Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Catamarca and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,250 in Catamarca, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Catamarca
Learn more

Catamarca Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

Catamarca

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,250

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Catamarca versus $1,012 in Lima.

Catamarca $1,250
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,133 in Catamarca versus $1,589 in Lima.

Catamarca $2,133
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Catamarca versus $2,167 in Lima.

Catamarca $3,016
Lima $2,167

Living in Catamarca is roughly 24% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Catamarca 7% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 ARS 25.6K

$4.40 PEN 15.15

283.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.8 ARS 96.7K

$35.17 PEN 121

81.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.22 ARS 17.0K

$6.89 PEN 23.73

62.84%

Cappuccino

$3.86 ARS 5,853

$3.26 PEN 11.24

18.40%

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

$2.09 ARS 3,166

$1.12 PEN 3.85

86.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 ARS 3,035

$0.62 PEN 2.12

222.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 ARS 5,169

$2.65 PEN 9.12

28.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.63 ARS 7,020

$4.41 PEN 15.20

4.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ARS 2,236

$1.63 PEN 5.63

-9.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 ARS 3,712

$2.56 PEN 8.81

-4.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 ARS 3,087

$1.35 PEN 4.67

51.11%

Eggs

$2.97 ARS 4,509

$2.90 PEN 9.99

2.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 ARS 14.6K

$8.85 PEN 30.48

8.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.18 ARS 12.4K

$5.98 PEN 20.59

36.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.29 ARS 17.1K

$9.78 PEN 33.71

15.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 ARS 3,165

$2.05 PEN 7.05

1.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 ARS 3,358

$1.06 PEN 3.67

108.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 ARS 2,165

$1.35 PEN 4.65

5.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.61 ARS 3,961

$1.50 PEN 5.17

74.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 ARS 1,765

$0.88 PEN 3.04

31.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 ARS 1,480

$0.92 PEN 3.16

6.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.08

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$0.90 PEN 3.12

88.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 ARS 5,747

$5.90 PEN 20.34

-35.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.52 ARS 6,854

$8.52 PEN 29.36

-46.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 ARS 2,813

$1.88 PEN 6.47

-1.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ARS 4,854

$3.22 PEN 11.09

-0.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ARS 1,403

$0.68 PEN 2.34

36.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.6

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 ARS 2,523

$3.81 PEN 13.14

-56.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.50

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ARS 1,686

$1.72 PEN 5.93

-35.47%

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

$25.9K ARS 39.2M

$22.3K PEN 76.9K

15.96%

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

$34.0K ARS 51.6M

$25.5K PEN 87.9K

33.36%

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

$111 ARS 168.2K

$73.1 PEN 252

51.83%

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

$16.12 ARS 24.4K

$16.35 PEN 56.3

-1.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.95 ARS 43.9K

$27.47 PEN 94.7

5.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.54 ARS 44.8K

$31.90 PEN 110

-7.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.9

Cinema Ticket

$8.40 ARS 12.7K

$7.05 PEN 24.31

19.15%

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

$302 ARS 458.0K

$182 PEN 629

65.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$115 ARS 174.6K

$53.8 PEN 185

114.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 ARS 164.3K

$82.8 PEN 285

30.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 ARS 229.6K

$78.2 PEN 270

93.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$591 ARS 895.7K

$721 PEN 2,485

-18.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 ARS 545.8K

$343 PEN 1,183

4.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,085 ARS 1.6M

$1,219 PEN 4,200

-11.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$928 ARS 1.4M

$651 PEN 2,243

42.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,321

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,676

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,233

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 Catamarca: 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

Catamarca

$360 28.8%

Lima

$343 33.9% 4.6% $16

Eating Out

Catamarca

$258 20.6%

Lima

$124 12.3% 51.9% $134

Groceries & Markets

Catamarca

$256 * 20.5%

Lima

$226 22.3% 11.7% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Catamarca

$169 * 13.5%

Lima

$112 11.1% 33.5% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Catamarca

$156 12.5%

Lima

$117 11.6% 25.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Catamarca

$46 3.7%

Lima

$46 4.6% 0.7% $0.3

Getting Around

Catamarca

$5.4 * 0.4%

Lima

$43 4.3% 711% $38

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 $591 in Catamarca and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $64.0 in Catamarca vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $256 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Catamarca

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

10:51 10:51 AM

08:51 8:51 AM

2 h behind Catamarca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,058

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,693 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.85 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Catamarca Lima 2,170 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Catamarca
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

Catamarca vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Catamarca. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lima the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,875 in Catamarca 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: $591 in Catamarca versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Catamarca. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,250 per month in Catamarca versus $1,012 in Lima – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,250 in Catamarca, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Catamarca. The gap between the two cities makes Lima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lima delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,012 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lima hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Catamarca 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 24% less than in Catamarca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.