Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Sao Bernardo do Campo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Bernardo do Campo: $864 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Sao Bernardo do Campo
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Sao Bernardo do Campo Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Sao Bernardo do Campo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$864

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Sao Bernardo do Campo

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 Sao Bernardo do Campo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $864 in Sao Bernardo do Campo.

Lima $1,012
Sao Bernardo do Campo $864

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $1,353 in Sao Bernardo do Campo.

Lima $1,589
Sao Bernardo do Campo $1,353

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $1,841 in Sao Bernardo do Campo.

Lima $2,167
Sao Bernardo do Campo $1,841

Living in Lima is roughly 17% more expensive than in Sao Bernardo do Campo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Sao Bernardo do Campo 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$7.15 R$36.26

-38.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$29.48 R$149

19.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$9.18 R$46.52

-24.95%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$1.83 R$9.27

78.14%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$1.29 R$6.54

-13.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$0.73 R$3.68

-15.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$2.43 R$12.31

9.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$3.91 R$19.81

12.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.02 R$5.18

59.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$1.92 R$9.74

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.38 R$6.98

-2.17%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$2.01 R$10.21

44.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$10.85 R$55.0

-18.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$4.60 R$23.30

30.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$10.53 R$53.4

-7.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$2.37 R$12.04

-13.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.64 R$8.30

-35.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$1.38 R$6.99

-2.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$1.35 R$6.86

11.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.28 R$6.47

-31.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$0.98 R$4.99

-6.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$0.92 R$4.67

-3.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.88 R$4.44

2.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$2.23 R$11.29

164.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$6.69 R$33.90

27.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$1.31 R$6.62

43.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$2.57 R$13.05

25.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$1.12 R$5.70

-39.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$1.18 R$5.96

222.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$0.61 R$3.12

231.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$3.09 R$15.67

130.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.19 R$6.02

44.54%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$24.2K R$122.6K

-7.78%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$32.3K R$163.6K

-20.95%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$67.5 R$342

8.28%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$14.78 R$74.9

10.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$20.70 R$105

32.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$24.62 R$125

29.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

$33.67 R$171

-42.35%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$7.01 R$35.56

0.57%

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

$182 PEN 627

$339 R$1,717

-46.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$6,468 R$32.8K

101.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$38.86 R$197

38.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$48.51 R$246

-29.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$91.3 R$463

-9.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$77.3 R$392

1.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$338 R$1,715

113.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$255 R$1,292

34.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$1,001 R$5,074

21.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$440 R$2,229

47.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

$1,610 R$8,163

49.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

$1,098 R$5,565

23.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

$397 R$2,014

63.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

10.81

-17.30%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sao Bernardo do Campo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Sao Bernardo do Campo

$255 29.5% 25.8% $89

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Sao Bernardo do Campo

$209 24.2% 7.4% $17

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Sao Bernardo do Campo

$135 15.6% 8.7% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Sao Bernardo do Campo

$103 11.9% 11.9% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Sao Bernardo do Campo

$115 13.3% 2.7% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Sao Bernardo do Campo

$39 4.5% 16% $7.4

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Sao Bernardo do Campo

$8.8 * 1% 79.9% $35

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Lima and $338 in Sao Bernardo do Campo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 63% 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 $29.00 in Sao Bernardo do Campo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $209 per month, with Sao Bernardo do Campo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇧🇷 Sao Bernardo do Campo

🕒 Local time

20:24 8:24 PM

22:24 10:24 PM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

810,729

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Sao Bernardo do Campo 3,470 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Sao Bernardo do Campo

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 Sao Bernardo do Campo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Sao Bernardo do Campo differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $864 including rent). Sao Bernardo do Campo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 63% 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 $338 in Sao Bernardo do Campo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,012 per month in Lima versus $864 in Sao Bernardo do Campo – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $864 in Sao Bernardo do Campo versus $1,012 in Lima, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sao Bernardo do Campo but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Bernardo do Campo 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 Sao Bernardo do Campo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.