Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Rio das Ostras

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio das Ostras: $715 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Rio das Ostras
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Rio das Ostras Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Rio das Ostras

🇧🇷 Brazil

$715

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Rio das Ostras

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 Rio das Ostras actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $715 in Rio das Ostras.

Lima $1,012
Rio das Ostras $715

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $1,208 in Rio das Ostras.

Lima $1,589
Rio das Ostras $1,208

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $1,701 in Rio das Ostras.

Lima $2,167
Rio das Ostras $1,701

Living in Lima is roughly 42% more expensive than in Rio das Ostras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Rio das Ostras 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$6.03 R$30.59

-27.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$29.90 R$152

17.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$6.99 R$35.45

-1.43%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$1.80 R$9.10

81.11%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$1.36 R$6.89

-17.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$0.62 R$3.12

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$1.17 R$5.91

126.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$3.10 R$15.70

42.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.02 R$5.19

59.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$1.58 R$8.02

62.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.25 R$6.35

8.00%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$1.94 R$9.86

49.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$7.98 R$40.43

10.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$3.55 R$18.02

68.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$8.67 R$43.97

12.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$1.87 R$9.50

9.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.16 R$5.89

-8.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$0.97 R$4.94

39.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$1.27 R$6.44

18.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$0.65 R$3.31

35.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$0.80 R$4.07

15.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$0.52 R$2.66

71.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.73 R$3.68

23.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$2.16 R$10.93

173.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$8.78 R$44.53

-2.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$2.09 R$10.59

-10.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$1.42 R$7.18

126.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.99 R$5.01

-31.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

$41.72 R$211

-35.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$1.42 R$7.22

168.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$0.78 R$3.97

158.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$7.95 R$40.29

-10.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.18 R$5.99

45.76%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$21.6K R$109.4K

3.42%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$31.4K R$159.2K

-18.81%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$68.8 R$349

6.24%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$10.09 R$51.2

62.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$19.47 R$98.7

41.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$23.99 R$122

32.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

$27.80 R$141

-30.18%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$6.52 R$33.08

8.13%

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

$182 PEN 627

$328 R$1,662

-44.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$7,823 R$39.7K

66.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$55.5 R$281

-3.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$28.36 R$144

21.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$67.9 R$344

22.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$48.75 R$247

60.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$204 R$1,036

252.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$149 R$757

130.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$540 R$2,738

125.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$413 R$2,095

57.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

$1,714 R$8,689

40.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

$1,192 R$6,043

13.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

$556 R$2,817

16.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

-10.60%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rio das Ostras: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Rio das Ostras

$149 20.9% 56.5% $194

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Rio das Ostras

$178 25% 21% $48

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Rio das Ostras

$111 15.5% 10.7% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Rio das Ostras

$98 13.8% 15.9% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Rio das Ostras

$90 12.6% 19.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Rio das Ostras

$37 5.2% 19.5% $9

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Rio das Ostras

$51 7.1% 17.3% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Lima and $204 in Rio das Ostras. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 17% 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 Rio das Ostras for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $178 per month, with Rio das Ostras cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇧🇷 Rio das Ostras

🕒 Local time

04:59 4:59 AM

06:59 6:59 AM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

156,491

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Rio das Ostras 3,890 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Rio das Ostras

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 Rio das Ostras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Rio das Ostras differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $715 including rent). Rio das Ostras is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 17% 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 $204 in Rio das Ostras. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $328 in Rio das Ostras. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $715 in Rio das Ostras versus $1,012 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rio das Ostras but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Rio das Ostras 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 Rio das Ostras gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.