Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Itu

For one person, living is cheaper in Itu: $747 a month against $1,014 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Itu
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Itu Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,014

/mo nomad

Itu

🇧🇷 Brazil

$747

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Itu

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

A single person spends $1,014 per month in Lima vs $747 in Itu, rent included.

Lima $1,014
Itu $747

A couple spends around $1,613 per month in Lima vs $1,375 in Itu, rent included.

Lima $1,613
Itu $1,375

A family of three spends $2,211 per month in Lima vs $2,003 in Itu, rent included.

Lima $2,211
Itu $2,003

Lima costs about 36% more than Itu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lima and Itu are more affordable than the global median – Lima 25% lower, Itu 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.19

$5.85 R$29.63

-24.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.56 PEN 119

$40.82 R$207

-15.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.80 PEN 23.37

$6.36 R$32.23

6.92%

Cappuccino

$3.30 PEN 11.34

$1.93 R$9.77

70.98%

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

$1.06 PEN 3.64

$0.83 R$4.20

27.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 PEN 2.26

$0.52 R$2.66

26.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 PEN 8.71

$2.47 R$12.52

2.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 PEN 14.55

$4.35 R$22.05

-2.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.43

$1.13 R$5.73

39.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 PEN 8.97

$1.47 R$7.43

77.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 PEN 4.60

$1.14 R$5.79

17.54%

Eggs

$2.93 PEN 10.08

$2.70 R$13.71

8.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.45 PEN 32.45

$8.78 R$44.49

7.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.75 PEN 19.75

$4.06 R$20.58

41.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 PEN 33.29

$6.17 R$31.29

57.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 PEN 6.95

$1.84 R$9.34

9.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 PEN 3.66

$1.44 R$7.30

-25.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$0.82 R$4.18

67.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 PEN 5.05

$1.81 R$9.19

-18.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 PEN 3.25

$1.02 R$5.15

-6.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 PEN 3.14

$1.42 R$7.21

-35.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.83 R$4.18

8.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 PEN 3.04

$0.49 R$2.48

81.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 PEN 19.71

$2.89 R$14.64

98.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.21 PEN 31.64

$6.19 R$31.38

48.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 PEN 6.31

$1.71 R$8.65

7.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 PEN 10.67

$2.07 R$10.50

50.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 PEN 2.46

$0.99 R$5.04

-27.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.03 PEN 89.4

$43.71 R$222

-40.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 PEN 12.17

$0.97 R$4.94

264.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 PEN 7.12

$1.02 R$5.15

102.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.75 PEN 26.62

$9.46 R$47.96

-18.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 PEN 5.86

$1.02 R$5.18

67.65%

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

$21.6K PEN 74.1K

$24.1K R$122.2K

-10.44%

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

$28.6K PEN 98.2K

$28.4K R$143.8K

0.74%

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

$68.2 PEN 234

$43.68 R$221

56.02%

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

$15.73 PEN 54.0

$12.01 R$60.9

30.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.48 PEN 90.9

$17.17 R$87.1

54.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.94 PEN 117

$25.62 R$130

32.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.10 PEN 69.0

$28.11 R$142

-28.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.22 PEN 24.80

$5.07 R$25.72

42.41%

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

$201 PEN 689

$432 R$2,188

-53.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

$7,615 R$38.6K

69.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 PEN 184

$50.4 R$256

6.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.88 PEN 123

$40.38 R$205

-11.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 288

$69.3 R$351

20.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.8 PEN 271

$49.27 R$250

59.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 PEN 2,505

$323 R$1,639

125.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 PEN 1,197

$198 R$1,003

76.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 PEN 4,073

$814 R$4,125

45.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 PEN 2,391

$659 R$3,339

5.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,360 PEN 8,105

$1,739 R$8,813

35.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,356 PEN 4,657

$1,190 R$6,031

13.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 PEN 2,278

$296 R$1,501

124.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

11.12

-21.04%

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

Last update for Lima: October 17, 2026

Last update for Itu: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$349 34.4%

Itu

$198 26.5% 43.2% $151

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$227 22.4%

Itu

$177 23.7% 22.2% $50

Eating Out

Lima

$123 12.2%

Itu

$115 15.5% 6.5% $8

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$113 11.2%

Itu

$94 12.6% 17% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$110 10.9%

Itu

$73 9.8% 34% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.8%

Itu

$36 4.8% 26.1% $13

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.2%

Itu

$54 7.2% 25.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Lima versus $323 in Itu. 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 124% 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 $41.00 in Itu. Groceries tell a different story – $227 in Lima vs $177 in Itu – so Itu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇧🇷 Itu

🕒 Local time

00:12 12:12 AM

02:12 2:12 AM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

168,240

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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 Itu 3,380 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Itu

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 Itu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,014 in Lima, $747 in Itu – roughly 36% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,522 per month in Lima and $1,120 in Itu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Itu, 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 $41.00 in Itu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,014 in Lima and $747 in Itu. That's a gap of about 36%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Itu, where all-in costs run around $747, than in Lima at $1,014. In Itu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lima it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lima has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $747 in Itu to $1,014 in Lima. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Itu. 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.