Cost of Living in Lima

Summary about cost of living in Lima:

Four-person family monthly costs: 1,920.57$ (6,585.32S/.) without rent (using our estimator).
A single person monthly costs: 542.80$ (1,861.18S/.) without rent.
Cost of living index in Lima is 57.77% lower than in New York.
Rent in Lima is, on average, 83.54% lower than in New York.
Cost of living rank 303^th out of 490 cities in the world.
Lima has a cost of living index of 42.23.

Restaurants	[ Edit ]	Range
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	15.00 S/.	8.00-25.00
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	85.00 S/.	55.00-150.00
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	15.75 S/.	15.00-19.00
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	7.50 S/.	4.00-12.00
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	11.25 S/.	8.00-20.00
Cappuccino (regular)	8.22 S/.	3.50-14.00
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	2.82 S/.	2.00-6.00
Water (12 oz small bottle)	2.17 S/.	1.50-5.00
Markets	[ Edit ]
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	17.41 S/.	12.49-30.28
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	5.18 S/.	2.77-10.89
Rice (white), (1 lb)	1.65 S/.	1.27-2.27
Eggs (regular) (12)	6.41 S/.	3.20-10.80
Local Cheese (1 lb)	12.56 S/.	6.80-27.22
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	7.62 S/.	3.40-9.53
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	12.78 S/.	8.16-18.14
Apples (1 lb)	2.73 S/.	1.81-3.63
Banana (1 lb)	1.94 S/.	1.13-3.63
Oranges (1 lb)	1.81 S/.	0.68-4.08
Tomato (1 lb)	1.98 S/.	1.22-4.08
Potato (1 lb)	1.68 S/.	0.54-2.72
Onion (1 lb)	1.66 S/.	1.13-2.72
Lettuce (1 head)	2.85 S/.	1.00-6.00
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	3.17 S/.	1.80-4.80
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	35.00 S/.	20.00-55.00
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	5.42 S/.	3.50-8.00
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	9.77 S/.	5.80-15.00
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	15.50 S/.	12.50-20.00
Transportation	[ Edit ]
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	2.00 S/.	1.50-3.00
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	86.96 S/.	50.00-125.00
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	10.00 S/.	7.00-15.00
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	8.05 S/.	4.35-11.27
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	25.00 S/.	18.00-40.00
Gasoline (1 gallon)	14.69 S/.	12.50-16.00
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	55,000.00 S/.	44,166.00-70,000.00
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	62,269.57 S/.	55,000.00-70,000.00
Utilities (Monthly)	[ Edit ]
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	273.25 S/.	150.00-500.00
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans)	0.61 S/.	0.15-1.00
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	129.46 S/.	80.00-215.00
Sports And Leisure	[ Edit ]
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	182.74 S/.	80.00-500.00
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	42.32 S/.	20.00-60.00
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	23.50 S/.	16.00-27.00
Childcare	[ Edit ]
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	959.23 S/.	500.00-2,000.00
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	19,880.93 S/.	14,400.00-30,000.00
Clothing And Shoes	[ Edit ]
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	165.03 S/.	100.00-250.00
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	116.39 S/.	70.00-200.00
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	277.97 S/.	200.00-350.00
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	288.72 S/.	200.00-450.00
Rent Per Month	[ Edit ]
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	1,835.52 S/.	1,200.00-3,000.00
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	1,112.41 S/.	600.00-2,059.05
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	3,501.01 S/.	2,000.00-6,520.31
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	2,338.46 S/.	1,200.00-4,500.00
Buy Apartment Price	[ Edit ]
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	562.39 S/.	418.06-743.22
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	401.68 S/.	269.42-678.19
Salaries And Financing	[ Edit ]
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	1,720.85 S/.
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	9.22	7.00-14.00

Prices in Lima

This city had 1811 entries in the past 12 months by 171 different contributors.
Last update: May 2020

Premium Statistics

Sources and References

Are you looking for a job?

Our job board shows only Remote Jobs.

