Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Palmas

For one person, living is cheaper in Palmas: $834 a month against $1,014 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Palmas
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Palmas Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,014

/mo nomad

Palmas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Palmas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,014 in Lima versus $834 in Palmas.

Lima $1,014
Palmas $834

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,613 in Lima versus $1,292 in Palmas.

Lima $1,613
Palmas $1,292

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,211 in Lima versus $1,751 in Palmas.

Lima $2,211
Palmas $1,751

Living in Lima is roughly 22% more expensive than in Palmas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Palmas 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.19

$3.96 R$20.06

11.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.56 PEN 119

$20.09 R$102

72.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.80 PEN 23.37

$8.07 R$40.93

-15.74%

Cappuccino

$3.30 PEN 11.34

$1.43 R$7.27

130.77%

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

$1.06 PEN 3.64

$1.82 R$9.21

-41.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 PEN 2.26

$1.12 R$5.69

-41.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 PEN 8.71

$1.42 R$7.22

78.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 PEN 14.55

$3.10 R$15.70

36.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.43

$1.08 R$5.47

46.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 PEN 8.97

$1.47 R$7.45

77.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 PEN 4.60

$1.24 R$6.28

8.06%

Eggs

$2.93 PEN 10.08

$2.67 R$13.52

9.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.45 PEN 32.45

$7.12 R$36.11

32.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.75 PEN 19.75

$3.12 R$15.80

84.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 PEN 33.29

$6.31 R$31.98

53.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 PEN 6.95

$2.17 R$10.98

-6.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 PEN 3.66

$1.75 R$8.85

-38.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$1.23 R$6.25

11.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 PEN 5.05

$1.22 R$6.21

20.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 PEN 3.25

$1.27 R$6.42

-25.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 PEN 3.14

$1.07 R$5.43

-14.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.77 R$3.91

16.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 PEN 3.04

$0.77 R$3.91

15.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 PEN 19.71

$2.46 R$12.48

133.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.21 PEN 31.64

$7.16 R$36.30

28.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 PEN 6.31

$1.32 R$6.71

39.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 PEN 10.67

$2.10 R$10.66

48.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 PEN 2.46

$0.73 R$3.72

-1.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.03 PEN 89.4

$43.43 R$220

-40.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 PEN 12.17

$1.32 R$6.71

168.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 PEN 7.12

$0.84 R$4.28

146.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.75 PEN 26.62

$7.84 R$39.74

-1.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 PEN 5.86

$1.20 R$6.08

42.50%

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

$21.6K PEN 74.1K

$23.9K R$121.4K

-9.82%

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

$28.6K PEN 98.2K

$33.0K R$167.3K

-13.40%

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

$68.2 PEN 234

$115 R$581

-40.58%

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

$15.73 PEN 54.0

$11.64 R$59.0

35.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.48 PEN 90.9

$19.99 R$101

32.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.94 PEN 117

$23.48 R$119

44.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.10 PEN 69.0

$27.34 R$139

-26.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.22 PEN 24.80

$6.58 R$33.36

9.73%

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

$201 PEN 689

$155 R$785

29.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

$7,304 R$37.0K

76.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 PEN 184

$36.91 R$187

45.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.88 PEN 123

$50.5 R$256

-28.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 288

$115 R$583

-27.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.8 PEN 271

$72.5 R$368

8.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 PEN 2,505

$299 R$1,514

144.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 PEN 1,197

$204 R$1,035

70.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 PEN 4,073

$624 R$3,162

90.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 PEN 2,391

$427 R$2,165

63.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,360 PEN 8,105

$1,718 R$8,707

37.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,356 PEN 4,657

$1,207 R$6,116

12.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 PEN 2,278

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

-20.18%

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

Last update for Lima: October 17, 2026

Last update for Palmas: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$349 34.4%

Palmas

$204 24.5% 41.5% $145

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$227 22.4%

Palmas

$173 20.7% 24% $54

Eating Out

Lima

$123 12.2%

Palmas

$98 11.8% 20.5% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$113 11.2%

Palmas

$124 14.8% 9% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$110 10.9%

Palmas

$146 17.6% 32.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.8%

Palmas

$37 4.4% 24.3% $12

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.2%

Palmas

$52 6.2% 21.3% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Lima and $299 in Palmas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $20.00 in Palmas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $227 vs $173 per month, with Palmas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇧🇷 Palmas

🕒 Local time

16:35 4:35 PM

18:35 6:35 PM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

302,692

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Lima Palmas 3,140 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Palmas

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 Palmas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Palmas differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($1,014 vs $834 including rent). Palmas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,522 in Lima and $1,250 in Palmas 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 $299 in Palmas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Lima versus $155 in Palmas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $834 in Palmas versus $1,014 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Palmas but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Palmas 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 Palmas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.