Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Macaé and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Macaé: $885 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.

43

Cost of Living Index in Macaé
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Macaé Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

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Macaé

🇧🇷 Brazil

$885

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Macaé and in Lima

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Macaé and in Lima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $885 in Macaé versus $1,012 in Lima.

Macaé $885
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,498 in Macaé versus $1,589 in Lima.

Macaé $1,498
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,111 in Macaé versus $2,167 in Lima.

Macaé $2,111
Lima $2,167

Living in Macaé costs roughly 13% less than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.49 R$27.83

$4.40 PEN 15.10

24.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.40 R$154

$35.17 PEN 121

-13.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.09 R$35.95

$6.89 PEN 23.65

2.90%

Cappuccino

$1.70 R$8.63

$3.26 PEN 11.20

-47.85%

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

$1.41 R$7.15

$1.12 PEN 3.84

25.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 R$2.99

$0.62 PEN 2.11

-4.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 R$6.26

$2.65 PEN 9.09

-53.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 R$13.93

$4.41 PEN 15.15

-37.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 R$4.91

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-40.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 R$7.73

$2.56 PEN 8.78

-40.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.95

$1.35 PEN 4.65

1.48%

Eggs

$1.96 R$9.92

$2.90 PEN 9.96

-32.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.22 R$46.73

$8.85 PEN 30.38

4.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.36 R$17.04

$5.98 PEN 20.52

-43.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.58 R$48.57

$9.78 PEN 33.59

-2.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 R$9.91

$2.05 PEN 7.02

-4.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.12

$1.06 PEN 3.66

14.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.93 R$4.69

$1.35 PEN 4.64

-31.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.26

$1.50 PEN 5.15

-18.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 R$3.53

$0.88 PEN 3.03

-20.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 R$4.33

$0.92 PEN 3.15

-6.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 R$2.88

$0.89 PEN 3.07

-35.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 R$2.45

$0.90 PEN 3.10

-46.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.58 R$8.00

$5.90 PEN 20.27

-73.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.99 R$30.36

$8.52 PEN 29.26

-29.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.21

$1.88 PEN 6.45

-45.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 R$6.24

$3.22 PEN 11.05

-61.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R$7.83

$0.68 PEN 2.33

127.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.2 R$427

$26.86 PEN 92.2

213.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 R$6.89

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-64.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$3.96

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-61.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.32 R$42.19

$7.11 PEN 24.41

17.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 R$6.41

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-26.74%

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

$21.7K R$110.0K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

-2.77%

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

$31.4K R$159.2K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

23.15%

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

$99.6 R$505

$73.1 PEN 251

36.35%

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

$9.95 R$50.4

$16.35 PEN 56.2

-39.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.03 R$96.5

$27.47 PEN 94.3

-30.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.47 R$205

$31.90 PEN 110

26.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.67 R$150

$19.41 PEN 66.7

52.86%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 R$34.31

$7.05 PEN 24.23

-3.97%

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

$659 R$3,339

$182 PEN 627

261.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,291 R$37.0K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

-44.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 R$323

$53.8 PEN 185

18.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.54 R$160

$34.32 PEN 118

-8.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.8 R$343

$82.8 PEN 284

-18.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.84 R$248

$78.2 PEN 269

-37.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$375 R$1,899

$721 PEN 2,476

-48.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 R$1,199

$343 PEN 1,179

-31.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$911 R$4,620

$1,219 PEN 4,186

-25.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 R$3,410

$651 PEN 2,235

3.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,275 R$6,465

$2,414 PEN 8,292

-47.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$787 R$3,989

$1,357 PEN 4,660

-42.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$809 R$4,104

$648 PEN 2,226

24.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

8.94

19.35%

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

Last update for Macaé: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macaé

$237 26.7%

Lima

$343 33.9% 45.2% $107

Groceries & Markets

Macaé

$170 19.2%

Lima

$226 22.3% 33.1% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macaé

$129 14.5%

Lima

$117 11.6% 9.1% $12

Eating Out

Macaé

$105 11.9%

Lima

$124 12.3% 17.7% $19

Getting Around

Macaé

$96 10.8%

Lima

$43 4.3% 54.5% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Macaé

$95 10.8%

Lima

$112 11.1% 17.6% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Macaé

$54 6.1%

Lima

$46 4.6% 14.8% $8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $375 in Macaé and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Macaé pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30.00 in Macaé vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $226 per month, with Macaé cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Macaé

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

04:37 4:37 AM

02:37 2:37 AM

2 h behind Macaé

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

246,391

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Macaé Lima 3,880 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Macaé
Lima

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

Macaé vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Macaé and Lima differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($885 vs $1,012 including rent). Macaé is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 25% higher in Macaé, 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: $375 in Macaé versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $659 in Macaé versus $182 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $885 in Macaé versus $1,012 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Macaé but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Macaé 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 Macaé 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.