Explore Quality of Life in Lima:

This page in other languages:

DeutschLebenshaltungskosten in Lima
PortuguêsCusto de Vida em Lima
ItalianoCosto della Vita a Lima
FrançaisCoût de la Vie à Lima
EspañolCosto de Vida en Lima

Leave a comment:

22 Comments so far

#Anonymous on May 23, 2020 :

GOVERNMENTS & MAINSTREAM MEDIA ARE LYING TO US ABOUT COVID-19
LISTEN TO DR. KNUT WITTOWSKI, DR. RASHID BUTTAR, DR. JUDY MIKOVITS
WAKE UP AND STOP LIVING IN FEAR!

#Majd on Jan 15, 2020 :

I'm thinking of starting a new business in Lima. I will run a Turkish chicken kebab shop. How much do i need roughly?

#Darren on Oct 18, 2019 :

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.

#Anonymous on Oct 13, 2019 :

Peru is great,for travlers...i have lived there for like 9 months (interupted).If only taxes where diffrend i would definly consider setting up camp there....do to the fact there not...I will setup camp in Ecuador....

#Anynomous on Oct 06, 2019 :

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.

#Anonymous on May 06, 2019 :

Opportunities don't exist in Peru,poor electric infrastructure, contaminated water throughout Peru undrinkable,it's a shithole no doubt.I planned on vacationing in Lima several months ago but left two days later.Peru would collapse if expats left and many have so far.

#Anonymous on Apr 28, 2019 :

#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

#Anonymous on Mar 30, 2019 :

Here's a current update as to costs as of March 2019.One bedroom apartment city center$680usd one bedroom apartment outside city center $520usd three bedroom apartment in city center $1,450usd outside of city center $1,050usd .Salarys are currently $310usd per month in Lima and $260usd per month for the rest of Peru.

#Anonymous on Mar 14, 2019 :

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.

#Anonymous on Feb 19, 2019 :

Okay Scott, Trujillo can be a night or daymare crime wise,agreed.Many foreigners like to be near the plaza for convince, understood.However at night all the creepy crawlers come out to scan what they can get.Chiclayo although disorganized and somewhat dirty is a working class city which is much safe,been there too.Iqiitos could easily be dangerous anytime of day.I've been all over Europe.In my travels Eastern Europe is much more laid back and interesting.Skip Sofia Bulgaria and check out Plovdiv instead.Traffic isn't bad very clean and alot to see.

#Anonymous on Feb 19, 2019 :

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.

#Scott on Feb 18, 2019 :

I have been to Lima about 6 times in the last year, staying about 10 days each time. I like Lima. Excellent food. Many places to see. I would agree that Lima is NOT representative of Peru. I have been to Trujillo as well. Trujillo is becoming more dangerous and I would be very careful of traveling there if you do not know anyone who is Peruvian. Every time I go to Lima I do different things. There are many fascinating tours and there are ruins as well. As an American my dollar goes a long way here which is why I have no desire to visit Europe. Traffic is a challenge and not for the weak at heart. HAHA! Miraflores, San Ysidro, Barranco, Larcomar are all very safe and great places to visit. I would recommend anyone to come and visit.

#Anonymous on Jan 24, 2019 :

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.

#Anonymous on Jan 13, 2019 :

I'm a U S citizen and I've stayed in each location for three months,Lima, Trujillo,Piura,Chiclayo,Tacna,. Nuevo Chimbote,Arequipa,and Tarapoto.I agree with the majority of the posters about Lima and it's downsides,but any big city has that.Lima is trying to be at the forefront of Peru but it'll never happen.I agree with the poster from Lima that said Lima really doesn't represent the rest of Peru.Its very unfortunate that Arequipa is basically following the same trend as Lima overall.Everyone has likes and dislikes of areas, understood.Personally I like the genuine Peru, their culture and a zest for life.I've lived in the U S all of my life and to be honest culture doesn't exist here even though the U S has every ethnic group in the world.Many people think the U S is the land of opportunity and to many that's the case, different strokes obviously.There's nothing magical about the U S and it's over one million murders each year and rising steadily.I should know myself and nine other people were gunned down by two drive by shooters July 2015 at 2:00 pm on a Sunday,only two of us survived.I took three shots in the back and nearly died.I'm retiring this year in Peru and I'm looking forward to it.But after living in a city in the U S of six million people I'm switching gears to a more low key lifestyle.Lima has its good points the main thing is the native Peruvians that live there,a big highlight for me.

