Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Castro and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Castro: $875 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Lima despite lower rent and utilities.

50

Cost of Living Index in Castro
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Castro Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Castro

🇨🇱 Chile

$875

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $875 per month in Castro vs $1,012 in Lima, rent included.

Castro $875
Lima $1,012

A couple spends around $1,381 per month in Castro vs $1,589 in Lima, rent included.

Castro $1,381
Lima $1,589

A family of three spends $1,887 per month in Castro vs $2,167 in Lima, rent included.

Castro $1,887
Lima $2,167

Castro is about 14% cheaper than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Castro and Lima are more affordable than the global median – Castro 35% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.29 CLP 8,163

$4.40 PEN 15.10

88.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.10 CLP 45.4K

$35.17 PEN 121

31.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.66 CLP 5,568

$6.89 PEN 23.65

-17.85%

Cappuccino

$1.49 CLP 1,464

$3.26 PEN 11.20

-54.29%

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

$1.20 CLP 1,181

$1.12 PEN 3.84

7.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 CLP 990

$0.62 PEN 2.11

62.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.15 CLP 5,066

$2.65 PEN 9.09

94.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 CLP 7,173

$4.41 PEN 15.15

65.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 CLP 1,065

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-33.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.51 CLP 3,451

$2.56 PEN 8.78

37.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 CLP 1,232

$1.35 PEN 4.65

-7.41%

Eggs

$4.12 CLP 4,056

$2.90 PEN 9.96

42.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.67 CLP 9,523

$8.85 PEN 30.38

9.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 CLP 3,965

$5.98 PEN 20.52

-32.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.49 CLP 8,358

$9.78 PEN 33.59

-13.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.40 CLP 1,373

$2.05 PEN 7.02

-31.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CLP 2,268

$1.06 PEN 3.66

116.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 CLP 1,461

$1.35 PEN 4.64

9.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 CLP 1,947

$1.50 PEN 5.15

32.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 CLP 1,109

$0.88 PEN 3.03

28.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 CLP 1,494

$0.89 PEN 3.07

70.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 CLP 1,531

$0.90 PEN 3.10

73.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.75 CLP 3,688

$5.90 PEN 20.27

-36.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 CLP 7,662

$8.52 PEN 29.26

-8.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 CLP 987

$1.88 PEN 6.45

-46.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 CLP 3,085

$3.22 PEN 11.05

-2.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 CLP 654

$0.68 PEN 2.33

-2.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 CLP 1,282

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-24.42%

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

$15.5K CLP 15.2M

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

-30.71%

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

$18.2K CLP 17.9M

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

-28.56%

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

$131 CLP 128.8K

$73.1 PEN 251

79.09%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.25 CLP 30.8K

$27.47 PEN 94.3

13.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

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

$182 PEN 627

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.0 CLP 79.7K

$82.8 PEN 284

-2.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$355 CLP 349.2K

$721 PEN 2,476

-50.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$290 CLP 285.5K

$343 PEN 1,179

-15.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 CLP 986.6K

$1,219 PEN 4,186

-17.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$576 CLP 566.8K

$651 PEN 2,235

-11.51%

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)

$614 CLP 604.7K

$648 PEN 2,226

-5.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

-21.70%

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

Last update for Castro: 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

Castro

$290 33.2%

Lima

$343 33.9% 18.4% $53

Groceries & Markets

Castro

$234 * 26.7%

Lima

$226 22.3% 3.3% $7.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Castro

$162 * 18.5%

Lima

$117 11.6% 27.9% $45

Eating Out

Castro

$150 17.2%

Lima

$124 12.3% 17.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Castro

$36 * 4.2%

Lima

$112 11.1% 208% $76

Getting Around

Castro

$2.7 * 0.3%

Lima

$43 4.3% 1535% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Castro

- * 0%

Lima

$46 4.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $355 in Castro 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 5% higher in Lima, 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 $46.00 in Castro versus $35.00 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $226 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Castro

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

21:46 9:46 PM

19:46 7:46 PM

2 h behind Castro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,417

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Castro Lima 3,400 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Castro
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

Castro vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima costs about 16% more than Castro, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,313 per month in Castro 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 Castro, 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 $875 in Castro and $1,012 in Lima. That's a gap of about 16%.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Lima – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Castro, where all-in costs run around $875, than in Lima at $1,012. In Castro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lima it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Castro costs $875 versus $1,012 in Lima. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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