Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Nova Iguacu

For one person, living is cheaper in Nova Iguacu: $736 a month against $1,014 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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 Nova Iguacu
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Nova Iguacu Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,014

/mo nomad

Nova Iguacu

🇧🇷 Brazil

$736

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,014 in Lima versus $736 in Nova Iguacu.

Lima $1,014
Nova Iguacu $736

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,613 in Lima versus $1,212 in Nova Iguacu.

Lima $1,613
Nova Iguacu $1,212

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,211 in Lima versus $1,687 in Nova Iguacu.

Lima $2,211
Nova Iguacu $1,687

Living in Lima is roughly 38% more expensive than in Nova Iguacu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Nova Iguacu 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.19

$3.54 R$17.92

24.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.56 PEN 119

$30.13 R$153

14.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.80 PEN 23.37

$7.87 R$39.92

-13.60%

Cappuccino

$3.30 PEN 11.34

$1.89 R$9.59

74.60%

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

$1.06 PEN 3.64

$1.20 R$6.11

-11.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 PEN 2.26

$0.58 R$2.94

13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 PEN 8.71

$1.68 R$8.50

51.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 PEN 14.55

$1.61 R$8.15

163.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.43

$1.23 R$6.25

28.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 PEN 8.97

$1.62 R$8.19

61.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 PEN 4.60

$1.13 R$5.71

18.58%

Eggs

$2.93 PEN 10.08

$1.97 R$9.96

48.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.45 PEN 32.45

$8.24 R$41.75

14.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.75 PEN 19.75

$2.82 R$14.31

103.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 PEN 33.29

$7.08 R$35.90

36.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 PEN 6.95

$1.37 R$6.95

47.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 PEN 3.66

$1.41 R$7.15

-24.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$0.95 R$4.82

44.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 PEN 5.05

$1.74 R$8.84

-15.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 PEN 3.25

$1.02 R$5.19

-6.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 PEN 3.14

$1.03 R$5.22

-11.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.41 R$2.08

119.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 PEN 3.04

$0.42 R$2.13

111.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 PEN 19.71

$1.82 R$9.25

215.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.21 PEN 31.64

$5.80 R$29.41

58.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 PEN 6.31

$0.97 R$4.92

89.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 PEN 10.67

$1.37 R$6.94

127.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 PEN 2.46

$1.48 R$7.51

-51.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.03 PEN 89.4

$50.1 R$254

-48.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 PEN 12.17

$1.33 R$6.77

166.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 PEN 7.12

$1.38 R$6.98

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.75 PEN 26.62

$9.26 R$46.94

-16.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 PEN 5.86

$1.18 R$5.96

44.92%

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

$21.6K PEN 74.1K

$23.8K R$120.8K

-9.42%

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

$28.6K PEN 98.2K

$34.0K R$172.1K

-15.83%

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

$68.2 PEN 234

$42.49 R$215

60.39%

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

$15.73 PEN 54.0

$11.82 R$59.9

33.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.48 PEN 90.9

$17.90 R$90.7

47.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.94 PEN 117

$23.75 R$120

42.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.10 PEN 69.0

$39.25 R$199

-48.79%

Cinema Ticket

$7.22 PEN 24.80

$6.08 R$30.80

18.75%

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

$201 PEN 689

$73.3 R$371

173.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

$1,935 R$9,808

566.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 PEN 184

$54.2 R$275

-0.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.88 PEN 123

$37.22 R$189

-3.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 288

$65.2 R$331

28.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.8 PEN 271

$58.4 R$296

35.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 PEN 2,505

$321 R$1,627

127.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 PEN 1,197

$214 R$1,086

62.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 PEN 4,073

$654 R$3,318

81.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 PEN 2,391

$444 R$2,250

56.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,360 PEN 8,105

$972 R$4,926

142.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,356 PEN 4,657

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 PEN 2,278

$244 R$1,238

171.60%

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 Nova Iguacu: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$349 34.4%

Nova Iguacu

$214 29.1% 38.5% $134

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$227 22.4%

Nova Iguacu

$160 21.7% 29.7% $67

Eating Out

Lima

$123 12.2%

Nova Iguacu

$93 12.7% 24.4% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$113 11.2%

Nova Iguacu

$97 13.1% 14.7% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$110 10.9%

Nova Iguacu

$72 9.8% 34.6% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.8%

Nova Iguacu

$36 4.9% 25.8% $12

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.2%

Nova Iguacu

$64 8.7% 50% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Lima and $321 in Nova Iguacu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 172% 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 Iguacu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $227 vs $160 per month, with Nova Iguacu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇧🇷 Nova Iguacu

🕒 Local time

08:09 8:09 AM

10:09 10:09 AM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

785,867

💱 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

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Between locations

Lima Nova Iguacu 3,750 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Nova Iguacu

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 Iguacu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Nova Iguacu differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($1,014 vs $736 including rent). Nova Iguacu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 172% 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: $729 in Lima versus $321 in Nova Iguacu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Lima versus $73.3 in Nova Iguacu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $736 in Nova Iguacu versus $1,014 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nova Iguacu but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Nova Iguacu 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 Iguacu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.