#fatz on Aug 15, 2018 :

I was born in Chiclayo (a city in the north coast of Perú) and then moved to Lima and i have visited many cities in my beautiful country, in all regions. So let me tell you a few things about Peru... if you want to visit us and you want to know how expensive it is, well it's not that easy.
First off, prices vary from city to city, as well as food or hotels,etc. Things in Lima are hella expensive compared to other cities in Peru.
Lima is very chaotic and there's a lot of pollution, public transport is A MESS!, finding a place to eat (lunch) it's very easy since there are menus that can go from 7 soles (a bit more than 2$) to 16 soles (almost 5$) depending on the place, but they usually serve you an entrée,a meal, a beverage (And sometimes even dessert!).
Overall i'd say that Lima can be very confused and troubling, but if you know someone from here, you can save a lot of money and time!. Now about other cities, everything is very cheap, a meal can go from 5 soles to 10 soles( more than 3$), public transport is probably still a mess but not so much since there's not much people in other cities (Lima is the one that has the biggest population : 11 MILLION!).
People in Perú are kind and very helpful, but take precautions anyway cause just like in any other part of the world, some of them can be dangerous.
if you need a guide (kinda) i'd be happy to help :) write a comment mentioning me and add your email i guess(? haha bye! have a nice staying

#Milos on May 17, 2018 :

Lima is a tough place to like unless you are affluent. That being said I'll start with positives. The food is one of the best in the world and variery is amazing. It can be cheap and ridicilosly expensive. The fancier the place the more expensive, not necessarily a better food. There are options for entertaimnent and cultural outings and people are warm and welcoming in general. On the flip side, yes there is dog shit everywhere, people are very poorly educated and hence the low average wages. There is a HUGE street crimes issue (pirañas) mostly minors that steal from your hand, San Isidro and Miraflores included! This is tolerated by the police which is extremely corrupt and if you lay a hand on a thief you are in troible. For average peruvian footbal players are more important than the president or a scientist. There is a long way of at least 2 generations for people hwre to get proper education. Lima included. As far as the prices here go they are on point except rent. Rent in a good part of city (Miraflores, San Isidro and La Molina) is crazy expensive. 3br apt can go from us$1600 to well over $3000. Houses in La Molona cost like on Beverly hills and apartments more than in Miami. Be aware of that.

#andy on May 16, 2018 :

First off : Lima isnt Peru.
Yes the pollution is sometimes unbarable and on contrary what most people wrote before, the city is not only defined by Miraflores, San Isidro and Barranco...these are the tourist areas and have barely anything to do with Limeño life.
Around this 11million habitant city there are all kind of areas to find of course.The north has pretty coastline but is scetchy for Tourists and the south is a bit expensive . The prices so far are pretty accurate.
I live in the town now for 5 years and I never got to the point to like it. The country, on the other hand , is beautiful and worthwhile to visit.

#Jc Blan on Jul 30, 2017 :

First of all, thanks for the info. They are pretty accurate. I have lived in many cities such as: Houston, Madrid, Dubai, to mention a few. I am a Peruvian by birth so my opinion could be bias. In the past, I've avoided to visit Lima. However, I'm back in Lima for work reasons and pleasantly surprised with what Lima (San Isidro, Miraflores) has to offer. Lima is overall cleaner and with a sense of organization (not super clean like Dubai) I love winter weather in Lima, not cold at all. Love the food. Language was not a problem for me 'cause I speak Spanish. I understand the frustration when locals don't make an effort to speak visitors/tourist language (looking at you French fellas) but I don't think that is the case here. Enjoy Peru!

Cheers

#Marcus on Dec 10, 2016 :

Hi everybody!
I´m from Spain and have been living in Lima (San Isidro) for the past 20 years.
It is true, Lima is a dirty city
- "smells"... yes (especially if you take public transportation, but in summer Warsow, Bogota and Berlin are worse.
Water is expensive in Lima, and it is because it doesn´t rain at all and people (foreigners/tourists) just don´t realize that... (few drops now and then) and the city just do what it can to fight it (dust everywhere)... (I spend more in water than in electricity and I am a huge fan of electricity, US$ 485 in water and US$390 in electricity

Lima today have more than ELEVEN MILLION people...!!!!
Traffic...horrific (As well in Rome, Madrid, Tokyo, New York, Bogota, Milan, Caracas, etc. in rush hours)

-"vagabond dogs"?... have not seen any in San Isidro, Monterrico, Miraflores and San Borja districts in the last 10 years! (of course there must be vagabond dogs I just haven´t seen them).

