Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Joao Pessoa

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,059 in Joao Pessoa, rent and utilities included – about $760 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Joao Pessoa
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Joao Pessoa Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Joao Pessoa

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Joao Pessoa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Lima versus $1,059 in Joao Pessoa.

Lima $996
Joao Pessoa $1,059

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Lima versus $1,635 in Joao Pessoa.

Lima $1,594
Joao Pessoa $1,635

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Lima versus $2,210 in Joao Pessoa.

Lima $2,191
Joao Pessoa $2,210

Living in Lima costs roughly 6% less than in Joao Pessoa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 26% lower, Joao Pessoa 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.16

$7.18 R$35.82

-38.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 120

$29.50 R$147

18.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.44

$7.99 R$39.91

-14.39%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.22

$1.60 R$7.98

104.38%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.78

$1.02 R$5.07

7.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.22

$0.69 R$3.43

-5.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.85

$1.88 R$9.41

37.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.34

$3.52 R$17.56

26.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.46

$1.23 R$6.13

29.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.86

$2.13 R$10.61

21.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.65

$1.54 R$7.69

-11.69%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.11

$2.13 R$10.62

38.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.19

$8.63 R$43.08

5.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.91

$5.02 R$25.04

15.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.68

$7.43 R$37.08

32.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.89

$3.26 R$16.29

-38.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.69

$1.02 R$5.10

5.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$0.92 R$4.61

48.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.06

$1.18 R$5.87

25.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.30

$1.64 R$8.17

-41.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.92

$1.26 R$6.31

-32.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.02

$0.76 R$3.78

15.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.97

$0.86 R$4.27

1.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.24

$2.99 R$14.92

97.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.21

$8.95 R$44.69

-1.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.57

$1.56 R$7.78

23.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 10.98

$3.31 R$16.54

-3.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$1.02 R$5.10

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 91.7

$70.5 R$352

-62.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.06

$2.01 R$10.04

89.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.00

$1.97 R$9.86

3.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.49

$3.25 R$16.24

119.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.65

$1.28 R$6.37

28.91%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

$23.7K R$118.5K

-6.56%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

$33.2K R$165.5K

-22.58%

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

$73.0 PEN 250

$131 R$652

-44.05%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.7

$23.38 R$117

-30.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.6

$24.22 R$121

13.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 113

$38.84 R$194

-14.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 66.8

$29.64 R$148

-34.24%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.33

$10.88 R$54.3

-32.08%

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

$182 PEN 624

$441 R$2,204

-58.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

$6,925 R$34.6K

92.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 180

$54.6 R$272

-3.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 117

$68.7 R$343

-50.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 287

$89.5 R$447

-6.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 271

$77.3 R$386

2.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,479

$404 R$2,014

79.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,166

$266 R$1,328

27.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,060

$662 R$3,303

78.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,176

$523 R$2,609

21.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,394

$2,432 R$12.1K

0.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,702

$1,189 R$5,935

15.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,237

$505 R$2,521

29.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

-18.73%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for Joao Pessoa: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

Joao Pessoa

$266 25.3% 21.8% $74

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

Joao Pessoa

$207 19.6% 8.7% $20

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Joao Pessoa

$124 11.8% 0.2% $0.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Joao Pessoa

$178 16.9% 52.4% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Joao Pessoa

$131 12.4% 16.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

Joao Pessoa

$61 5.8% 26.6% $13

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Joao Pessoa

$86 8.2% 98.8% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $723 in Lima and $404 in Joao Pessoa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 29% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $29.00 in Joao Pessoa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $207 per month, with Joao Pessoa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇧🇷 Joao Pessoa

🕒 Local time

04:06 4:06 AM

06:06 6:06 AM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

833,932

💱 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 Joao Pessoa 4,650 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Joao Pessoa

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 Joao Pessoa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Joao Pessoa differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($996 vs $1,059 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 29% 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: $723 in Lima versus $404 in Joao Pessoa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $441 in Joao Pessoa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Joao Pessoa pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,059 in Joao Pessoa, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Joao Pessoa. The gap between the two cities makes Lima 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 Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Joao Pessoa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.