Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP: $834 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Lima
🇵🇪 Peru
$1,012
/mo nomad
Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP
🇧🇷 Brazil
$834
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP

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 Jose do Rio Preto SP actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $834 in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP.

  • Lima $1,012
  • Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP $834

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $1,291 in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP.

  • Lima $1,589
  • Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP $1,291

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $1,748 in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP.

  • Lima $2,167
  • Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP $1,748

Living in Lima is roughly 21% more expensive than in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP 38% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lima
Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.40 PEN 15.10
$4.48 R$22.69
-1.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.17 PEN 121
$27.08 R$137
29.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.89 PEN 23.65
$9.20 R$46.62
-25.11%
Cappuccino
$3.26 PEN 11.20
$2.38 R$12.08
36.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 PEN 3.84
$1.27 R$6.46
-11.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.62 PEN 2.11
$0.75 R$3.78
-17.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 PEN 9.09
$2.05 R$10.41
29.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.41 PEN 15.15
$3.55 R$18.01
24.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lima
Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.63 PEN 5.61
$0.94 R$4.76
73.40%
White Bread (500g)
$2.56 PEN 8.78
$1.77 R$8.99
44.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.35 PEN 4.65
$1.22 R$6.18
10.66%
Eggs
$2.90 PEN 9.96
$2.14 R$10.84
35.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.85 PEN 30.38
$6.83 R$34.64
29.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.98 PEN 20.52
$4.17 R$21.13
43.41%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.78 PEN 33.59
$6.77 R$34.32
44.46%
Apples (1kg)
$2.05 PEN 7.02
$2.42 R$12.25
-15.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.06 PEN 3.66
$1.11 R$5.61
-4.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.35 PEN 4.64
$0.79 R$4.00
70.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 PEN 5.15
$1.39 R$7.05
7.91%
Potato (1kg)
$0.88 PEN 3.03
$1.30 R$6.60
-32.31%
Onion (1kg)
$0.92 PEN 3.15
$1.21 R$6.11
-23.97%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.89 PEN 3.07
$0.99 R$5.01
-10.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.90 PEN 3.10
$0.63 R$3.18
42.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.90 PEN 20.27
$2.02 R$10.22
192.08%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.52 PEN 29.26
$7.09 R$35.93
20.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.88 PEN 6.45
$1.13 R$5.73
66.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.22 PEN 11.05
$2.36 R$11.96
36.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Lima
Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.68 PEN 2.33
$1.08 R$5.50
-37.04%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.86 PEN 92.2
$30.12 R$153
-10.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.81 PEN 13.09
$0.57 R$2.89
568.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.02 PEN 6.93
$0.74 R$3.75
172.97%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.11 PEN 24.41
$6.93 R$35.12
2.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.72 PEN 5.91
$1.20 R$6.10
43.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.3K PEN 76.6K
$23.7K R$120.0K
-5.74%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.5K PEN 87.6K
$31.8K R$161.0K
-19.71%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lima
Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$73.1 PEN 251
$64.9 R$329
12.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.35 PEN 56.2
$13.65 R$69.2
19.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.47 PEN 94.3
$18.80 R$95.3
46.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lima
Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.90 PEN 110
$22.45 R$114
42.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.41 PEN 66.7
$19.71 R$99.9
-1.52%
Cinema Ticket
$7.05 PEN 24.23
$3.90 R$19.79
80.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lima
Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$182 PEN 627
$276 R$1,400
-33.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.0K PEN 44.8K
$8,019 R$40.7K
62.61%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lima
Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.8 PEN 185
$64.7 R$328
-16.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.32 PEN 118
$57.5 R$291
-40.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82.8 PEN 284
$90.8 R$460
-8.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.2 PEN 269
$45.32 R$230
72.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lima
Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$721 PEN 2,476
$435 R$2,204
65.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$343 PEN 1,179
$261 R$1,322
31.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,219 PEN 4,186
$615 R$3,115
98.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$651 PEN 2,235
$459 R$2,324
41.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,414 PEN 8,292
$2,234 R$11.3K
8.08%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,357 PEN 4,660
$843 R$4,273
60.98%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lima
Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$648 PEN 2,226
$532 R$2,699
21.72%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.94
8.23
8.63%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lima
$343
Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP
$261 24% $83
Groceries & Markets
Lima
$226
Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP
$173 23.3% $53
Eating Out
Lima
$124
Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP
$117 5.3% $6.5
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lima
$117
Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP
$97 16.7% $20
Clothing & Footwear
Lima
$112
Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP
$116 3.7% $4.1
Sport & Entertainment
Lima
$46
Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP
$30 34.2% $16
Getting Around
Lima
$43
Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP
$39 10.9% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Lima and $435 in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 22% 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 $27.00 in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $173 per month, with Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇪 Lima
🇧🇷 Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP
🕒 Local time
22:23 10:23 PM
00:23 12:23 AM
2 h ahead of Lima
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,989,369 Capital
480,393
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lima Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP 3,100 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lima
  • Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP

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 Jose do Rio Preto SP: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lima and in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP?
Lima and Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $834 including rent). Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Lima or Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP?
Average pay runs 22% higher in Lima, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Lima and in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP?
Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Lima versus $435 in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Lima and Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP?
Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $276 in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $834 in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP versus $1,012 in Lima, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lima and Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP?
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.
Where should expats move: Lima or Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP?
Expats usually find Sao Jose do Rio Preto SP gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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