Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Teresina and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Teresina: $750 a month against $996 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Teresina
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Teresina Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Teresina

🇧🇷 Brazil

$750

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $750 in Teresina versus $996 in Lima.

Teresina $750
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,236 in Teresina versus $1,594 in Lima.

Teresina $1,236
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,722 in Teresina versus $2,191 in Lima.

Teresina $1,722
Lima $2,191

Living in Teresina costs roughly 25% less than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Teresina 44% lower, Lima 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.85 R$29.18

$4.42 PEN 15.16

32.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.37 R$102

$35.04 PEN 120

-41.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.21 R$30.98

$6.84 PEN 23.44

-9.21%

Cappuccino

$2.14 R$10.69

$3.27 PEN 11.22

-34.56%

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

$1.09 R$5.44

$1.10 PEN 3.78

-0.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R$3.81

$0.65 PEN 2.22

16.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.54 R$7.66

$2.58 PEN 8.85

-40.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 R$15.88

$4.47 PEN 15.34

-28.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 R$7.48

$1.59 PEN 5.46

-5.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 R$11.55

$2.58 PEN 8.86

-10.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 R$7.35

$1.36 PEN 4.65

8.09%

Eggs

$4.45 R$22.21

$2.95 PEN 10.11

50.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.83 R$39.08

$9.10 PEN 31.19

-13.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.29 R$21.42

$5.81 PEN 19.91

-26.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.70 R$33.45

$9.83 PEN 33.68

-31.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 R$9.74

$2.01 PEN 6.89

-2.99%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 R$4.79

$1.08 PEN 3.69

-11.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.95 R$4.76

$1.37 PEN 4.70

-30.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 R$6.51

$1.48 PEN 5.06

-12.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 R$5.57

$0.96 PEN 3.30

16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 R$4.78

$0.85 PEN 2.92

12.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 R$2.72

$0.88 PEN 3.02

-38.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 R$7.34

$0.87 PEN 2.97

68.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 R$16.42

$5.90 PEN 20.24

-44.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.73 R$48.59

$8.81 PEN 30.21

10.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 R$7.07

$1.92 PEN 6.57

-26.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 R$14.71

$3.20 PEN 10.98

-7.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 R$4.90

$0.68 PEN 2.33

44.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.52 R$227

$26.74 PEN 91.7

70.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 R$8.15

$3.81 PEN 13.06

-57.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 R$3.86

$2.04 PEN 7.00

-62.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 R$40.68

$7.14 PEN 24.49

14.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 R$5.86

$1.65 PEN 5.65

-29.09%

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

$23.8K R$118.6K

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

7.12%

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

$32.0K R$159.7K

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

24.68%

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

$77.3 R$386

$73.0 PEN 250

5.87%

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

$10.68 R$53.3

$16.26 PEN 55.7

-34.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.75 R$88.6

$27.60 PEN 94.6

-35.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.47 R$107

$33.07 PEN 113

-35.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.12 R$65.5

$19.49 PEN 66.8

-32.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.80 R$38.95

$7.39 PEN 25.33

5.55%

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

$575 R$2,871

$182 PEN 624

216.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,241 R$36.1K

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

-45.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.08 R$220

$52.6 PEN 180

-16.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.68 R$148

$34.23 PEN 117

-13.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.2 R$380

$83.8 PEN 287

-9.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.4 R$252

$79.0 PEN 271

-36.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$166 R$828

$723 PEN 2,479

-77.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 R$755

$340 PEN 1,166

-55.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$413 R$2,063

$1,184 PEN 4,060

-65.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$431 R$2,150

$635 PEN 2,176

-32.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,388 R$6,927

$2,449 PEN 8,394

-43.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$765 R$3,817

$1,372 PEN 4,702

-44.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$402 R$2,004

$653 PEN 2,237

-38.48%

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 Teresina: 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

Teresina

$210 27.6%

Lima

$226 22.4% 7.7% $16

Accommodation & Living

Teresina

$151 19.8%

Lima

$340 33.6% 125% $189

Eating Out

Teresina

$113 14.8%

Lima

$124 12.3% 10.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Teresina

$106 13.9%

Lima

$117 11.6% 10.5% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Teresina

$90 11.8%

Lima

$112 11.1% 24.5% $22

Getting Around

Teresina

$55 7.2%

Lima

$43 4.3% 20.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Teresina

$37 4.9%

Lima

$48 4.7% 29.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $166 in Teresina and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 63% 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: $20.00 in Teresina vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $210 vs $226 per month, with Teresina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Teresina

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

00:09 12:09 AM

22:09 10:09 PM

2 h behind Teresina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

866,300

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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Highest

Between locations

Teresina Lima 3,840 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Teresina
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

Teresina vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Teresina and Lima differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($750 vs $996 including rent). Teresina is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 63% 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: $166 in Teresina versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $575 in Teresina 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 8% higher in Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $750 in Teresina versus $996 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Teresina but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Teresina 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 Teresina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.