Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Jose dos Campos and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,050 in Sao Jose dos Campos, rent and utilities included – about $650 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Sao Jose dos Campos
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Sao Jose dos Campos Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Sao Jose dos Campos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,050

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Jose dos Campos 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 Jose dos Campos and in Lima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,050 in Sao Jose dos Campos versus $996 in Lima.

Sao Jose dos Campos $1,050
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,660 in Sao Jose dos Campos versus $1,594 in Lima.

Sao Jose dos Campos $1,660
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,270 in Sao Jose dos Campos versus $2,191 in Lima.

Sao Jose dos Campos $2,270
Lima $2,191

Living in Sao Jose dos Campos is roughly 5% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Jose dos Campos 22% lower, Lima 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.08 R$35.33

$4.42 PEN 15.16

60.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.82 R$199

$35.04 PEN 120

13.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.10 R$45.41

$6.84 PEN 23.44

33.04%

Cappuccino

$2.30 R$11.46

$3.27 PEN 11.22

-29.66%

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

$1.70 R$8.47

$1.10 PEN 3.78

54.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 R$5.82

$0.65 PEN 2.22

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.87 R$14.35

$2.58 PEN 8.85

11.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 R$21.71

$4.47 PEN 15.34

-2.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 R$5.99

$1.59 PEN 5.46

-24.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.08 R$10.36

$2.58 PEN 8.86

-19.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 R$5.96

$1.36 PEN 4.65

-12.50%

Eggs

$2.70 R$13.48

$2.95 PEN 10.11

-8.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.14 R$45.61

$9.10 PEN 31.19

0.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 R$22.21

$5.81 PEN 19.91

-23.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.75 R$53.7

$9.83 PEN 33.68

9.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 R$14.17

$2.01 PEN 6.89

41.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 R$9.34

$1.08 PEN 3.69

73.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.21

$1.37 PEN 4.70

34.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 R$9.38

$1.48 PEN 5.06

27.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.13

$0.96 PEN 3.30

48.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.82

$0.85 PEN 2.92

61.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 R$4.72

$0.88 PEN 3.02

7.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 R$3.99

$0.87 PEN 2.97

-8.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.82 R$14.08

$5.90 PEN 20.24

-52.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.00 R$44.91

$8.81 PEN 30.21

2.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.66

$1.92 PEN 6.57

-9.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 R$22.00

$3.20 PEN 10.98

37.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 R$5.91

$0.68 PEN 2.33

73.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.37 R$192

$26.74 PEN 91.7

43.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 R$6.72

$3.81 PEN 13.06

-64.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 R$7.08

$2.04 PEN 7.00

-30.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.39 R$46.89

$7.14 PEN 24.49

31.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.36

$1.65 PEN 5.65

-23.03%

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

$23.9K R$119.1K

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

7.59%

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

$33.8K R$168.9K

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

31.84%

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

$43.80 R$219

$73.0 PEN 250

-40.03%

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

$14.25 R$71.1

$16.26 PEN 55.7

-12.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.34 R$91.5

$27.60 PEN 94.6

-33.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.98 R$150

$33.07 PEN 113

-9.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.77 R$174

$19.49 PEN 66.8

78.40%

Cinema Ticket

$7.92 R$39.53

$7.39 PEN 25.33

7.17%

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

$433 R$2,161

$182 PEN 624

137.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,714 R$38.5K

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

-42.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 R$283

$52.6 PEN 180

7.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.8 R$298

$34.23 PEN 117

74.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 R$480

$83.8 PEN 287

14.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.5 R$422

$79.0 PEN 271

6.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$485 R$2,421

$723 PEN 2,479

-32.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 R$1,802

$340 PEN 1,166

6.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$974 R$4,864

$1,184 PEN 4,060

-17.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 R$3,317

$635 PEN 2,176

4.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,085 R$10.4K

$2,449 PEN 8,394

-14.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,498 R$7,477

$1,372 PEN 4,702

9.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$813 R$4,059

$653 PEN 2,237

24.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.12

8.94

24.38%

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

Last update for Sao Jose dos Campos: October 3, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Jose dos Campos

$361 34.6%

Lima

$340 33.6% 5.8% $21

Groceries & Markets

Sao Jose dos Campos

$228 21.9%

Lima

$226 22.4% 0.9% $2

Eating Out

Sao Jose dos Campos

$146 14%

Lima

$124 12.3% 15% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Jose dos Campos

$134 12.8%

Lima

$112 11.1% 16% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Jose dos Campos

$76 7.3%

Lima

$117 11.6% 53% $41

Getting Around

Sao Jose dos Campos

$52 4.9%

Lima

$43 4.3% 15.7% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Jose dos Campos

$46 4.4%

Lima

$48 4.7% 4.5% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $485 in Sao Jose dos Campos and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Jose dos Campos pays 25% 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 Jose dos Campos vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $228 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Jose dos Campos

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

07:37 7:37 AM

05:37 5:37 AM

2 h behind Sao Jose dos Campos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

697,054

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sao Jose dos Campos Lima 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Jose dos Campos
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 Jose dos Campos vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Jose dos Campos and Lima differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,050 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 25% higher in Sao Jose dos Campos, 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: $485 in Sao Jose dos Campos versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $433 in Sao Jose dos Campos 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 1% higher in Sao Jose dos Campos. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,050 in Sao Jose dos Campos, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Sao Jose dos Campos. 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 Jose dos Campos. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.