Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arenal and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,673 in Arenal, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Arenal
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Arenal Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Arenal

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,673

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,673 in Arenal versus $1,012 in Lima.

Arenal $1,673
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,631 in Arenal versus $1,589 in Lima.

Arenal $2,631
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,589 in Arenal versus $2,167 in Lima.

Arenal $3,589
Lima $2,167

Living in Arenal is roughly 65% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Arenal is 24% above, Lima is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.02 ₡5,402

$4.40 PEN 15.08

173.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.3K

$35.17 PEN 121

72.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.74 ₡5,277

$6.89 PEN 23.61

70.39%

Cappuccino

$4.53 ₡2,034

$3.26 PEN 11.19

38.96%

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

$2.75 ₡1,235

$1.12 PEN 3.83

145.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₡870

$0.62 PEN 2.11

212.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,500

$2.65 PEN 9.08

26.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 ₡1,951

$4.41 PEN 15.12

-1.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 ₡1,037

$1.63 PEN 5.60

41.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 ₡1,411

$2.56 PEN 8.76

22.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,125

$1.35 PEN 4.64

85.19%

Eggs

$3.46 ₡1,554

$2.90 PEN 9.94

19.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.58 ₡4,753

$8.85 PEN 30.33

19.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,600

$5.98 PEN 20.49

71.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,337

$9.78 PEN 33.54

44.17%

Apples (1kg)

$5.16 ₡2,317

$2.05 PEN 7.01

151.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ₡718

$1.06 PEN 3.65

50.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 ₡2,076

$1.35 PEN 4.63

242.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 ₡1,702

$1.50 PEN 5.14

152.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,724

$0.88 PEN 3.02

336.36%

Onion (1kg)

$3.71 ₡1,669

$0.92 PEN 3.15

303.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡486

$0.89 PEN 3.07

21.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 ₡1,424

$0.90 PEN 3.10

252.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.82 ₡2,616

$5.90 PEN 20.24

-1.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.68 ₡8,841

$8.52 PEN 29.21

130.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,257

$1.88 PEN 6.44

48.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 ₡1,628

$3.22 PEN 11.03

12.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ₡627

$0.68 PEN 2.33

105.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,125

$3.81 PEN 13.07

-34.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡707

$2.02 PEN 6.92

-22.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.48 ₡3,812

$7.11 PEN 24.37

19.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 ₡708

$1.72 PEN 5.90

-8.14%

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

$22.1K ₡9.9M

$22.3K PEN 76.5K

-0.85%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$25.5K PEN 87.4K

39.68%

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

$94.3 ₡42.4K

$73.1 PEN 251

29.01%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$16.35 PEN 56.1

119.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 ₡26.6K

$27.47 PEN 94.2

115.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.2 ₡35.2K

$31.90 PEN 109

145.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.6

Cinema Ticket

$7.51 ₡3,373

$7.05 PEN 24.19

6.52%

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

$989 ₡444.4K

$182 PEN 626

442.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$13.0K PEN 44.7K

29.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.0 ₡32.3K

$53.8 PEN 184

33.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.0 ₡25.6K

$34.32 PEN 118

66.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 ₡59.0K

$82.8 PEN 284

58.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$78.2 PEN 268

67.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 ₡357.7K

$721 PEN 2,472

10.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 ₡256.2K

$343 PEN 1,177

65.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,638 ₡736.2K

$1,219 PEN 4,179

34.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,091 ₡490.3K

$651 PEN 2,231

67.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,278

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,653

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,222

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

8.94

-3.58%

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

Last update for Arenal: 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

Arenal

$570 34.1%

Lima

$343 33.9% 39.8% $227

Groceries & Markets

Arenal

$398 23.8%

Lima

$226 22.3% 43.3% $172

Eating Out

Arenal

$230 13.7%

Lima

$124 12.3% 46.1% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arenal

$189 11.3%

Lima

$117 11.6% 38.3% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Arenal

$176 10.5%

Lima

$112 11.1% 36.3% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Arenal

$93 5.6%

Lima

$46 4.6% 50.7% $47

Getting Around

Arenal

$16 * 1%

Lima

$43 4.3% 172% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $796 in Arenal and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Arenal vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $398 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Arenal

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

03:31 3:31 AM

04:31 4:31 AM

1 h ahead of Arenal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,300

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 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).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arenal Lima 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Arenal
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

Arenal vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 65% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,509 in Arenal and $1,518 in Lima to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $796 in Arenal versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $989 in Arenal versus $182 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Lima – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $61.0 in Arenal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,673 in Arenal, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Arenal. The gap between the two cities makes Lima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lima is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Arenal, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Arenal and Lima are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Arenal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.