Cost of Living in Lima

Is this a competence to say more liars? Peru is a country to visit for a week once in life and after that forget it. No services and total insecurity cannot be attractive to anyone. Retirement there. Are you stupid? Very good doctors in a terrible healthcare infrastructure where Medicare does not cover anything, and the national service is extremely poor is only comparable to shot yourself because there is no way to survive anything without paying a fortune and not even... Talking is easy, surviving there is almost impossible for someone that has services here. Peruvians that can (up to 10% of the population) are leaving the country to other places where Socialism is not in consideration. There are many more better alternatives to retirement... even in Europe.

Dear foreigners, I am going to give you some tips on how to survive in Peru. First of all, it is one thing to come to Peru as a tourist and quite another to live here. The cost of living in Peru is very cheap compared to European, Asian or English-speaking countries, and as a tourist you will be able to enjoy services and products at low prices by the standards of your country of origin. Regarding the "gringo tax", it is not that they have something against foreigners, it is that Peruvians assume that because they are foreigners they have more money and should pay more. This depends on where you go to eat or shop, you have to learn to haggle, look for videos on youtube on the subject in Spanish, it is normal to haggle when there is no price for something if you go to a popular market, but it is very different if you go to a restaurant or store where prices are visible and fixed. As for cabs, you also have to haggle and if the cab driver does not want to, there are many others, there is a lot of competition, but I recommend using cab apps that exist in some Peruvian cities to make the trip safer as foreigners are always prone to theft. In Peruvian cities there are different social strata, with a big difference between the "poor" lower class, the middle class and the "rich" upper class. Yes, there are rich people in Peru. A foreigner should not go to poor places, mainly for safety reasons and because there is not much to see there but misery and poverty, but if you are brave you should go with a trusted Peruvian to avoid any problems. Lima does not represent all of Peru, so if you have only been to Lima you don't know much about Peru. Peru is divided into three very different regions, coast, highlands and jungle, you have to know at least one city from each region to be able to say you know Peru. In each region there are cities with the three social classes: "poor", middle class and "rich", as I have already mentioned. Peruvian millionaires on the Forbes list live in Lima, but it is very likely that they have houses all over Peru. If you come to live or study here, I recommend that you learn Spanish and learn it very well, because most Peruvians and Latin Americans in general hate learning English. They say it is difficult, but obviously Spanish is more difficult to learn. If you work in IT or any remote job and want to live in Peru it will be very good for you, as your monthly income would triple here because of the exchange rate difference. As for taxes, it is not as strict as in Europe, and whenever there is a problem you can reduce the fine up to 75% and SUNAT (tax collectors) focus mainly on medium and large companies and give many more benefits to small businesses and taxpayers, but to avoid problems, hire a good accountant to pay less taxes and in a legal way, and before hiring him do not forget to also bargain. It is the main function of accountants in Peru so do not hesitate to ask how to pay less taxes legally. There is no jail for not paying taxes and even less for paying less taxes. If you do not pay your taxes and after long procedure, your assets could be seized, but these are extreme cases, that is why it is good to have an accountant. As for security, just avoid poor places. Don't use the phone in the street, look everywhere. Do not walk distracted. Always be alert. Avoid going out at night alone. The police are not that efficient, so your safety depends on yourself. As for traffic, it's a no man's land. Everybody does what they want. Always be alert because here no one will stop you if you cross a street so you have to run. Peru is a racist and classist country, it seems like a joke but it is true, the poor do not relate to the middle class and the rich have nothing to do with the poor or the middle class, the middle and upper class are the ones who reject any contact with the poor who are usually of Andean features and blacks who have connotations of criminal type. That is why there is a comment where a dark-skinned foreigner was discriminated against, it was because he surely went to a hotel that is usually visited by middle and upper class white people, not by Andean Peruvians or blacks. Unbelievable but true. Discrimination in Peru is a crime but several laws are not always enforced here, there is too much corruption. If you are looking for beautiful women, Peru is not the best place, beauty is scarce here, and if they are beautiful they are models who have many plastic surgeries or are daughters of European foreigners. If you are looking for the typical Latin American beauty you should look in nearby countries like Colombia, Brazil or Venezuela, but beware of finding a gold digger or scammer, there are many. With these tips you should be able to survive in Peru and live relatively well. The main advantages of living in Peru are the low taxes and low costs of products and services, as long as you work remotely for a country with a higher income. I would recommend considering other cities in Peru. Lima is the most expensive, there are other cheaper cities. Use google maps to choose the city that seems best for you and keep in mind that it will always be cheaper to live in any city other than Lima. As for tap water, it is drinkable in almost all cities in Peru and you can drink it but it is recommended to use a filter. This is the reality of Peru and if you don't like it, look for another country.

The rent price doesn't reflect the real condition in San Isidro and Miraflores district which is considered to be doubled than presented

If you are going as a tourist, Peru it's perfect. But if you are planning to stay there as an immigrant you won't be able to do anything as the average salary is around 350$ or less. Which is quite bad and they will make you work more than 12h without extra payment. (i lived there)

It's one thing to comment on prices and what things cost, simple undeniable fact - if you're a foreinger or even speak Spanish with a non-local accent, you're going to get gouged with 'Gringo Tax'.

Lima is the one place where it is less likely to happen because there, the shops have visible price lists, out in the rest of the country, there will be places where there are no visible price tages, menus etc and they will decide what they can get away with charging - it is on the Vietnam scale of gouging people who don't know the score - it is one of the most irritating things about the place and you will never pay what a local pays until you have been there a very long time.

Peru in General is beautiful and mystical. I especially love the different tour sites, such as Paracas, Nazca, Arequippa, and Hauchachina. However, 90 percent of the people are always in a hurry and can be rude, and bias. Especially, if you have a darker complection, they can treat you more ruder than if you had a whiter complexion, which I easily wittnessed and experienced first hand all throughout Lima Peru. Even, after they heard me speaking fluent English, they would try to ask me if I was born their despite I told them I was an American several times. Also, when they saw me talking in English to all the Foreigners in the Hotel they would look at me with despise that even the people I was with would notice. What an embarrassment.

#David Schneider most peruvians prefer living in Lima because it is a centralized city, everything you need is located in Lima. There are more opportunities uf you wanna start a business or study a major. There are no those opportunities in other peruvian cities. I am a peruvian obviously, sorry for my grammar

I almost got suckered into the RENTISTA thing no tax on my foreign retirement pension.My lawyer looked into it for me.Best $100 USD I ever spent.No tax on pensions abroad for one year.But after the one year is up get ready to pay dearly in taxes on your pension at the rate of 33%.Peru doesn't have a double taxation treaty with the U S remember that.

Okay Scott,glad you agree about Lima not being a representative of how Peru really is.Its true that Miraflores,San Ysidro,Barranco,Larcomar are very safe,agreed.However those areas are designed for American expats and other foreigners who indulge in extraciruiclar activities in general whether drug related or prostitutes different strokes obviously but not my thing.The last thing I really want to see when visiting Peru are foreigners grouped together.Visit Tingo Maria,Cumbes,and Chincha if you want to expand your horizons and see real Peruvian culture, just a thought,been there done that.

Lima never has been a true representative of Peru or the culture of true Peruvians.Lima caters to expats from around the world truth be known.Whomever has the most money to contribute to Lima are the Victors.Lima isn't any different than Sydney Australia nor any other large city around the world regardless of where it's located.The cost of living in Lima should be doubled according to whats been contributed here.Its not numbeos fault for false figures being contributed.Bottom line give correct figures as to cost of living.