Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Sao Vicente

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Vicente: $888 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lima outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Sao Vicente
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Sao Vicente Living Index

Jump to prices

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Sao Vicente

🇧🇷 Brazil

$888

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $888 in Sao Vicente.

Lima $1,012
Sao Vicente $888

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $1,469 in Sao Vicente.

Lima $1,589
Sao Vicente $1,469

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $2,050 in Sao Vicente.

Lima $2,167
Sao Vicente $2,050

Living in Lima is roughly 14% more expensive than in Sao Vicente, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Sao Vicente 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.08

$7.86 R$39.52

-44.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$35.59 R$179

-1.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.61

$7.20 R$36.17

-4.31%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.18

$2.28 R$11.48

42.98%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.83

$1.33 R$6.67

-15.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$0.88 R$4.44

-29.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.08

$2.38 R$11.96

11.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.12

$2.96 R$14.88

48.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.60

$1.09 R$5.49

49.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.76

$2.03 R$10.19

26.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$1.39 R$6.99

-2.88%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.94

$2.51 R$12.61

15.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.32

$12.22 R$61.4

-27.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.48

$4.94 R$24.84

21.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.53

$9.77 R$49.12

0.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.01

$2.15 R$10.79

-4.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.65

$1.30 R$6.56

-18.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.63

$1.60 R$8.06

-15.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.14

$1.51 R$7.59

-0.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.02

$1.32 R$6.64

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$1.34 R$6.74

-31.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.06

$0.91 R$4.60

-2.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.95 R$4.79

-5.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.24

$2.37 R$11.92

148.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.21

$8.05 R$40.46

5.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.44

$1.55 R$7.80

21.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.03

$2.58 R$12.96

24.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$1.06 R$5.34

-35.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.1

$44.30 R$223

-39.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.07

$1.19 R$5.98

220.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.92

$0.78 R$3.92

158.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.37

$14.31 R$71.9

-50.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.89

$1.35 R$6.76

27.41%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.5K

$24.3K R$121.9K

-8.02%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.4K

$33.1K R$166.3K

-22.89%

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

$73.1 PEN 250

$67.3 R$338

8.65%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.1

$14.88 R$74.8

9.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.2

$23.01 R$116

19.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 109

$19.90 R$100

60.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.6

$25.61 R$129

-24.21%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.18

$7.97 R$40.05

-11.54%

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

$182 PEN 626

$279 R$1,401

-34.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.7K

$10.3K R$51.6K

27.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 184

$56.0 R$281

-3.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$37.00 R$186

-7.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$89.0 R$447

-6.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 268

$62.8 R$316

24.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,472

$277 R$1,393

160.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,177

$224 R$1,124

53.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,178

$863 R$4,339

41.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,231

$517 R$2,597

25.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,277

$1,720 R$8,647

40.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,652

$1,212 R$6,093

11.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,222

$402 R$2,022

61.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

11.21

-20.25%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sao Vicente: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Sao Vicente

$224 25.2% 34.9% $120

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Sao Vicente

$221 24.9% 2.3% $5.2

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Sao Vicente

$139 15.6% 11.7% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Sao Vicente

$105 11.8% 10.1% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Sao Vicente

$110 12.4% 1.8% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Sao Vicente

$36 4% 22.1% $10

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Sao Vicente

$54 6% 23.4% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Lima and $277 in Sao Vicente. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 61% 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 $36.00 in Sao Vicente. Groceries flip the comparison at $226 vs $221, with Sao Vicente cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇧🇷 Sao Vicente

🕒 Local time

15:08 3:08 PM

17:08 5:08 PM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

329,911

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 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 14, 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.03 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.63 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lima Sao Vicente 3,490 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Sao Vicente

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 Vicente: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Sao Vicente differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $888 including rent). Sao Vicente is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 61% 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 $277 in Sao Vicente. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $279 in Sao Vicente. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $888 in Sao Vicente versus $1,012 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sao Vicente but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Vicente 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 Vicente gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.