Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Paulista

For one person, living is cheaper in Paulista: $787 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Paulista
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Paulista Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Paulista

🇧🇷 Brazil

$787

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Paulista

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $787 in Paulista.

Lima $1,012
Paulista $787

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $1,225 in Paulista.

Lima $1,589
Paulista $1,225

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $1,663 in Paulista.

Lima $2,167
Paulista $1,663

Living in Lima is roughly 29% more expensive than in Paulista, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Paulista 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$7.05 R$35.72

-37.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$15.92 R$80.7

120.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$8.24 R$41.79

-16.38%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$1.58 R$8.03

106.33%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$1.07 R$5.43

4.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$0.42 R$2.13

47.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$1.92 R$9.71

38.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$3.54 R$17.94

24.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.02 R$5.16

59.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$1.82 R$9.20

40.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.03 R$5.22

31.07%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$2.17 R$11.02

33.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$2.89 R$14.64

206.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$2.96 R$15.01

102.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$5.69 R$28.86

71.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$2.02 R$10.25

1.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$0.95 R$4.80

11.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$0.92 R$4.64

46.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$1.18 R$5.97

27.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.37 R$6.95

-35.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$0.84 R$4.26

9.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$0.41 R$2.09

117.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.86 R$4.37

4.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$2.27 R$11.52

159.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$3.74 R$18.95

127.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$1.55 R$7.87

21.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$3.29 R$16.70

-2.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$1.04 R$5.28

-34.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

$48.16 R$244

-44.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$1.97 R$9.99

93.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$1.17 R$5.95

72.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$3.25 R$16.46

118.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.09 R$5.51

57.80%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$14.2K R$72.2K

56.66%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$30.0K R$151.9K

-14.91%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$46.71 R$237

56.43%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$23.42 R$119

-30.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$23.62 R$120

16.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$25.85 R$131

23.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

$27.58 R$140

-29.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$5.88 R$29.81

19.90%

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

$182 PEN 627

$69.7 R$353

161.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$6,903 R$35.0K

88.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$18.37 R$93.1

192.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$68.6 R$348

-49.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$50.4 R$256

64.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$59.7 R$303

30.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$354 R$1,796

103.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$237 R$1,201

44.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$688 R$3,485

77.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$464 R$2,353

40.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

$1,798 R$9,115

34.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

$1,346 R$6,824

0.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

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 11, 2026

Last update for Paulista: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Paulista

$237 30.1% 31% $106

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Paulista

$147 18.6% 35.1% $79

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Paulista

$123 15.6% 1% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Paulista

$94 11.9% 19.8% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Paulista

$89 11.3% 20.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Paulista

$38 4.8% 18.3% $8.4

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Paulista

$60 7.7% 38.4% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Lima and $354 in Paulista. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $16.00 in Paulista for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $147 per month, with Paulista cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇧🇷 Paulista

🕒 Local time

11:01 11:01 AM

13:01 1:01 PM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

342,167

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Paulista 4,640 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Paulista

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 Paulista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Paulista differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $787 including rent). Paulista is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,518 in Lima and $1,180 in Paulista 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: $721 in Lima versus $354 in Paulista. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $69.7 in Paulista. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $787 in Paulista versus $1,012 in Lima, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Paulista but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Paulista 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 Paulista gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.