Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,661 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,661
/mo nomad
Lima
🇵🇪 Peru
$996
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur 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 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and in Lima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,661 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $996 in Lima, rent included.

  • Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $1,661
  • Lima $996

A couple spends around $2,454 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $1,594 in Lima, rent included.

  • Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $2,454
  • Lima $1,594

A family of three spends $3,248 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $2,191 in Lima, rent included.

  • Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $3,248
  • Lima $2,191

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur costs about 67% more than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur sits 24% above the global median, while Lima is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Lima
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.31 MX$188
$4.42 PEN 15.21
133.26%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$50.6 MX$920
$35.04 PEN 121
44.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.14 MX$185
$6.84 PEN 23.52
48.25%
Cappuccino
$3.53 MX$64.2
$3.27 PEN 11.26
7.95%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.49 MX$27.18
$1.10 PEN 3.80
35.45%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.99 MX$17.99
$0.65 PEN 2.23
52.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.51 MX$45.60
$2.58 PEN 8.88
-2.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 MX$81.3
$4.47 PEN 15.39
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Lima
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.77 MX$32.19
$1.59 PEN 5.48
11.32%
White Bread (500g)
$3.18 MX$57.8
$2.58 PEN 8.89
23.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.56 MX$46.61
$1.36 PEN 4.67
88.24%
Eggs
$2.35 MX$42.81
$2.95 PEN 10.14
-20.34%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.62 MX$211
$9.10 PEN 31.30
27.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.11 MX$184
$5.81 PEN 19.98
74.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.70 MX$249
$9.83 PEN 33.80
39.37%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 MX$49.60
$2.01 PEN 6.92
35.82%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 MX$28.14
$1.08 PEN 3.70
43.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.59 MX$28.97
$1.37 PEN 4.71
16.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.73 MX$31.52
$1.48 PEN 5.08
16.89%
Potato (1kg)
$1.26 MX$22.88
$0.96 PEN 3.32
31.25%
Onion (1kg)
$1.85 MX$33.58
$0.85 PEN 2.93
117.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.77 MX$50.5
$0.88 PEN 3.03
214.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.17
$0.87 PEN 2.98
45.98%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.06 MX$92.1
$5.90 PEN 20.31
-14.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.19 MX$204
$8.81 PEN 30.31
27.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.49 MX$27.11
$1.92 PEN 6.59
-22.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.53 MX$64.2
$3.20 PEN 11.02
10.31%
🚌 Getting Around
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Lima
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 MX$15.83
$0.68 PEN 2.33
27.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$53.2 MX$967
$26.74 PEN 92.0
98.80%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.37 MX$79.4
$3.81 PEN 13.10
14.70%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.06 MX$55.6
$2.04 PEN 7.02
50.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.59 MX$193
$7.14 PEN 24.57
48.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.46 MX$26.53
$1.65 PEN 5.67
-11.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.5K MX$390.4K
$22.2K PEN 76.3K
-3.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.4K MX$443.9K
$25.7K PEN 88.3K
-4.93%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Lima
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$86.9 MX$1,580
$73.0 PEN 251
18.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.56 MX$465
$16.26 PEN 55.9
57.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.06 MX$583
$27.60 PEN 94.9
16.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Lima
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.89 MX$835
$33.07 PEN 114
38.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$30.59 MX$557
$19.49 PEN 67.1
56.95%
Cinema Ticket
$4.24 MX$77.1
$7.39 PEN 25.41
-42.63%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Lima
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$231 MX$4,207
$182 PEN 626
27.08%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,373 MX$152.3K
$13.3K PEN 45.8K
-37.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Lima
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.7 MX$1,323
$52.6 PEN 181
38.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.3 MX$970
$34.23 PEN 118
55.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$97.2 MX$1,768
$83.8 PEN 288
16.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$67.5 MX$1,229
$79.0 PEN 272
-14.53%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Lima
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,197 MX$21.8K
$723 PEN 2,488
65.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$758 MX$13.8K
$340 PEN 1,170
122.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,543 MX$46.3K
$1,184 PEN 4,074
114.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,215 MX$22.1K
$635 PEN 2,183
91.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,814 MX$69.4K
$2,449 PEN 8,423
55.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,196 MX$39.9K
$1,372 PEN 4,718
60.12%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Lima
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.8K
$653 PEN 2,245
15.89%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.6
8.94
29.75%

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

Last update for Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: October 5, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
$758
Lima
$340 55.2% $418
Groceries & Markets
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
$304
Lima
$226 25.6% $78
Eating Out
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
$187
Lima
$124 33.5% $63
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
$144
Lima
$117 19.1% $28
Clothing & Footwear
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
$131
Lima
$112 14.2% $19
Getting Around
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
$76
Lima
$43 43% $33
Sport & Entertainment
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
$54
Lima
$48 12% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,197 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur versus $723 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 16% higher in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur versus $35.00 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $304 vs $226 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
🇵🇪 Lima
🕒 Local time
19:05 7:05 PM
21:05 9:05 PM
2 h ahead of Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
202,694
9,989,369 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur Lima 5,280 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
  • 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
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lima cheaper than Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur?
Yes – Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur is pricier by about 67%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,491 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and $1,494 in Lima. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 99% less in Lima. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $231 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and $182 in Lima. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur or in Lima?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lima, where all-in costs run around $996, than in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur at $1,661. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur or Lima more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Lima – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Lima. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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