Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Vicente and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Vicente: $888 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lima outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Sao Vicente
🇧🇷 Brazil
$888
/mo nomad
Lima
🇵🇪 Peru
$1,012
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $888 in Sao Vicente versus $1,012 in Lima.

  • Sao Vicente $888
  • Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,469 in Sao Vicente versus $1,589 in Lima.

  • Sao Vicente $1,469
  • Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,050 in Sao Vicente versus $2,167 in Lima.

  • Sao Vicente $2,050
  • Lima $2,167

Living in Sao Vicente costs roughly 12% less than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sao Vicente 34% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sao Vicente
Lima
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.86 R$39.52
$4.40 PEN 15.08
78.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.59 R$179
$35.17 PEN 121
1.19%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.20 R$36.17
$6.89 PEN 23.61
4.50%
Cappuccino
$2.28 R$11.48
$3.26 PEN 11.18
-30.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.33 R$6.67
$1.12 PEN 3.83
18.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 R$4.44
$0.62 PEN 2.11
41.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.38 R$11.96
$2.65 PEN 9.08
-10.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.96 R$14.88
$4.41 PEN 15.12
-32.88%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sao Vicente
Lima
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.09 R$5.49
$1.63 PEN 5.60
-33.13%
White Bread (500g)
$2.03 R$10.19
$2.56 PEN 8.76
-20.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.39 R$6.99
$1.35 PEN 4.64
2.96%
Eggs
$2.51 R$12.61
$2.90 PEN 9.94
-13.45%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.22 R$61.4
$8.85 PEN 30.32
38.08%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.94 R$24.84
$5.98 PEN 20.48
-17.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.77 R$49.12
$9.78 PEN 33.53
-0.10%
Apples (1kg)
$2.15 R$10.79
$2.05 PEN 7.01
4.88%
Banana (1kg)
$1.30 R$6.56
$1.06 PEN 3.65
22.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 R$8.06
$1.35 PEN 4.63
18.52%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.51 R$7.59
$1.50 PEN 5.14
0.67%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 R$6.64
$0.88 PEN 3.02
50.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.34 R$6.74
$0.92 PEN 3.15
45.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.91 R$4.60
$0.89 PEN 3.06
2.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.95 R$4.79
$0.90 PEN 3.10
5.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.37 R$11.92
$5.90 PEN 20.24
-59.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.05 R$40.46
$8.52 PEN 29.21
-5.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.55 R$7.80
$1.88 PEN 6.44
-17.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.58 R$12.96
$3.22 PEN 11.03
-19.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Sao Vicente
Lima
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.06 R$5.34
$0.68 PEN 2.33
55.88%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.30 R$223
$26.86 PEN 92.1
64.93%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.19 R$5.98
$3.81 PEN 13.07
-68.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 R$3.92
$2.02 PEN 6.92
-61.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.31 R$71.9
$7.11 PEN 24.37
101.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 R$6.76
$1.72 PEN 5.89
-21.51%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.3K R$121.9K
$22.3K PEN 76.5K
8.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.1K R$166.3K
$25.5K PEN 87.4K
29.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sao Vicente
Lima
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$67.3 R$338
$73.1 PEN 250
-7.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.88 R$74.8
$16.35 PEN 56.1
-8.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.01 R$116
$27.47 PEN 94.2
-16.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sao Vicente
Lima
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$19.90 R$100
$31.90 PEN 109
-37.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.61 R$129
$19.41 PEN 66.6
31.94%
Cinema Ticket
$7.97 R$40.05
$7.05 PEN 24.18
13.05%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sao Vicente
Lima
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$279 R$1,401
$182 PEN 626
52.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.3K R$51.6K
$13.0K PEN 44.7K
-21.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sao Vicente
Lima
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.0 R$281
$53.8 PEN 184
4.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.00 R$186
$34.32 PEN 118
7.81%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.0 R$447
$82.8 PEN 284
7.47%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$62.8 R$316
$78.2 PEN 268
-19.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sao Vicente
Lima
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$277 R$1,393
$721 PEN 2,472
-61.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$224 R$1,124
$343 PEN 1,177
-34.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$863 R$4,339
$1,219 PEN 4,178
-29.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$517 R$2,597
$651 PEN 2,231
-20.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,720 R$8,647
$2,414 PEN 8,277
-28.75%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,212 R$6,093
$1,357 PEN 4,652
-10.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sao Vicente
Lima
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$402 R$2,022
$648 PEN 2,222
-37.92%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.21
8.94
25.39%

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

Last update for Sao Vicente: 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 Vicente
$224
Lima
$343 53.6% $120
Groceries & Markets
Sao Vicente
$221
Lima
$226 2.3% $5.2
Eating Out
Sao Vicente
$139
Lima
$124 10.5% $15
Clothing & Footwear
Sao Vicente
$110
Lima
$112 1.8% $2
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sao Vicente
$105
Lima
$117 11.2% $12
Getting Around
Sao Vicente
$54
Lima
$43 18.9% $10
Sport & Entertainment
Sao Vicente
$36
Lima
$46 28.4% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $277 in Sao Vicente and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 61% 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: $36.00 in Sao Vicente vs $35.00 in Lima. Groceries flip the comparison at $221 vs $226, with Sao Vicente cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇧🇷 Sao Vicente
🇵🇪 Lima
🕒 Local time
11:23 11:23 AM
09:23 9:23 AM
2 h behind Sao Vicente
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
329,911
9,989,369 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.03 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.63 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sao Vicente Lima 3,490 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Sao Vicente
  • 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 Vicente vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Sao Vicente and in Lima?
Sao Vicente and Lima differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($888 vs $1,012 including rent). Sao Vicente 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 61% 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 Sao Vicente and in Lima?
Rent for a central apartment: $277 in Sao Vicente versus $721 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 Sao Vicente and Lima?
Childcare runs $279 in Sao Vicente versus $182 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 2% higher in Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $888 in Sao Vicente versus $1,012 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sao Vicente but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Vicente the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Sao Vicente 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: Sao Vicente or Lima?
Expats usually find Sao Vicente gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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