For one person, living is cheaper in Olinda: $875 a month against $1,014 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Olinda and in Lima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $875 in Olinda versus $1,014 in Lima.
Olinda $875
Lima $1,014
Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,363 in Olinda versus $1,613 in Lima.
Olinda $1,363
Lima $1,613
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,851 in Olinda versus $2,211 in Lima.
Olinda $1,851
Lima $2,211
🌍
Living in Olinda costs roughly 14% less than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.
📊
Both cities sit below the global median: Olinda35% lower, Lima25% lower.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Olinda
Lima
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.68R$28.81
$4.42PEN 15.19
28.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.47R$149
$34.56PEN 119
-14.73%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$8.15R$41.33
$6.80PEN 23.37
19.85%
Cappuccino
$1.52R$7.72
$3.30PEN 11.34
-53.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.00R$5.08
$1.06PEN 3.64
-5.66%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64R$3.25
$0.66PEN 2.26
-3.03%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$1.57R$7.95
$2.54PEN 8.71
-38.19%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.12R$15.81
$4.24PEN 14.55
-26.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Olinda
Lima
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$1.16R$5.88
$1.58PEN 5.43
-26.58%
White Bread(500g)
$1.67R$8.46
$2.61PEN 8.97
-36.02%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$1.54R$7.80
$1.34PEN 4.60
14.93%
Eggs
$1.96R$9.95
$2.93PEN 10.08
-33.11%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$7.18R$36.39
$9.45PEN 32.45
-24.02%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$4.59R$23.28
$5.75PEN 19.75
-20.17%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$7.30R$37.03
$9.69PEN 33.29
-24.66%
Apples(1kg)
$1.42R$7.22
$2.02PEN 6.95
-29.70%
Banana(1kg)
$1.00R$5.05
$1.07PEN 3.66
-6.54%
Oranges(1kg)
$0.74R$3.76
$1.37PEN 4.70
-45.99%
Tomato(1kg)
$1.11R$5.61
$1.47PEN 5.05
-24.49%
Potato(1kg)
$1.42R$7.22
$0.95PEN 3.25
49.47%
Onion(1kg)
$1.07R$5.44
$0.91PEN 3.14
17.58%
Lettuce(1 head)
$0.52R$2.65
$0.90PEN 3.10
-42.22%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.83R$4.22
$0.89PEN 3.04
-6.74%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$1.77R$8.97
$5.74PEN 19.71
-69.16%
Wine(Bottle)
$7.90R$40.05
$9.21PEN 31.64
-14.22%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.13R$5.71
$1.84PEN 6.31
-38.59%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57R$7.94
$3.11PEN 10.67
-49.52%
🚌 Getting Around
Olinda
Lima
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$1.06R$5.36
$0.72PEN 2.46
47.22%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$42.81R$217
$26.03PEN 89.4
64.46%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$1.25R$6.33
$3.54PEN 12.17
-64.69%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.74R$3.74
$2.07PEN 7.12
-64.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$3.12R$15.81
$7.75PEN 26.62
-59.74%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.26R$6.40
$1.71PEN 5.86
-26.32%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.3KR$118.3K
$21.6KPEN 74.1K
8.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.2KR$168.1K
$28.6KPEN 98.2K
16.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Olinda
Lima
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$117R$592
$68.2PEN 234
71.34%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.51R$68.5
$15.73PEN 54.0
-14.11%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.80R$90.2
$26.48PEN 90.9
-32.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Olinda
Lima
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$25.79R$131
$33.94PEN 117
-24.01%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.20R$143
$20.10PEN 69.0
40.30%
Cinema Ticket
$9.21R$46.69
$7.22PEN 24.80
27.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Olinda
Lima
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$280R$1,422
$201PEN 689
39.73%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$6,686R$33.9K
$12.9KPEN 44.3K
-48.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Olinda
Lima
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.14R$229
$53.7PEN 184
-15.96%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.12R$249
$35.88PEN 123
36.90%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$75.9R$385
$83.8PEN 288
-9.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$75.7R$384
$78.8PEN 271
-3.96%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Olinda
Lima
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$386R$1,955
$729PEN 2,505
-47.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$238R$1,208
$349PEN 1,197
-31.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$659R$3,340
$1,186PEN 4,073
-44.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$464R$2,350
$696PEN 2,391
-33.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$1,643R$8,331
$2,360PEN 8,105
-30.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$1,116R$5,657
$1,356PEN 4,657
-17.71%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Olinda
Lima
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$368R$1,864
$663PEN 2,278
-44.55%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
11
8.78
25.28%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Olinda: October 18, 2026
Last update for Lima: October 17, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Olinda
$238 27.2%
Lima
$349 34.4% ↑ 46.2%$110
🛒Groceries & Markets
Olinda
$173 19.8%
Lima
$227 22.4% ↑ 31.1%$54
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Olinda
$148 16.9%
Lima
$110 10.9% ↓ 25.5%$38
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Olinda
$111 12.6%
Lima
$113 11.2% ↑ 2.6%$2.8
🍽Eating Out
Olinda
$109 12.4%
Lima
$123 12.2% ↑ 13.4%$15
🚌Getting Around
Olinda
$52 5.9%
Lima
$43 4.2% ↓ 17.6%$9.2
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Olinda
$44 5.1%
Lima
$48 4.8% ↑ 9.4%$4.2
🏠Accommodation & Living
Olinda
$464 25.1%
Lima
$696 31.5% ↑ 50.2%$233
🛒Groceries & Markets
Olinda
$395 21.4%
Lima
$519 23.5% ↑ 31.3%$124
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Olinda
$162 8.7%
Lima
$126 5.7% ↓ 22%$36
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Olinda
$246 13.3%
Lima
$252 11.4% ↑ 2.6%$6.3
🍽Eating Out
Olinda
$362 19.6%
Lima
$413 18.7% ↑ 14.2%$51
🚌Getting Around
Olinda
$106 5.7%
Lima
$87 3.9% ↓ 17.9%$19
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Olinda
$117 6.3%
Lima
$117 5.3% ↑ 0.2%$0.3
Cost Breakdown
🏠A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $386 in Olinda and $729 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Lima pays 80% 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: $29.00 in Olinda vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $173 vs $227 per month, with Olinda cheaper across the board.
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
Olinda vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Olinda and in Lima?
Olinda and Lima differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($875 vs $1,014 including rent). Olinda is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 80% lower in Lima. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Olinda and in Lima?
Rent for a central apartment: $386 in Olinda versus $729 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Olinda and Lima?
Childcare runs $280 in Olinda versus $201 in Lima. 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 $1,000 per month?
At $875 in Olinda versus $1,014 in Lima, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Olinda but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Olinda the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Olinda and Lima?
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.
Where should expats move: Olinda or Lima?
Expats usually find Olinda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.