more affordable than the global median – Lima 25% lower, Guarulhos 28% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lima
Guarulhos
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.40 PEN 15.10
$9.14 R$46.36
-51.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.17 PEN 121
$39.64 R$201
-11.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.89 PEN 23.65
$8.79 R$44.57
-21.62%
Cappuccino
$3.26 PEN 11.20
$2.61 R$13.25
24.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 PEN 3.84
$1.43 R$7.25
-21.68%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.62 PEN 2.11
$0.88 R$4.45
-29.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 PEN 9.09
$2.37 R$12.01
11.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.41 PEN 15.15
$4.07 R$20.63
8.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lima
Guarulhos
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.63 PEN 5.61
$1.02 R$5.18
59.80%
White Bread (500g)
$2.56 PEN 8.78
$1.86 R$9.42
37.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.35 PEN 4.65
$1.33 R$6.72
1.50%
Eggs
$2.90 PEN 9.96
$2.57 R$13.04
12.84%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.85 PEN 30.38
$12.52 R$63.5
-29.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.98 PEN 20.52
$5.02 R$25.42
19.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.78 PEN 33.59
$10.63 R$53.9
-8.00%
Apples (1kg)
$2.05 PEN 7.02
$2.40 R$12.17
-14.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.06 PEN 3.66
$1.72 R$8.74
-38.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.35 PEN 4.64
$1.60 R$8.12
-15.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 PEN 5.15
$1.53 R$7.74
-1.96%
Potato (1kg)
$0.88 PEN 3.03
$1.26 R$6.39
-30.16%
Onion (1kg)
$0.92 PEN 3.15
$1.25 R$6.34
-26.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.89 PEN 3.07
$0.92 R$4.67
-3.26%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.90 PEN 3.10
$0.86 R$4.37
4.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.90 PEN 20.27
$2.48 R$12.55
137.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.52 PEN 29.26
$9.84 R$49.87
-13.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.88 PEN 6.45
$1.56 R$7.92
20.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.22 PEN 11.05
$2.54 R$12.89
26.77%
🚌 Getting Around
Lima
Guarulhos
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.68 PEN 2.33
$1.21 R$6.15
-43.80%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.86 PEN 92.2
$102 R$519
-73.78%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.81 PEN 13.09
$1.23 R$6.26
209.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.02 PEN 6.93
$0.71 R$3.62
184.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.11 PEN 24.41
$8.85 R$44.85
-19.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.72 PEN 5.91
$1.29 R$6.53
33.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.3K PEN 76.6K
$24.0K R$121.6K
-6.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.5K PEN 87.6K
$34.6K R$175.4K
-26.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lima
Guarulhos
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$73.1 PEN 251
$91.9 R$466
-20.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.35 PEN 56.2
$14.76 R$74.8
10.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.47 PEN 94.3
$22.84 R$116
20.27%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lima
Guarulhos
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.90 PEN 110
$27.95 R$142
14.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.41 PEN 66.7
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.05 PEN 24.23
$10.11 R$51.3
-30.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lima
Guarulhos
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$182 PEN 627
$436 R$2,208
-58.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.0K PEN 44.8K
$11.1K R$56.2K
17.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lima
Guarulhos
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.8 PEN 185
$66.2 R$336
-18.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.32 PEN 118
$58.2 R$295
-41.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82.8 PEN 284
$95.1 R$482
-12.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.2 PEN 269
$80.5 R$408
-2.83%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lima
Guarulhos
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$721 PEN 2,476
$349 R$1,767
106.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$343 PEN 1,179
$161 R$814
113.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,219 PEN 4,186
$990 R$5,017
23.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$651 PEN 2,235
$768 R$3,891
-15.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,414 PEN 8,292
$1,980 R$10.0K
21.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,357 PEN 4,660
$1,472 R$7,464
-7.83%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lima
Guarulhos
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$648 PEN 2,226
$379 R$1,924
70.77%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.94
11.25
-20.53%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Guarulhos: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lima
$343
Guarulhos
$161 53.3% $183
Groceries & Markets
Lima
$226
Guarulhos
$228 1% $2.2
Eating Out
Lima
$124
Guarulhos
$160 29.1% $36
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lima
$117
Guarulhos
$129 10.8% $13
Clothing & Footwear
Lima
$112
Guarulhos
$135 20.5% $23
Sport & Entertainment
Lima
$46
Guarulhos
$48 4.7% $2.2
Getting Around
Lima
$43
Guarulhos
$112 158% $69

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Lima versus $349 in Guarulhos. 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 71% 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 $40.00 in Guarulhos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $228 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇪 Lima
🇧🇷 Guarulhos
🕒 Local time
00:50 12:50 AM
02:50 2:50 AM
2 h ahead of Lima
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,989,369 Capital
1,291,771
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lima Guarulhos 3,460 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lima
  • Guarulhos

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 Guarulhos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Lima or Guarulhos?
Lima costs about 4% more than Guarulhos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Lima and in Guarulhos?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,518 per month in Lima and $1,460 in Guarulhos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Lima or Guarulhos?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Guarulhos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do dining costs compare in Lima and in Guarulhos?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Lima and $40.00 in Guarulhos. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Lima compared to Guarulhos?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,012 in Lima and $974 in Guarulhos. That's a gap of about 4%.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Lima or in Guarulhos?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Guarulhos, where all-in costs run around $974, than in Lima at $1,012. In Guarulhos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lima it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Lima or Guarulhos?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Guarulhos costs $974 versus $1,012 in Lima. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Lima or to Guarulhos?
If budget matters most, go with Guarulhos. 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.

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