Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Sao Carlos

For one person, living costs are similar in Lima and in Sao Carlos: $996 and $1,003 a month, rent and utilities included.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Sao Carlos
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Sao Carlos Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Sao Carlos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Sao Carlos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Lima versus $1,003 in Sao Carlos.

Lima $996
Sao Carlos $1,003

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Lima versus $1,742 in Sao Carlos.

Lima $1,594
Sao Carlos $1,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Lima versus $2,480 in Sao Carlos.

Lima $2,191
Sao Carlos $2,480

Living in Lima costs roughly 1% less than in Sao Carlos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 26% lower, Sao Carlos 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.16

$5.15 R$25.69

-14.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 120

$40.83 R$204

-14.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.44

$7.16 R$35.74

-4.47%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.22

$2.09 R$10.42

56.46%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.78

$1.35 R$6.74

-18.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.22

$0.75 R$3.75

-13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.85

$1.63 R$8.14

58.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.34

$2.74 R$13.70

63.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.46

$1.37 R$6.81

16.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.86

$1.97 R$9.83

30.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.65

$1.87 R$9.32

-27.27%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.11

$2.88 R$14.36

2.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.19

$12.62 R$63.0

-27.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.91

$5.42 R$27.04

7.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.68

$9.53 R$47.59

3.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.89

$2.68 R$13.40

-25.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.69

$1.90 R$9.50

-43.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$1.81 R$9.04

-24.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.06

$1.91 R$9.55

-22.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.30

$1.67 R$8.34

-42.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.92

$1.43 R$7.14

-40.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.02

$0.98 R$4.87

-10.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.97

$1.16 R$5.80

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.24

$3.15 R$15.74

87.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.21

$8.61 R$42.96

2.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.57

$1.47 R$7.32

30.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 10.98

$2.95 R$14.75

8.47%

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

$23.73 R$118

12.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.06

$1.49 R$7.42

155.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.00

$0.97 R$4.86

110.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.49

$3.64 R$18.16

96.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.65

$1.22 R$6.08

35.25%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

$20.4K R$101.9K

8.68%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

$31.9K R$159.2K

-19.52%

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

$73.0 PEN 250

$63.2 R$316

15.55%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.7

$13.95 R$69.7

16.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.6

$24.86 R$124

11.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 113

$34.12 R$170

-3.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 66.8

$48.34 R$241

-59.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.33

$5.42 R$27.07

36.35%

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

$182 PEN 624

$297 R$1,481

-38.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

$2,987 R$14.9K

346.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 180

$84.3 R$421

-37.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 117

$97.3 R$486

-64.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 287

$139 R$693

-39.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 271

$164 R$819

-51.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,479

$268 R$1,336

170.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,166

$235 R$1,172

44.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,060

$671 R$3,349

76.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,176

$661 R$3,300

-4.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,394

$849 R$4,237

188.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,702

$750 R$3,744

82.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,237

$693 R$3,460

-5.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

10.75

-16.84%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sao Carlos: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

Sao Carlos

$235 23.8% 31% $105

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

Sao Carlos

$244 24.7% 7.7% $17

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Sao Carlos

$110 11.1% 11.5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Sao Carlos

$102 10.3% 12.7% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Sao Carlos

$218 22.1% 94.1% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

Sao Carlos

$45 4.6% 6% $2.9

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Sao Carlos

$34 3.5% 21.5% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $723 in Lima and $268 in Sao Carlos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Carlos pays 6% 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 $41.00 in Sao Carlos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $244 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇧🇷 Sao Carlos

🕒 Local time

04:07 4:07 AM

06:07 6:07 AM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

254,857

💱 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 = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Sao Carlos 3,280 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Sao Carlos

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 Carlos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Sao Carlos differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($996 vs $1,003 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Sao Carlos. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $723 in Lima versus $268 in Sao Carlos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $297 in Sao Carlos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $996 in Lima versus $1,003 in Sao Carlos, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Sao Carlos. 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 1% less than in Sao Carlos. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.