Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Caetano do Sul and Lima

For one person, living costs are similar in Sao Caetano do Sul and in Lima: $1,058 and $1,012 a month, rent and utilities included.

51

Cost of Living Index in Sao Caetano do Sul
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Sao Caetano do Sul Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Sao Caetano do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,058

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Caetano do Sul 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 Sao Caetano do Sul and in Lima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,058 in Sao Caetano do Sul versus $1,012 in Lima.

Sao Caetano do Sul $1,058
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,822 in Sao Caetano do Sul versus $1,589 in Lima.

Sao Caetano do Sul $1,822
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,586 in Sao Caetano do Sul versus $2,167 in Lima.

Sao Caetano do Sul $2,586
Lima $2,167

Living in Sao Caetano do Sul is roughly 5% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Caetano do Sul 22% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.89 R$45.06

$4.40 PEN 15.10

102.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$35.17 PEN 121

13.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 R$44.46

$6.89 PEN 23.65

27.29%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.09

$3.26 PEN 11.20

-26.99%

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

$1.33 R$6.73

$1.12 PEN 3.84

18.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 R$4.71

$0.62 PEN 2.11

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 R$11.94

$2.65 PEN 9.09

-10.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 R$20.27

$4.41 PEN 15.15

-9.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.01

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-26.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.40

$2.56 PEN 8.78

-19.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 R$7.31

$1.35 PEN 4.65

6.67%

Eggs

$2.48 R$12.55

$2.90 PEN 9.96

-14.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.70 R$54.2

$8.85 PEN 30.38

20.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.43 R$27.54

$5.98 PEN 20.52

-9.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 R$55.3

$9.78 PEN 33.59

11.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 R$12.10

$2.05 PEN 7.02

16.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 R$8.74

$1.06 PEN 3.66

62.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.84

$1.35 PEN 4.64

14.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 R$10.54

$1.50 PEN 5.15

38.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.09

$0.88 PEN 3.03

59.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.41

$0.92 PEN 3.15

36.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 R$4.67

$0.89 PEN 3.07

3.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.12

$0.90 PEN 3.10

-10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.49 R$12.62

$5.90 PEN 20.27

-57.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.97 R$45.45

$8.52 PEN 29.26

5.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 R$8.88

$1.88 PEN 6.45

-6.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 R$13.06

$3.22 PEN 11.05

-19.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 R$3.47

$0.68 PEN 2.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 R$6.71

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-65.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.18

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-49.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 R$44.93

$7.11 PEN 24.41

24.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.79

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-22.09%

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

$24.5K R$124.4K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

9.98%

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

$32.6K R$165.1K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

27.73%

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

$103 R$522

$73.1 PEN 251

40.91%

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

$14.91 R$75.6

$16.35 PEN 56.2

-8.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.99 R$117

$27.47 PEN 94.3

-16.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 R$255

$31.90 PEN 110

57.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.01 R$233

$19.41 PEN 66.7

137.04%

Cinema Ticket

$10.14 R$51.4

$7.05 PEN 24.23

43.83%

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

$437 R$2,215

$182 PEN 627

139.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K R$56.6K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

-14.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.3 R$331

$53.8 PEN 185

21.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.3 R$290

$34.32 PEN 118

66.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 R$498

$82.8 PEN 284

18.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 R$472

$78.2 PEN 269

19.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 R$2,126

$721 PEN 2,476

-41.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$311 R$1,575

$343 PEN 1,179

-9.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$867 R$4,394

$1,219 PEN 4,186

-28.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$868 R$4,398

$651 PEN 2,235

33.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,890 R$9,581

$2,414 PEN 8,292

-21.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,435 R$7,276

$1,357 PEN 4,660

5.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$951 R$4,822

$648 PEN 2,226

46.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.81

8.94

20.92%

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

Last update for Sao Caetano do Sul: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Caetano do Sul

$311 29.4%

Lima

$343 33.9% 10.5% $33

Groceries & Markets

Sao Caetano do Sul

$231 21.8%

Lima

$226 22.3% 2.1% $5

Eating Out

Sao Caetano do Sul

$155 14.6%

Lima

$124 12.3% 19.9% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Caetano do Sul

$141 13.4%

Lima

$112 11.1% 20.7% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Caetano do Sul

$141 13.3%

Lima

$117 11.6% 17% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Caetano do Sul

$71 6.7%

Lima

$46 4.6% 34.8% $25

Getting Around

Sao Caetano do Sul

$9.2 * 0.9%

Lima

$43 4.3% 374% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $419 in Sao Caetano do Sul and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Caetano do Sul pays 47% 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: $40.00 in Sao Caetano do Sul vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $231 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Caetano do Sul

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

10:42 10:42 AM

08:42 8:42 AM

2 h behind Sao Caetano do Sul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,655

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Caetano do Sul Lima 3,460 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sao Caetano do Sul
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

Sao Caetano do Sul vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Caetano do Sul and Lima differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,058 vs $1,012 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 47% higher in Sao Caetano do Sul, 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: $419 in Sao Caetano do Sul versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you'll spend $1,058 per month in Sao Caetano do Sul versus $1,012 in Lima – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,058 in Sao Caetano do Sul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Sao Caetano do Sul. The gap between the two cities makes Lima 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 Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Sao Caetano do Sul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.