Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ahuachapan and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,820 in Ahuachapan, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Ahuachapan
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Ahuachapan Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Ahuachapan

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,820

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,820 per month in Ahuachapan vs $1,012 in Lima, rent included.

Ahuachapan $1,820
Lima $1,012

A couple spends around $2,009 per month in Ahuachapan vs $1,589 in Lima, rent included.

Ahuachapan $2,009
Lima $1,589

A family of three spends $2,199 per month in Ahuachapan vs $2,167 in Lima, rent included.

Ahuachapan $2,199
Lima $2,167

Ahuachapan costs about 80% more than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ahuachapan sits 35% above the global median, while Lima is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.88 $6.88

$4.40 PEN 15.08

56.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.68 $45.68

$35.17 PEN 121

29.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.90 $6.90

$6.89 PEN 23.61

0.15%

Cappuccino

$3.56 $3.56

$3.26 PEN 11.19

9.20%

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

$1.16 $1.16

$1.12 PEN 3.83

3.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 $0.81

$0.62 PEN 2.11

30.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.65 PEN 9.08

-25.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$4.41 PEN 15.12

-21.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.63 PEN 5.60

12.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.56 PEN 8.76

14.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.35 PEN 4.64

1.48%

Eggs

$2.99 $2.99

$2.90 PEN 9.94

3.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.89 $7.89

$8.85 PEN 30.33

-10.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 $6.80

$5.98 PEN 20.49

13.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.28 $10.28

$9.78 PEN 33.54

5.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.05 PEN 7.01

142.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.06 PEN 3.65

29.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.35 PEN 4.63

95.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 $3.47

$1.50 PEN 5.14

131.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$0.88 PEN 3.02

235.23%

Onion (1kg)

$3.20 $3.20

$0.92 PEN 3.15

247.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 $1.04

$0.89 PEN 3.07

16.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 $0.96

$0.90 PEN 3.10

6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 $3.99

$5.90 PEN 20.24

-32.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.98 $11.98

$8.52 PEN 29.21

40.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.88 PEN 6.44

17.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.22 PEN 11.03

-9.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.88 $5.88

$3.81 PEN 13.07

54.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.02 PEN 6.92

45.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 $19.78

$7.11 PEN 24.37

178.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.72 PEN 5.90

-28.49%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$22.3K PEN 76.5K

13.92%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$25.5K PEN 87.4K

7.01%

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

$128 $128

$73.1 PEN 251

75.65%

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

$21.64 $21.64

$16.35 PEN 56.1

32.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.76 $41.76

$27.47 PEN 94.2

52.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 109

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.6

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 $5.03

$7.05 PEN 24.19

-28.65%

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

$163 $163

$182 PEN 626

-10.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,780 $4,780

$13.0K PEN 44.7K

-63.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.9 $67.9

$53.8 PEN 184

26.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.65 $46.65

$34.32 PEN 118

35.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 $118

$82.8 PEN 284

42.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$78.2 PEN 268

47.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$525 $525

$721 PEN 2,472

-27.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 $1,011

$343 PEN 1,177

194.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$374 $374

$1,219 PEN 4,179

-69.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$401 $401

$651 PEN 2,231

-38.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,151 $3,151

$2,414 PEN 8,278

30.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,317 $1,317

$1,357 PEN 4,653

-2.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$562 $562

$648 PEN 2,222

-13.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

8.94

-4.92%

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

Last update for Ahuachapan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ahuachapan

$1K 55.6%

Lima

$343 33.9% 66% $668

Groceries & Markets

Ahuachapan

$286 15.7%

Lima

$226 22.3% 21.1% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ahuachapan

$192 10.5%

Lima

$117 11.6% 39% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Ahuachapan

$156 8.6%

Lima

$112 11.1% 28.3% $44

Eating Out

Ahuachapan

$143 7.9%

Lima

$124 12.3% 13.5% $19

Getting Around

Ahuachapan

$21 * 1.1%

Lima

$43 4.3% 111% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Ahuachapan

$10 * 0.6%

Lima

$46 4.6% 357% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $525 in Ahuachapan versus $721 in Lima. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 15% higher in Lima, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Ahuachapan versus $35.00 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $286 vs $226 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇻 Ahuachapan

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

11:18 11:18 AM

12:18 12:18 PM

1 h ahead of Ahuachapan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,511

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

PEN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ahuachapan Lima 3,220 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ahuachapan
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

Ahuachapan vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,820 in Ahuachapan, $1,012 in Lima – roughly 80% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,729 per month in Ahuachapan and $1,518 in Lima. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lima, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,820 in Ahuachapan and $1,012 in Lima. That's a gap of about 80%.

Kindergarten costs $163 per month in Ahuachapan and $182 in Lima. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lima, where all-in costs run around $1,012, than in Ahuachapan at $1,820. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ahuachapan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lima has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,012 in Lima to $1,820 in Ahuachapan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Lima. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ahuachapan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.