Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Sao Jose dos Campos

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,050 in Sao Jose dos Campos, rent and utilities included – about $650 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Sao Jose dos Campos
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Sao Jose dos Campos Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Sao Jose dos Campos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,050

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Sao Jose dos Campos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Lima versus $1,050 in Sao Jose dos Campos.

Lima $996
Sao Jose dos Campos $1,050

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Lima versus $1,660 in Sao Jose dos Campos.

Lima $1,594
Sao Jose dos Campos $1,660

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Lima versus $2,270 in Sao Jose dos Campos.

Lima $2,191
Sao Jose dos Campos $2,270

Living in Lima costs roughly 5% less than in Sao Jose dos Campos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 26% lower, Sao Jose dos Campos 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.16

$7.08 R$35.33

-37.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 120

$39.82 R$199

-12.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.44

$9.10 R$45.41

-24.84%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.22

$2.30 R$11.46

42.17%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.78

$1.70 R$8.47

-35.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.22

$1.17 R$5.82

-44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.85

$2.87 R$14.35

-10.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.34

$4.35 R$21.71

2.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.46

$1.20 R$5.99

32.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.86

$2.08 R$10.36

24.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.65

$1.19 R$5.96

14.29%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.11

$2.70 R$13.48

9.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.19

$9.14 R$45.61

-0.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.91

$4.45 R$22.21

30.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.68

$10.75 R$53.7

-8.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.89

$2.84 R$14.17

-29.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.69

$1.87 R$9.34

-42.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$1.84 R$9.21

-25.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.06

$1.88 R$9.38

-21.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.30

$1.43 R$7.13

-32.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.92

$1.37 R$6.82

-37.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.02

$0.95 R$4.72

-7.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.97

$0.80 R$3.99

8.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.24

$2.82 R$14.08

109.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.21

$9.00 R$44.91

-2.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.57

$1.73 R$8.66

10.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 10.98

$4.41 R$22.00

-27.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$1.18 R$5.91

-42.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 91.7

$38.37 R$192

-30.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.06

$1.35 R$6.72

182.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.00

$1.42 R$7.08

43.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.49

$9.39 R$46.89

-23.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.65

$1.27 R$6.36

29.92%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

$23.9K R$119.1K

-7.05%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

$33.8K R$168.9K

-24.15%

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

$73.0 PEN 250

$43.80 R$219

66.76%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.7

$14.25 R$71.1

14.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.6

$18.34 R$91.5

50.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 113

$29.98 R$150

10.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 66.8

$34.77 R$174

-43.95%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.33

$7.92 R$39.53

-6.69%

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

$182 PEN 624

$433 R$2,161

-57.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

$7,714 R$38.5K

72.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 180

$56.6 R$283

-7.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 117

$59.8 R$298

-42.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 287

$96.3 R$480

-12.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 271

$84.5 R$422

-6.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,479

$485 R$2,421

49.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,166

$361 R$1,802

-5.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,060

$974 R$4,864

21.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,176

$664 R$3,317

-4.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,394

$2,085 R$10.4K

17.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,702

$1,498 R$7,477

-8.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,237

$813 R$4,059

-19.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

11.12

-19.60%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sao Jose dos Campos: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$361 34.6% 6.1% $21

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$228 21.9% 0.9% $2

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$146 14% 17.7% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$76 7.3% 34.7% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$134 12.8% 19% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$46 4.4% 4.3% $2

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$52 4.9% 18.6% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $723 in Lima and $485 in Sao Jose dos Campos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Jose dos Campos pays 25% 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 $40.00 in Sao Jose dos Campos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $228 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇧🇷 Sao Jose dos Campos

🕒 Local time

03:45 3:45 AM

05:45 5:45 AM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

697,054

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Lima Sao Jose dos Campos 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Sao Jose dos Campos

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 dos Campos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Sao Jose dos Campos differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($996 vs $1,050 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Sao Jose dos Campos. 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 $485 in Sao Jose dos Campos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $433 in Sao Jose dos Campos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Sao Jose dos Campos. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,050 in Sao Jose dos Campos, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Sao Jose dos Campos. 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 5% less than in Sao Jose dos Campos. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.