Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Itapema

For one person, living is cheaper in Itapema: $772 a month against $1,014 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Itapema
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Itapema Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,014

/mo nomad

Itapema

🇧🇷 Brazil

$772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Itapema

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,014 in Lima versus $772 in Itapema.

Lima $1,014
Itapema $772

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,613 in Lima versus $1,233 in Itapema.

Lima $1,613
Itapema $1,233

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,211 in Lima versus $1,694 in Itapema.

Lima $2,211
Itapema $1,694

Living in Lima is roughly 31% more expensive than in Itapema, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Itapema 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.19

$5.55 R$28.13

-20.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.56 PEN 119

$27.67 R$140

24.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.80 PEN 23.37

$6.45 R$32.69

5.43%

Cappuccino

$3.30 PEN 11.34

$1.75 R$8.89

88.57%

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

$1.06 PEN 3.64

$1.08 R$5.46

-1.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 PEN 2.26

$0.64 R$3.26

3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 PEN 8.71

$1.79 R$9.05

41.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 PEN 14.55

$2.65 R$13.45

60.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.43

$0.99 R$5.03

59.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 PEN 8.97

$1.50 R$7.59

74.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 PEN 4.60

$1.14 R$5.79

17.54%

Eggs

$2.93 PEN 10.08

$2.03 R$10.28

44.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.45 PEN 32.45

$8.39 R$42.52

12.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.75 PEN 19.75

$3.65 R$18.52

57.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 PEN 33.29

$7.28 R$36.90

33.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 PEN 6.95

$2.06 R$10.46

-1.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 PEN 3.66

$1.24 R$6.30

-13.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$1.16 R$5.87

18.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 PEN 5.05

$1.49 R$7.57

-1.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 PEN 3.25

$1.15 R$5.82

-17.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 PEN 3.14

$1.05 R$5.33

-13.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.68 R$3.42

32.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 PEN 3.04

$0.63 R$3.19

41.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 PEN 19.71

$2.09 R$10.62

174.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.21 PEN 31.64

$7.45 R$37.75

23.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 PEN 6.31

$1.24 R$6.30

48.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 PEN 10.67

$2.06 R$10.43

50.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 PEN 2.46

$0.92 R$4.67

-21.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.03 PEN 89.4

$37.79 R$192

-31.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 PEN 12.17

$1.09 R$5.54

224.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 PEN 7.12

$0.70 R$3.57

195.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.75 PEN 26.62

$6.54 R$33.18

18.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 PEN 5.86

$1.04 R$5.25

64.42%

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

$21.6K PEN 74.1K

$21.0K R$106.5K

2.80%

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

$28.6K PEN 98.2K

$28.1K R$142.6K

1.59%

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

$68.2 PEN 234

$59.5 R$302

14.54%

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

$15.73 PEN 54.0

$13.32 R$67.5

18.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.48 PEN 90.9

$18.44 R$93.5

43.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.94 PEN 117

$22.93 R$116

48.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.10 PEN 69.0

$21.84 R$111

-7.97%

Cinema Ticket

$7.22 PEN 24.80

$6.49 R$32.89

11.25%

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

$201 PEN 689

$278 R$1,410

-27.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

$6,357 R$32.2K

102.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 PEN 184

$46.61 R$236

15.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.88 PEN 123

$42.86 R$217

-16.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 288

$76.2 R$386

9.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.8 PEN 271

$62.5 R$317

26.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 PEN 2,505

$320 R$1,623

127.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 PEN 1,197

$217 R$1,099

60.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 PEN 4,073

$571 R$2,897

107.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 PEN 2,391

$427 R$2,164

63.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,360 PEN 8,105

$1,472 R$7,464

60.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,356 PEN 4,657

$1,044 R$5,292

29.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 PEN 2,278

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

10.92

-19.60%

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

Last update for Lima: October 17, 2026

Last update for Itapema: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$349 34.4%

Itapema

$217 28.1% 37.8% $132

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$227 22.4%

Itapema

$174 22.5% 23.6% $54

Eating Out

Lima

$123 12.2%

Itapema

$106 13.7% 14.2% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$113 11.2%

Itapema

$103 13.3% 9.5% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$110 10.9%

Itapema

$91 11.8% 17.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.8%

Itapema

$36 4.7% 25.8% $12

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.2%

Itapema

$46 6% 7.6% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Lima and $320 in Itapema. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $28.00 in Itapema for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $227 vs $174 per month, with Itapema cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇧🇷 Itapema

🕒 Local time

18:06 6:06 PM

20:06 8:06 PM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

75,940

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Itapema 3,400 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Itapema

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 Itapema: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Itapema is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 31% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,522 in Lima and $1,159 in Itapema to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Lima versus $320 in Itapema. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,014 per month in Lima versus $772 in Itapema – a 31% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Itapema runs roughly 45% less than in Lima. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $772 in Itapema versus $1,014 in Lima, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Itapema but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Itapema the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Itapema is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lima, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lima and Itapema are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Itapema gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.