Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Trancoso

For one person, living is cheaper in Trancoso: $774 a month against $1,014 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lima
🇵🇪 Peru
$1,014
/mo nomad
Trancoso
🇧🇷 Brazil
$774
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Trancoso

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,014 in Lima versus $774 in Trancoso.

  • Lima $1,014
  • Trancoso $774

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,613 in Lima versus $1,238 in Trancoso.

  • Lima $1,613
  • Trancoso $1,238

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,211 in Lima versus $1,702 in Trancoso.

  • Lima $2,211
  • Trancoso $1,702

Living in Lima is roughly 31% more expensive than in Trancoso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Trancoso 43% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lima
Trancoso
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.42 PEN 15.19
$5.41 R$27.43
-18.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.56 PEN 119
$28.04 R$142
23.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.80 PEN 23.37
$6.24 R$31.65
8.97%
Cappuccino
$3.30 PEN 11.34
$1.81 R$9.16
82.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.06 PEN 3.64
$1.13 R$5.70
-6.19%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.66 PEN 2.26
$0.65 R$3.28
1.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.54 PEN 8.71
$1.75 R$8.89
45.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.24 PEN 14.55
$2.66 R$13.48
59.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lima
Trancoso
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.58 PEN 5.43
$0.95 R$4.81
66.32%
White Bread (500g)
$2.61 PEN 8.97
$1.44 R$7.32
81.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.34 PEN 4.60
$1.13 R$5.71
18.58%
Eggs
$2.93 PEN 10.08
$1.99 R$10.10
47.24%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.45 PEN 32.45
$8.17 R$41.42
15.67%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.75 PEN 19.75
$3.67 R$18.62
56.68%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.69 PEN 33.29
$7.51 R$38.09
29.03%
Apples (1kg)
$2.02 PEN 6.95
$2.11 R$10.71
-4.27%
Banana (1kg)
$1.07 PEN 3.66
$1.30 R$6.58
-17.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.37 PEN 4.70
$1.14 R$5.77
20.18%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.47 PEN 5.05
$1.50 R$7.61
-2.00%
Potato (1kg)
$0.95 PEN 3.25
$1.15 R$5.85
-17.39%
Onion (1kg)
$0.91 PEN 3.14
$1.10 R$5.56
-17.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.90 PEN 3.10
$0.71 R$3.60
26.76%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 PEN 3.04
$0.62 R$3.12
43.55%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.74 PEN 19.71
$2.08 R$10.57
175.96%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.21 PEN 31.64
$7.55 R$38.27
21.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.84 PEN 6.31
$1.18 R$6.00
55.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.11 PEN 10.67
$2.13 R$10.79
46.01%
🚌 Getting Around
Lima
Trancoso
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.72 PEN 2.46
$0.94 R$4.77
-23.40%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.03 PEN 89.4
$38.08 R$193
-31.64%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.54 PEN 12.17
$1.06 R$5.39
233.96%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.07 PEN 7.12
$0.75 R$3.81
176.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.75 PEN 26.62
$6.45 R$32.70
20.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.71 PEN 5.86
$1.05 R$5.30
62.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K PEN 74.1K
$20.2K R$102.6K
6.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.6K PEN 98.2K
$27.8K R$141.1K
2.71%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lima
Trancoso
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$68.2 PEN 234
$60.4 R$306
12.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.73 PEN 54.0
$13.40 R$68.0
17.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$26.48 PEN 90.9
$18.75 R$95.0
41.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lima
Trancoso
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$33.94 PEN 117
$22.57 R$114
50.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.10 PEN 69.0
$21.78 R$110
-7.71%
Cinema Ticket
$7.22 PEN 24.80
$6.40 R$32.46
12.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lima
Trancoso
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 PEN 689
$284 R$1,439
-29.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.9K PEN 44.3K
$6,530 R$33.1K
97.61%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lima
Trancoso
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.7 PEN 184
$47.13 R$239
13.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.88 PEN 123
$41.81 R$212
-14.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.8 PEN 288
$77.2 R$391
8.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.8 PEN 271
$62.3 R$316
26.54%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lima
Trancoso
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$729 PEN 2,505
$321 R$1,628
127.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$349 PEN 1,197
$219 R$1,108
59.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,186 PEN 4,073
$590 R$2,989
101.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$696 PEN 2,391
$433 R$2,197
60.71%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,360 PEN 8,105
$1,467 R$7,435
60.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,356 PEN 4,657
$1,009 R$5,116
34.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lima
Trancoso
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$663 PEN 2,278
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.78
10.92
-19.60%

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

Last update for Lima: October 17, 2026

Last update for Trancoso: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lima
$349
Trancoso
$219 37.3% $130
Groceries & Markets
Lima
$227
Trancoso
$173 23.7% $54
Eating Out
Lima
$123
Trancoso
$105 15.1% $19
Clothing & Footwear
Lima
$113
Trancoso
$103 9.4% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lima
$110
Trancoso
$93 16.1% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Lima
$48
Trancoso
$35 26.9% $13
Getting Around
Lima
$43
Trancoso
$47 9% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Lima and $321 in Trancoso. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $28.00 in Trancoso for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $227 vs $173 per month, with Trancoso cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇪 Lima
🇧🇷 Trancoso
🕒 Local time
16:32 4:32 PM
18:32 6:32 PM
2 h ahead of Lima
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,989,369 Capital
18,618
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 24, 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 24, 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 Trancoso 4,110 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lima
  • Trancoso

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 Trancoso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lima and in Trancoso?
Lima and Trancoso differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($1,014 vs $774 including rent). Trancoso is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Lima compared to Trancoso?
You'd need roughly $1,522 in Lima and $1,161 in Trancoso to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Lima and in Trancoso?
Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Lima versus $321 in Trancoso. 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 Trancoso?
Childcare runs $201 in Lima versus $284 in Trancoso. 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 31% higher in Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $774 in Trancoso versus $1,014 in Lima, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Trancoso but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Trancoso the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lima and Trancoso?
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.
Is Lima or Trancoso safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Lima and Trancoso are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Lima or Trancoso?
Expats usually find Trancoso gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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