Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Serra and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Serra: $889 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Serra
Learn more

Serra Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

Serra

🇧🇷 Brazil

$889

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $889 in Serra versus $1,012 in Lima.

Serra $889
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,317 in Serra versus $1,589 in Lima.

Serra $1,317
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,744 in Serra versus $2,167 in Lima.

Serra $1,744
Lima $2,167

Living in Serra costs roughly 12% less than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.77 R$24.16

$4.40 PEN 15.10

8.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.99 R$117

$35.17 PEN 121

-34.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.20 R$41.58

$6.89 PEN 23.65

19.01%

Cappuccino

$2.09 R$10.57

$3.26 PEN 11.20

-35.89%

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

$1.34 R$6.77

$1.12 PEN 3.84

19.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 R$3.15

$0.62 PEN 2.11

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 R$9.88

$2.65 PEN 9.09

-26.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R$15.53

$4.41 PEN 15.15

-30.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.70

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-30.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.13

$2.56 PEN 8.78

-29.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$5.95

$1.35 PEN 4.65

-13.33%

Eggs

$2.14 R$10.87

$2.90 PEN 9.96

-26.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.49 R$53.2

$8.85 PEN 30.38

18.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.58 R$23.22

$5.98 PEN 20.52

-23.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.54 R$43.27

$9.78 PEN 33.59

-12.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 R$14.53

$2.05 PEN 7.02

40.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.74

$1.06 PEN 3.66

44.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$1.35 PEN 4.64

35.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 R$8.20

$1.50 PEN 5.15

8.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.96

$0.88 PEN 3.03

34.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.65

$0.92 PEN 3.15

20.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 R$6.78

$0.89 PEN 3.07

50.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R$7.03

$0.90 PEN 3.10

54.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.49 R$12.62

$5.90 PEN 20.27

-57.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 R$28.59

$8.52 PEN 29.26

-33.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R$4.98

$1.88 PEN 6.45

-47.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 R$16.59

$3.22 PEN 11.05

1.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 R$4.93

$0.68 PEN 2.33

42.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.18 R$239

$26.86 PEN 92.2

75.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 R$6.66

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-65.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 R$5.72

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-44.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.89 R$34.95

$7.11 PEN 24.41

-3.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 R$5.49

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-37.21%

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

$23.5K R$119.2K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

5.39%

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

$33.8K R$171.1K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

32.36%

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

$158 R$803

$73.1 PEN 251

116.79%

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

$12.30 R$62.4

$16.35 PEN 56.2

-24.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.05 R$107

$27.47 PEN 94.3

-23.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.83 R$131

$31.90 PEN 110

-19.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.87 R$141

$19.41 PEN 66.7

43.59%

Cinema Ticket

$7.49 R$37.95

$7.05 PEN 24.23

6.24%

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

$188 R$955

$182 PEN 627

3.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,726 R$34.1K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

-48.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 R$279

$53.8 PEN 185

2.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 R$259

$34.32 PEN 118

48.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 R$462

$82.8 PEN 284

10.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.3 R$377

$78.2 PEN 269

-5.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 R$1,271

$721 PEN 2,476

-65.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$153 R$774

$343 PEN 1,179

-55.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$446 R$2,261

$1,219 PEN 4,186

-63.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$220 R$1,117

$651 PEN 2,235

-66.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$970 R$4,917

$2,414 PEN 8,292

-59.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$563 R$2,852

$1,357 PEN 4,660

-58.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$559 R$2,833

$648 PEN 2,226

-13.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

23.04%

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

Last update for Serra: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Serra

$212 23.8%

Lima

$226 22.3% 6.6% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Serra

$192 21.6%

Lima

$117 11.6% 39% $75

Accommodation & Living

Serra

$153 17.2%

Lima

$343 33.9% 125% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Serra

$122 13.8%

Lima

$112 11.1% 8.2% $10

Eating Out

Serra

$111 12.5%

Lima

$124 12.3% 11.2% $13

Getting Around

Serra

$58 6.5%

Lima

$43 4.3% 25.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Serra

$41 4.6%

Lima

$46 4.6% 12.8% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $251 in Serra and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 16% 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: $23.00 in Serra vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $226 per month, with Serra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Serra

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

03:23 3:23 AM

01:23 1:23 AM

2 h behind Serra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

520,653

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 18, 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 18, 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

Serra Lima 4,020 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Serra
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

Serra vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Serra and Lima differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($889 vs $1,012 including rent). Serra is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 16% 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: $251 in Serra versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $188 in Serra 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 Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $889 in Serra versus $1,012 in Lima, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Serra but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Serra 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 Serra 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.