Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cafayate and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,244 in Cafayate, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Cafayate
Learn more

Cafayate Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

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Cafayate

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,244

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Cafayate vs $1,012 in Lima, rent included.

Cafayate $1,244
Lima $1,012

A couple spends around $2,042 per month in Cafayate vs $1,589 in Lima, rent included.

Cafayate $2,042
Lima $1,589

A family of three spends $2,839 per month in Cafayate vs $2,167 in Lima, rent included.

Cafayate $2,839
Lima $2,167

Cafayate costs about 23% more than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cafayate and Lima are more affordable than the global median – Cafayate 8% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 ARS 25.3K

$4.40 PEN 15.10

278.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ARS 86.8K

$35.17 PEN 121

62.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.70 ARS 19.3K

$6.89 PEN 23.65

84.33%

Cappuccino

$3.79 ARS 5,758

$3.26 PEN 11.20

16.26%

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

$2.17 ARS 3,299

$1.12 PEN 3.84

93.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ARS 2,778

$0.62 PEN 2.11

195.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 ARS 6,086

$2.65 PEN 9.09

51.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.21 ARS 6,395

$4.41 PEN 15.15

-4.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ARS 1,894

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-23.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 ARS 3,768

$2.56 PEN 8.78

-3.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ARS 3,076

$1.35 PEN 4.65

50.37%

Eggs

$2.79 ARS 4,232

$2.90 PEN 9.96

-3.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.95 ARS 15.1K

$8.85 PEN 30.38

12.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.36 ARS 12.7K

$5.98 PEN 20.52

39.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 ARS 18.1K

$9.78 PEN 33.59

22.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 ARS 3,862

$2.05 PEN 7.02

23.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ARS 3,498

$1.06 PEN 3.66

117.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 ARS 2,655

$1.35 PEN 4.64

29.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.66 ARS 4,039

$1.50 PEN 5.15

77.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 ARS 1,548

$0.88 PEN 3.03

15.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 ARS 1,365

$0.92 PEN 3.15

-2.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,612

$0.90 PEN 3.10

91.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 ARS 5,754

$5.90 PEN 20.27

-35.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.24 ARS 7,945

$8.52 PEN 29.26

-38.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 ARS 3,202

$1.88 PEN 6.45

12.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ARS 4,842

$3.22 PEN 11.05

-0.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 ARS 1,647

$0.68 PEN 2.33

60.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 ARS 2,579

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-55.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ARS 2,036

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-22.09%

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

$31.5K ARS 47.8M

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

41.06%

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

$38.1K ARS 57.8M

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

49.34%

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

$107 ARS 161.9K

$73.1 PEN 251

46.01%

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

$19.80 ARS 30.1K

$16.35 PEN 56.2

21.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.60 ARS 38.9K

$27.47 PEN 94.3

-6.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.21 ARS 47.4K

$31.90 PEN 110

-2.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$7.05 PEN 24.23

12.06%

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

$255 ARS 387.5K

$182 PEN 627

39.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.3 ARS 146.1K

$53.8 PEN 185

78.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 ARS 183.1K

$82.8 PEN 284

45.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ARS 182.4K

$78.2 PEN 269

53.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$443 ARS 671.6K

$721 PEN 2,476

-38.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 ARS 549.4K

$343 PEN 1,179

5.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 ARS 1.6M

$1,219 PEN 4,186

-14.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$798 ARS 1.2M

$651 PEN 2,235

22.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

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

Last update for Cafayate: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cafayate

$362 29.1%

Lima

$343 33.9% 5.1% $19

Groceries & Markets

Cafayate

$264 * 21.2%

Lima

$226 22.3% 14.4% $38

Eating Out

Cafayate

$261 21%

Lima

$124 12.3% 52.6% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cafayate

$152 12.2%

Lima

$117 11.6% 23.1% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Cafayate

$152 * 12.2%

Lima

$112 11.1% 26.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Cafayate

$47 3.8%

Lima

$46 4.6% 2.1% $1

Getting Around

Cafayate

$6 * 0.5%

Lima

$43 4.3% 620% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $443 in Cafayate 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Cafayate versus $35.00 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $226 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Cafayate

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

10:52 10:52 AM

08:52 8:52 AM

2 h behind Cafayate

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,850

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cafayate Lima 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Cafayate
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

Cafayate vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,244 in Cafayate, $1,012 in Lima – roughly 23% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,866 per month in Cafayate 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Cafayate and $35.00 in Lima. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Cafayate, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lima, where all-in costs run around $1,012, than in Cafayate at $1,244. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cafayate 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 $1,244 in Cafayate. 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, Cafayate makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.