Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Paulo and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,244 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Sao Paulo versus $996 in Lima.

Sao Paulo $1,244
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,085 in Sao Paulo versus $1,594 in Lima.

Sao Paulo $2,085
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,926 in Sao Paulo versus $2,191 in Lima.

Sao Paulo $2,926
Lima $2,191

Living in Sao Paulo is roughly 25% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Paulo 7% lower, Lima 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R$44.87

$4.42 PEN 15.21

102.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.46 R$248

$35.04 PEN 121

41.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 R$46.25

$6.84 PEN 23.52

34.80%

Cappuccino

$2.54 R$12.77

$3.27 PEN 11.26

-22.32%

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

$1.45 R$7.29

$1.10 PEN 3.80

31.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R$4.57

$0.65 PEN 2.23

40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 R$15.39

$2.58 PEN 8.88

18.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 R$21.87

$4.47 PEN 15.39

-2.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.36

$1.59 PEN 5.48

-20.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 R$9.22

$2.58 PEN 8.89

-28.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.08

$1.36 PEN 4.67

3.68%

Eggs

$2.84 R$14.27

$2.95 PEN 10.14

-3.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 R$63.0

$9.10 PEN 31.30

38.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.37 R$26.95

$5.81 PEN 19.98

-7.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 R$53.8

$9.83 PEN 33.80

9.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 R$13.74

$2.01 PEN 6.92

36.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.08

$1.08 PEN 3.70

67.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.78

$1.37 PEN 4.71

13.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R$9.95

$1.48 PEN 5.08

33.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.38

$0.96 PEN 3.32

53.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.23

$0.85 PEN 2.93

45.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R$6.38

$0.88 PEN 3.03

44.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.82

$0.87 PEN 2.98

10.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.24

$5.90 PEN 20.31

-48.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 R$51.1

$8.81 PEN 30.31

15.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 R$8.69

$1.92 PEN 6.59

-9.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 R$13.26

$3.20 PEN 11.02

-17.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 R$5.20

$0.68 PEN 2.33

52.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.10 R$241

$26.74 PEN 92.0

79.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 R$9.12

$3.81 PEN 13.10

-52.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.10

$2.04 PEN 7.02

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 R$51.0

$7.14 PEN 24.57

42.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 R$6.38

$1.65 PEN 5.67

-23.03%

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

$24.3K R$122.0K

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

9.67%

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

$34.0K R$170.6K

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

32.49%

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

$104 R$522

$73.0 PEN 251

42.31%

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

$16.16 R$81.1

$16.26 PEN 55.9

-0.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 R$113

$27.60 PEN 94.9

-18.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.27 R$182

$33.07 PEN 114

9.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.78 R$240

$19.49 PEN 67.1

145.15%

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 R$49.45

$7.39 PEN 25.41

33.29%

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

$525 R$2,635

$182 PEN 626

188.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K R$83.2K

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

24.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 R$336

$52.6 PEN 181

27.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 R$312

$34.23 PEN 118

81.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R$507

$83.8 PEN 288

20.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 R$456

$79.0 PEN 272

15.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,326

$723 PEN 2,488

-8.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 R$2,121

$340 PEN 1,170

24.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 R$7,662

$1,184 PEN 4,074

28.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 R$5,061

$635 PEN 2,183

58.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,744 R$13.8K

$2,449 PEN 8,423

12.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 R$10.4K

$1,372 PEN 4,718

50.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$881 R$4,419

$653 PEN 2,245

34.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

8.94

30.65%

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

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3%

Lima

$340 33.6% 19.5% $83

Groceries & Markets

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8%

Lima

$226 22.4% 7% $17

Eating Out

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3%

Lima

$124 12.3% 24% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7%

Lima

$112 11.1% 22.3% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6%

Lima

$117 11.6% 18.1% $26

Getting Around

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8%

Lima

$43 4.3% 26.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6%

Lima

$48 4.7% 14.5% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $663 in Sao Paulo and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 35% 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: $49.00 in Sao Paulo vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

00:43 12:43 AM

22:43 10:43 PM

2 h behind Sao Paulo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,451,999

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.63 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 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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Between locations

Sao Paulo Lima 3,450 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Sao Paulo and Lima differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 35% higher in Sao Paulo, 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: $663 in Sao Paulo versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $525 in Sao Paulo 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 7% higher in Sao Paulo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,244 in Sao Paulo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. 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 25% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.