Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Ipatinga

For one person, living is cheaper in Ipatinga: $837 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Ipatinga
Learn more

Ipatinga Living Index

Jump to prices

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Ipatinga

🇧🇷 Brazil

$837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Ipatinga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $837 in Ipatinga.

Lima $1,012
Ipatinga $837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $1,323 in Ipatinga.

Lima $1,589
Ipatinga $1,323

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $1,809 in Ipatinga.

Lima $2,167
Ipatinga $1,809

Living in Lima is roughly 21% more expensive than in Ipatinga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Ipatinga 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.13

$6.04 R$30.30

-27.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$26.97 R$135

30.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.69

$8.54 R$42.86

-19.32%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.22

$1.58 R$7.93

106.33%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$1.36 R$6.84

-17.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.12

$0.80 R$4.02

-22.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.11

$1.56 R$7.82

69.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.17

$2.38 R$11.93

85.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.62

$0.95 R$4.77

71.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.79

$1.84 R$9.21

39.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.66

$2.07 R$10.41

-34.78%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.97

$1.73 R$8.69

67.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.43

$9.50 R$47.66

-6.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.55

$3.99 R$20.04

49.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.65

$7.47 R$37.46

30.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.04

$1.93 R$9.71

6.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.20 R$6.04

-11.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.22 R$6.12

10.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.16

$1.60 R$8.05

-6.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.15 R$5.78

-23.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.16

$1.02 R$5.11

-9.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.08

$0.86 R$4.29

3.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.11

$0.93 R$4.64

-3.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.31

$2.52 R$12.64

134.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.31

$5.91 R$29.66

44.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.46

$1.18 R$5.91

59.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.07

$2.64 R$13.23

21.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.34

$1.04 R$5.23

-34.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.4

$45.78 R$230

-41.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.11

$0.97 R$4.87

292.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.94

$0.78 R$3.92

158.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.45

$4.09 R$20.51

73.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.92

$1.32 R$6.62

30.30%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.7K

$20.1K R$100.9K

10.89%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.7K

$27.7K R$138.9K

-7.90%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$66.4 R$333

10.03%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$10.35 R$51.9

57.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.5

$20.93 R$105

31.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$24.25 R$122

31.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.8

$27.63 R$139

-29.75%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.27

$5.86 R$29.41

20.31%

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

$182 PEN 628

$458 R$2,299

-60.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.9K

$14.1K R$70.9K

-7.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$43.92 R$220

22.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$49.34 R$248

-30.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 285

$69.8 R$350

18.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$72.0 R$361

8.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,481

$353 R$1,770

104.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,181

$242 R$1,213

42.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,193

$280 R$1,404

335.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,239

$469 R$2,356

38.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,306

$1,561 R$7,830

54.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,668

$1,349 R$6,769

0.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,229

$298 R$1,496

117.36%

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 Ipatinga: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Ipatinga

$242 28.9% 29.6% $102

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Ipatinga

$187 22.3% 17.3% $39

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Ipatinga

$114 13.6% 8% $9.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Ipatinga

$98 11.7% 16.4% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Ipatinga

$106 12.6% 5.7% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Ipatinga

$36 4.3% 21.8% $10

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Ipatinga

$55 6.6% 26.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Lima and $353 in Ipatinga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 117% 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 $27.00 in Ipatinga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $187 per month, with Ipatinga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇧🇷 Ipatinga

🕒 Local time

11:12 11:12 AM

13:12 1:12 PM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

227,731

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.85 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Ipatinga 3,780 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Ipatinga

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 Ipatinga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Ipatinga differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $837 including rent). Ipatinga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 117% higher in Lima, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Lima versus $353 in Ipatinga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $458 in Ipatinga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $837 in Ipatinga versus $1,012 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ipatinga but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Ipatinga the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Ipatinga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.