Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Luis and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Luis: $834 a month against $996 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Sao Luis
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Sao Luis Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Sao Luis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$834

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $834 in Sao Luis versus $996 in Lima.

Sao Luis $834
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,310 in Sao Luis versus $1,594 in Lima.

Sao Luis $1,310
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,786 in Sao Luis versus $2,191 in Lima.

Sao Luis $1,786
Lima $2,191

Living in Sao Luis costs roughly 16% less than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Luis 38% lower, Lima 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.60 R$32.93

$4.42 PEN 15.16

49.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.74 R$198

$35.04 PEN 120

13.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 R$34.03

$6.84 PEN 23.44

-0.29%

Cappuccino

$2.15 R$10.71

$3.27 PEN 11.22

-34.25%

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

$1.27 R$6.33

$1.10 PEN 3.78

15.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 R$3.65

$0.65 PEN 2.22

12.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 R$9.77

$2.58 PEN 8.85

-24.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 R$12.16

$4.47 PEN 15.34

-45.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 R$5.52

$1.59 PEN 5.46

-30.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 R$9.64

$2.58 PEN 8.86

-25.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.54

$1.36 PEN 4.65

-18.38%

Eggs

$2.27 R$11.31

$2.95 PEN 10.11

-23.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.14 R$50.6

$9.10 PEN 31.19

11.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.28 R$21.36

$5.81 PEN 19.91

-26.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.64 R$38.12

$9.83 PEN 33.68

-22.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 R$10.55

$2.01 PEN 6.89

4.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 R$6.95

$1.08 PEN 3.69

28.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.09

$1.37 PEN 4.70

-10.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 R$8.64

$1.48 PEN 5.06

16.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 R$6.64

$0.96 PEN 3.30

38.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.67

$0.85 PEN 2.92

57.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 R$4.47

$0.88 PEN 3.02

2.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 R$3.62

$0.87 PEN 2.97

-16.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.44 R$12.17

$5.90 PEN 20.24

-58.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.21 R$41.00

$8.81 PEN 30.21

-6.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R$6.36

$1.92 PEN 6.57

-33.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 R$11.60

$3.20 PEN 10.98

-27.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 R$4.27

$0.68 PEN 2.33

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.52 R$192

$26.74 PEN 91.7

44.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 R$5.12

$3.81 PEN 13.06

-72.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 R$4.70

$2.04 PEN 7.00

-53.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.49

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.05

$1.65 PEN 5.65

-26.67%

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

$24.2K R$120.6K

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

8.96%

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

$30.4K R$151.5K

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

18.28%

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

$97.5 R$487

$73.0 PEN 250

33.43%

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

$18.02 R$90.0

$16.26 PEN 55.7

10.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.42 R$107

$27.60 PEN 94.6

-22.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.11 R$100

$33.07 PEN 113

-39.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.27 R$76.2

$19.49 PEN 66.8

-21.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.84 R$34.14

$7.39 PEN 25.33

-7.44%

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

$183 R$915

$182 PEN 624

0.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,911 R$14.5K

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

-78.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.7 R$323

$52.6 PEN 180

23.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.6 R$273

$34.23 PEN 117

59.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.1 R$375

$83.8 PEN 287

-10.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.0 R$294

$79.0 PEN 271

-25.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$363 R$1,812

$723 PEN 2,479

-49.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$187 R$935

$340 PEN 1,166

-44.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$580 R$2,893

$1,184 PEN 4,060

-51.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 R$1,648

$635 PEN 2,176

-47.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,575 R$7,864

$2,449 PEN 8,394

-35.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$721 R$3,598

$1,372 PEN 4,702

-47.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$386 R$1,929

$653 PEN 2,237

-40.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

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

Last update for Sao Luis: October 3, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sao Luis

$197 23.6%

Lima

$226 22.4% 14.6% $29

Accommodation & Living

Sao Luis

$187 22.3%

Lima

$340 33.6% 81.5% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Luis

$137 16.3%

Lima

$117 11.6% 14.6% $20

Eating Out

Sao Luis

$122 14.5%

Lima

$124 12.3% 2% $2.4

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Luis

$114 13.6%

Lima

$112 11.1% 1.5% $1.7

Getting Around

Sao Luis

$48 5.7%

Lima

$43 4.3% 8.8% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Luis

$34 4%

Lima

$48 4.7% 41.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $363 in Sao Luis and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 69% 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 Luis vs $35.00 in Lima. Groceries flip the comparison at $197 vs $226, with Sao Luis cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Luis

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

03:34 3:34 AM

01:34 1:34 AM

2 h behind Sao Luis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,037,775

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 = 5.6 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 Luis Lima 3,760 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Luis
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 Luis vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Luis and Lima differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($834 vs $996 including rent). Sao Luis is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 69% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $363 in Sao Luis versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $183 in Sao Luis 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 15% higher in Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $834 in Sao Luis versus $996 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sao Luis but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Luis 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 Sao Luis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.