Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Celaya and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Celaya: $921 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lima outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Celaya
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Celaya Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Celaya

🇲🇽 Mexico

$921

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $921 in Celaya versus $1,012 in Lima.

Celaya $921
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,452 in Celaya versus $1,589 in Lima.

Celaya $1,452
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,982 in Celaya versus $2,167 in Lima.

Celaya $1,982
Lima $2,167

Living in Celaya costs roughly 9% less than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Celaya 32% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.49 MX$231

$4.40 PEN 15.10

183.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.05 MX$814

$35.17 PEN 121

25.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.21 MX$133

$6.89 PEN 23.65

4.64%

Cappuccino

$3.37 MX$62.3

$3.26 PEN 11.20

3.37%

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

$1.23 MX$22.76

$1.12 PEN 3.84

9.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$19.84

$0.62 PEN 2.11

72.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$2.65 PEN 9.09

-19.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 MX$62.1

$4.41 PEN 15.15

-23.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.70

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-11.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 MX$41.83

$2.56 PEN 8.78

-11.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.29

$1.35 PEN 4.65

9.63%

Eggs

$2.15 MX$39.71

$2.90 PEN 9.96

-25.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.93 MX$147

$8.85 PEN 30.38

-10.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.40 MX$155

$5.98 PEN 20.52

40.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.30 MX$209

$9.78 PEN 33.59

15.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 MX$42.37

$2.05 PEN 7.02

11.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 MX$20.63

$1.06 PEN 3.66

5.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.53

$1.35 PEN 4.64

14.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 MX$19.91

$1.50 PEN 5.15

-28.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 MX$28.74

$0.88 PEN 3.03

77.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 MX$25.67

$0.92 PEN 3.15

51.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 MX$18.12

$0.89 PEN 3.07

10.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 MX$14.87

$0.90 PEN 3.10

-11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 MX$80.0

$5.90 PEN 20.27

-26.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.72 MX$161

$8.52 PEN 29.26

2.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 MX$33.89

$1.88 PEN 6.45

-2.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 MX$62.9

$3.22 PEN 11.05

5.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.61

$0.68 PEN 2.33

-7.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.70 MX$512

$26.86 PEN 92.2

3.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MX$22.14

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-68.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.95

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-44.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.77 MX$199

$7.11 PEN 24.41

51.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$26.33

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-16.86%

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

$21.5K MX$398.1K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

-3.43%

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

$24.0K MX$444.0K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

-5.79%

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

$37.60 MX$695

$73.1 PEN 251

-48.54%

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

$19.37 MX$358

$16.35 PEN 56.2

18.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.55 MX$361

$27.47 PEN 94.3

-28.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.06 MX$611

$31.90 PEN 110

3.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.48 MX$508

$19.41 PEN 66.7

41.58%

Cinema Ticket

$5.13 MX$94.7

$7.05 PEN 24.23

-27.23%

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

$210 MX$3,873

$182 PEN 627

14.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,882 MX$53.3K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

-77.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 MX$1,019

$53.8 PEN 185

2.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.02 MX$703

$34.32 PEN 118

10.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,897

$82.8 PEN 284

23.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.9 MX$1,310

$78.2 PEN 269

-9.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$248 MX$4,588

$721 PEN 2,476

-65.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$220 MX$4,072

$343 PEN 1,179

-35.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$390 MX$7,208

$1,219 PEN 4,186

-68.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$283 MX$5,231

$651 PEN 2,235

-56.50%

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)

$817 MX$15.1K

$648 PEN 2,226

26.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.2

8.94

25.28%

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

Last update for Celaya: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Celaya

$235 25.6%

Lima

$226 22.3% 4% $9.5

Accommodation & Living

Celaya

$220 23.9%

Lima

$343 33.9% 55.8% $123

Eating Out

Celaya

$189 20.5%

Lima

$124 12.3% 34.3% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Celaya

$120 13%

Lima

$112 11.1% 6.6% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Celaya

$77 8.3%

Lima

$117 11.6% 52.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Celaya

$43 4.7%

Lima

$46 4.6% 6.2% $2.7

Getting Around

Celaya

$37 4%

Lima

$43 4.3% 17.3% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $248 in Celaya and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Celaya pays 26% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44.00 in Celaya vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Celaya

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

21:35 9:35 PM

22:35 10:35 PM

1 h ahead of Celaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

378,143

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 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 MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Celaya Lima 4,460 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Celaya
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

Celaya vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Celaya and Lima differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($921 vs $1,012 including rent). Celaya is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 26% higher in Celaya, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $248 in Celaya versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Celaya – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $35.00 in Lima. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $921 per month in Celaya versus $1,012 in Lima – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $921 in Celaya versus $1,012 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Celaya but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Celaya the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Celaya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.