Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Nova Friburgo

For one person, living is cheaper in Nova Friburgo: $611 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Nova Friburgo
Learn more

Nova Friburgo Living Index

Jump to prices

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Nova Friburgo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Nova Friburgo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $611 in Nova Friburgo.

Lima $1,012
Nova Friburgo $611

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $1,026 in Nova Friburgo.

Lima $1,589
Nova Friburgo $1,026

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $1,440 in Nova Friburgo.

Lima $2,167
Nova Friburgo $1,440

Living in Lima is roughly 66% more expensive than in Nova Friburgo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Nova Friburgo 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.13

$5.87 R$29.44

-25.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$30.15 R$151

16.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.69

$6.38 R$32.01

7.99%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.22

$1.76 R$8.84

85.23%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$0.88 R$4.42

27.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.12

$0.58 R$2.89

6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.11

$1.19 R$5.95

122.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.17

$2.45 R$12.30

80.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.62

$0.97 R$4.85

68.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.79

$1.51 R$7.58

69.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.66

$1.38 R$6.94

-2.17%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.97

$1.94 R$9.75

49.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.43

$9.21 R$46.22

-3.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.55

$3.42 R$17.16

74.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.65

$9.52 R$47.79

2.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.04

$1.62 R$8.14

26.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.20 R$6.04

-11.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$0.93 R$4.65

45.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.16

$1.28 R$6.43

17.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$0.65 R$3.25

35.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.16

$0.81 R$4.04

13.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.08

$0.56 R$2.82

58.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.11

$0.76 R$3.83

18.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.31

$1.58 R$7.94

273.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.31

$6.07 R$30.43

40.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.46

$1.01 R$5.07

86.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.07

$1.42 R$7.12

126.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.34

$0.96 R$4.83

-29.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.11

$1.22 R$6.11

212.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.94

$0.56 R$2.79

260.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.45

$6.87 R$34.45

3.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.92

$1.25 R$6.27

37.60%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.7K

$20.0K R$100.3K

11.63%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.7K

$31.0K R$155.6K

-17.74%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$41.63 R$209

75.52%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$9.54 R$47.85

71.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.5

$18.74 R$94.0

46.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$22.35 R$112

42.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.8

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.27

$6.77 R$33.95

4.14%

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

$182 PEN 628

$147 R$739

23.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.9K

$2,693 R$13.5K

384.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$71.1 R$357

-24.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$84.5 R$424

-59.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 285

$68.1 R$342

21.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$47.77 R$240

63.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,481

$161 R$809

346.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,181

$99.3 R$498

246.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,193

$396 R$1,987

207.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,239

$243 R$1,221

167.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,306

$1,604 R$8,050

50.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,668

$810 R$4,062

67.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,229

$521 R$2,613

24.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

10.67

-16.21%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nova Friburgo: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Nova Friburgo

$99 16.3% 71.1% $244

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Nova Friburgo

$172 28.1% 24% $54

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Nova Friburgo

$104 17% 16.2% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Nova Friburgo

$70 11.5% 40.2% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Nova Friburgo

$122 20% 9% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Nova Friburgo

$36 5.9% 22% $10

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Nova Friburgo

$7.9 * 1.3% 81.9% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Lima and $161 in Nova Friburgo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 24% 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 $30.00 in Nova Friburgo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $172 per month, with Nova Friburgo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇧🇷 Nova Friburgo

🕒 Local time

14:24 2:24 PM

16:24 4:24 PM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

189,939

💱 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 Nova Friburgo 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Nova Friburgo

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 Nova Friburgo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Nova Friburgo differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $611 including rent). Nova Friburgo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 24% 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 $161 in Nova Friburgo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,012 per month in Lima versus $611 in Nova Friburgo – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $611 in Nova Friburgo versus $1,012 in Lima, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Nova Friburgo but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Nova Friburgo 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 Nova Friburgo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.