Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Sao Luis

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Luis: $834 a month against $996 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Sao Luis
Learn more

Sao Luis Living Index

Jump to prices

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Sao Luis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Lima versus $834 in Sao Luis.

Lima $996
Sao Luis $834

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Lima versus $1,310 in Sao Luis.

Lima $1,594
Sao Luis $1,310

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Lima versus $1,786 in Sao Luis.

Lima $2,191
Sao Luis $1,786

Living in Lima is roughly 19% more expensive than in Sao Luis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 26% lower, Sao Luis 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.16

$6.60 R$32.93

-33.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 120

$39.74 R$198

-11.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.44

$6.82 R$34.03

0.29%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.22

$2.15 R$10.71

52.09%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.78

$1.27 R$6.33

-13.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.22

$0.73 R$3.65

-10.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.85

$1.96 R$9.77

31.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.34

$2.44 R$12.16

83.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.46

$1.11 R$5.52

43.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.86

$1.93 R$9.64

33.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.65

$1.11 R$5.54

22.52%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.11

$2.27 R$11.31

29.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.19

$10.14 R$50.6

-10.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.91

$4.28 R$21.36

35.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.68

$7.64 R$38.12

28.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.89

$2.11 R$10.55

-4.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.69

$1.39 R$6.95

-22.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$1.22 R$6.09

12.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.06

$1.73 R$8.64

-14.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.30

$1.33 R$6.64

-27.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.92

$1.34 R$6.67

-36.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.02

$0.90 R$4.47

-2.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.97

$0.73 R$3.62

19.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.24

$2.44 R$12.17

141.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.21

$8.21 R$41.00

7.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.57

$1.27 R$6.36

51.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 10.98

$2.32 R$11.60

37.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.85 R$4.27

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 91.7

$38.52 R$192

-30.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.06

$1.03 R$5.12

269.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.00

$0.94 R$4.70

117.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.49

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.65

$1.21 R$6.05

36.36%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

$24.2K R$120.6K

-8.22%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

$30.4K R$151.5K

-15.46%

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

$73.0 PEN 250

$97.5 R$487

-25.06%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.7

$18.02 R$90.0

-9.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.6

$21.42 R$107

28.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 113

$20.11 R$100

64.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 66.8

$15.27 R$76.2

27.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.33

$6.84 R$34.14

8.04%

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

$182 PEN 624

$183 R$915

-0.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

$2,911 R$14.5K

357.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 180

$64.7 R$323

-18.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 117

$54.6 R$273

-37.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 287

$75.1 R$375

11.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 271

$59.0 R$294

34.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,479

$363 R$1,812

99.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,166

$187 R$935

81.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,060

$580 R$2,893

104.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,176

$330 R$1,648

92.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,394

$1,575 R$7,864

55.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,702

$721 R$3,598

90.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,237

$386 R$1,929

68.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sao Luis: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

Sao Luis

$187 22.3% 44.9% $153

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

Sao Luis

$197 23.6% 12.8% $29

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Sao Luis

$122 14.5% 1.9% $2.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Sao Luis

$137 16.3% 17.1% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Sao Luis

$114 13.6% 1.5% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

Sao Luis

$34 4% 29.4% $14

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Sao Luis

$48 5.7% 9.6% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $723 in Lima and $363 in Sao Luis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 69% 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 Luis. Groceries flip the comparison at $226 vs $197, with Sao Luis cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇧🇷 Sao Luis

🕒 Local time

05:05 5:05 AM

07:05 7:05 AM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

1,037,775

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Sao Luis 3,760 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Sao Luis

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 Luis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Sao Luis differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($996 vs $834 including rent). Sao Luis is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 69% 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 $363 in Sao Luis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $183 in Sao Luis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $834 in Sao Luis versus $996 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sao Luis but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Luis 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 Luis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.