Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Rio de Janeiro

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Lima versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro.

Lima $996
Rio de Janeiro $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Lima versus $1,888 in Rio de Janeiro.

Lima $1,594
Rio de Janeiro $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Lima versus $2,491 in Rio de Janeiro.

Lima $2,191
Rio de Janeiro $2,491

Living in Lima costs roughly 22% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 26% lower, Rio de Janeiro 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.16

$9.98 R$49.83

-55.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 120

$40.34 R$201

-13.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.44

$8.48 R$42.35

-19.34%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.22

$2.36 R$11.80

38.56%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.78

$1.63 R$8.13

-32.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.22

$1.01 R$5.06

-35.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.85

$2.44 R$12.19

5.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.34

$3.69 R$18.43

21.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.46

$1.15 R$5.72

38.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.86

$2.07 R$10.34

24.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.65

$1.29 R$6.42

5.43%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.11

$2.27 R$11.32

29.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.19

$11.00 R$54.9

-17.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.91

$4.31 R$21.51

34.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.68

$9.74 R$48.63

0.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.89

$2.83 R$14.12

-28.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.69

$1.84 R$9.17

-41.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$1.60 R$7.96

-14.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.06

$1.80 R$9.00

-17.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.30

$1.26 R$6.28

-23.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.92

$1.07 R$5.34

-20.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.02

$0.75 R$3.75

17.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.97

$0.66 R$3.29

31.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.24

$3.05 R$15.21

93.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.21

$8.18 R$40.84

7.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.57

$1.19 R$5.92

61.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 10.98

$2.39 R$11.92

33.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$1.01 R$5.06

-32.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 91.7

$50.2 R$250

-46.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.06

$1.27 R$6.33

200.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.00

$0.90 R$4.51

126.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.49

$9.44 R$47.13

-24.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.65

$1.33 R$6.65

24.06%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

$23.4K R$117.0K

-5.36%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

$33.6K R$167.6K

-23.55%

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

$73.0 PEN 250

$134 R$666

-45.29%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.7

$12.23 R$61.0

32.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.6

$22.65 R$113

21.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 113

$31.56 R$158

4.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 66.8

$30.87 R$154

-36.86%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.33

$8.23 R$41.07

-10.21%

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

$182 PEN 624

$603 R$3,011

-69.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

$13.2K R$66.1K

0.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 180

$41.62 R$208

26.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 117

$49.94 R$249

-31.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 287

$75.0 R$375

11.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 271

$68.3 R$341

15.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,479

$905 R$4,519

-20.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,166

$527 R$2,633

-35.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,060

$1,346 R$6,720

-12.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,176

$774 R$3,865

-18.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,394

$3,981 R$19.9K

-38.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,702

$1,562 R$7,798

-12.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,237

$643 R$3,210

1.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

11.93

-25.06%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$527 41% 55.1% $187

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 5.2% $12

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$164 12.7% 32.1% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$168 13.1% 44% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 5.9% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$48 3.7% 0.4% $0.2

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 38% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $723 in Lima and $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 1% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Groceries flip the comparison at $226 vs $215, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

05:10 5:10 AM

07:10 7:10 AM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lima Rio de Janeiro 3,770 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Rio de Janeiro

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 de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($996 vs $1,285 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1% 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: $723 in Lima versus $905 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $603 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Rio de Janeiro pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,285 in Rio de Janeiro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Lima 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 Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.