-"dog shit everywhere" no, maybe elsewhere (Magdalena, Lince, Jesus María, Pueblo Libre, San Juan de Miraflores, etc.)...

-vagabond cats?... a lot in Miraflores in "Parque Kennedy" (a good place to visit... thursday, friday, saturday, sunday) and the cats are are fantastic, clean without any disease.
(I have 2 dogs and 2 cats, the good thing is that they are friends and get along, I love animals).

The thing is:
Is Lima a beautifull city?
No it is not.
Does Lima have beautifull districts?
Yes!!!
In general, how are the peruvian peolple with tourists?
They are warmful caring people (some will take advantage and do some profits like everybody else in other countries, ("if it is too good to be true, maybe it is because it is not true"!)

Is Lima expensive for a tourist?
Maybe not, but it is expensive for a native.

1 US dollar is 3.39 soles (dicember 2016)

Minimun cost for a cab: 7 soles (3 to 5 blocks) average cost 15/18 soles ( from one district to another), add 5/7 soles if you phone for one (taxi satelital, uber, etc.)

Food, Exquisite
-meals: from US 2.50 to 90 (no alcohol) it depends on where you eat (1 person).

Hostel/Hotel per day: from 25 to 600 per day 2 people (average tourist, it can be more). Do your homework look in booking.com, trivago.com, etc.

What youy must realize is that Peru is not only Lima...
These are some cities i´ve been to; all of them are beautifull

In US dollars: Arequipa - average, Trujillo - cheap, Mancora, beach in Piura - expensive, Cuzco - very expensive, Tarapoto - cheap (jungle), Iquitos - cheap (jungle), Madre de Dios - cheap (jungle), Puno - average.
The most expensive city in Peru is Cuzco.

About the tap water, I've never drunk it (to my knowledge) always boiled, filtered or bottled water. I do that in every country I go to (I travel a lot!)

Do I like Lima?
Yes!
Hope it helped

#Visitor on Sep 08, 2016 :

My honest take on Lima, the city is dirty there is a smell that hangs in the air and takes a while to get used to(this can be said about a lot of major cities though) the water had a smell that lets you know not to drink it.
Cab drivers are to be avoided if at all possible.
The food was amazing especially if you like sea food. The women were about average as far as beauty is concerned and for some reason all of the Peruvian men want Colombian girlfriends.
Night life was surprisingly hard to find and most of the people I met did not want to speak English even if they knew the language(I don't hold that against them its my fault for not knowing enough spanish).
Things were cheap there, I stayed in Miraflores and compared to California everything was at least half the price unless you got really fancy at which it became expensive 300 soles dinners. I was only there a week but my suggestion is unless you are competent in Spanish do not visit Lima, you can get by with English but all in all the experience kinda sucked.

#Javier on Aug 03, 2016 :

I am looking for someone wants to come to know lima. I am peruvian. I have lived here since i was a child. she or he can teach to me English in their free time, that is why the rent is low: $ 100 monthly, which includes Internet line.

#Isabel E on Jul 02, 2016 :

Taxi fares in Lima are quite the topic. There are no taxi start fares since peruvian taxis do not operate on taximeters, you bargain for the fare according to previous experience and willingness to pay an extra sol. Of course, if you're riding an uber(or other service alike) they have starting fares of around 3.25. I would say that the lowest fare you'll ever get is 3 soles for a few blocks (less than 1 km), foreigners: do not be afraid to do some bartering.

Also, monthly minimum salary has increased from 750 to 850 soles (about USD 270), way below the current cost of living (as Gianpiere mentioned) and before AFP (retirement funds withdrawal) and taxes.

About In the News Newsletter API

Cost of Living in Ica	190.11 miles
Cost of Living in Cerro de Pasco	191.70 miles

URL:
Description:

Sign up for our newsletter:
Your Email Address: