Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Serra

For one person, living is cheaper in Serra: $889 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Serra
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Serra Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Serra

🇧🇷 Brazil

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Serra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $889 in Serra.

Lima $1,012
Serra $889

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $1,317 in Serra.

Lima $1,589
Serra $1,317

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $1,744 in Serra.

Lima $2,167
Serra $1,744

Living in Lima is roughly 14% more expensive than in Serra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$4.77 R$24.16

-7.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$22.99 R$117

52.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$8.20 R$41.58

-15.98%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$2.09 R$10.57

55.98%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$1.34 R$6.77

-16.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$0.62 R$3.15

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$1.95 R$9.88

35.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$3.06 R$15.53

44.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.13 R$5.70

44.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$1.80 R$9.13

42.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.17 R$5.95

15.38%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$2.14 R$10.87

35.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$10.49 R$53.2

-15.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$4.58 R$23.22

30.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$8.54 R$43.27

14.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$2.87 R$14.53

-28.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.53 R$7.74

-30.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$1.83 R$9.28

-26.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$1.62 R$8.20

-7.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.18 R$5.96

-25.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$1.11 R$5.65

-17.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.34 R$6.78

-33.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$1.39 R$7.03

-35.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$2.49 R$12.62

136.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$5.64 R$28.59

51.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$0.98 R$4.98

91.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$3.27 R$16.59

-1.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.97 R$4.93

-29.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

$47.18 R$239

-43.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$1.31 R$6.66

190.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$1.13 R$5.72

78.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$6.89 R$34.95

3.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.08 R$5.49

59.26%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$23.5K R$119.2K

-5.12%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$33.8K R$171.1K

-24.45%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$158 R$803

-53.87%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$12.30 R$62.4

32.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$21.05 R$107

30.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$25.83 R$131

23.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

$27.87 R$141

-30.36%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$7.49 R$37.95

-5.87%

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

$182 PEN 627

$188 R$955

-3.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$6,726 R$34.1K

93.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$55.0 R$279

-2.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$51.1 R$259

-32.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$91.1 R$462

-9.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$74.3 R$377

5.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$251 R$1,271

187.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$153 R$774

124.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$446 R$2,261

173.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$220 R$1,117

195.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

$970 R$4,917

148.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

$563 R$2,852

141.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

$559 R$2,833

15.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

-18.73%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Serra: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Serra

$153 17.2% 55.5% $191

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Serra

$212 23.8% 6.2% $14

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Serra

$111 12.5% 10.1% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Serra

$192 21.6% 64.1% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Serra

$122 13.8% 9% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Serra

$41 4.6% 11.3% $5.2

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Serra

$58 6.5% 33.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Lima and $251 in Serra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 16% 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 $23.00 in Serra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $212 per month, with Serra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇧🇷 Serra

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

04:03 4:03 AM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

520,653

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Serra 4,020 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Serra

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 Serra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Serra differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $889 including rent). Serra is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 16% 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 $251 in Serra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $188 in Serra. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $889 in Serra versus $1,012 in Lima, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Serra but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Serra 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 Serra 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.