Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chimaltenango and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Chimaltenango: $745 a month against $996 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lima outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

37

Cost of Living Index in Chimaltenango
Learn more

Chimaltenango Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

Chimaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$745

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $745 per month in Chimaltenango vs $996 in Lima, rent included.

Chimaltenango $745
Lima $996

A couple spends around $1,229 per month in Chimaltenango vs $1,594 in Lima, rent included.

Chimaltenango $1,229
Lima $1,594

A family of three spends $1,712 per month in Chimaltenango vs $2,191 in Lima, rent included.

Chimaltenango $1,712
Lima $2,191

Chimaltenango is about 25% cheaper than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chimaltenango and Lima are more affordable than the global median – Chimaltenango 44% lower, Lima 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.92 Q 52.9

$4.42 PEN 15.16

56.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.80 Q 381

$35.04 PEN 120

42.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.69 Q 58.8

$6.84 PEN 23.44

12.43%

Cappuccino

$3.36 Q 25.67

$3.27 PEN 11.22

2.75%

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

$1.16 Q 8.88

$1.10 PEN 3.78

5.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 Q 7.10

$0.65 PEN 2.22

43.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 Q 24.36

$2.58 PEN 8.85

23.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.85 Q 37.04

$4.47 PEN 15.34

8.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 Q 15.30

$1.59 PEN 5.46

25.79%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 Q 23.94

$2.58 PEN 8.86

21.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 Q 15.96

$1.36 PEN 4.65

53.68%

Eggs

$2.56 Q 19.59

$2.95 PEN 10.11

-13.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.46 Q 49.37

$9.10 PEN 31.19

-29.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.44 Q 72.1

$5.81 PEN 19.91

62.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 Q 103

$9.83 PEN 33.68

37.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 Q 30.54

$2.01 PEN 6.89

99.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 Q 12.66

$1.08 PEN 3.69

53.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 Q 21.56

$1.37 PEN 4.70

105.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 Q 12.70

$1.48 PEN 5.06

12.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 Q 11.27

$0.96 PEN 3.30

54.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 Q 16.08

$0.85 PEN 2.92

147.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 Q 5.17

$0.88 PEN 3.02

-22.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 Q 8.78

$0.87 PEN 2.97

32.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 Q 30.48

$5.90 PEN 20.24

-32.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.36 Q 63.9

$8.81 PEN 30.21

-5.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 Q 13.36

$1.92 PEN 6.57

-8.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 Q 20.49

$3.20 PEN 10.98

-16.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 91.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.27 Q 40.28

$3.81 PEN 13.06

38.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.00

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.27 Q 78.5

$7.14 PEN 24.49

43.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 Q 9.28

$1.65 PEN 5.65

-26.67%

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

$27.9K Q 213.3K

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

25.86%

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

$25.3K Q 193.1K

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

-1.53%

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

$72.4 Q 553

$73.0 PEN 250

-0.89%

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

$29.30 Q 224

$16.26 PEN 55.7

80.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.04 Q 359

$27.60 PEN 94.6

70.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 113

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 66.8

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 Q 48.43

$7.39 PEN 25.33

-14.21%

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

$338 Q 2,583

$182 PEN 624

85.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,593 Q 50.4K

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

-50.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.38 Q 377

$52.6 PEN 180

-6.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.63 Q 364

$34.23 PEN 117

39.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 Q 889

$83.8 PEN 287

38.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 Q 873

$79.0 PEN 271

44.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,479

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,166

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,060

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,176

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,394

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,702

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,237

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.62

8.94

29.98%

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

Last update for Chimaltenango: October 4, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chimaltenango

$282 37.7%

Lima

$226 22.4% 19.9% $56

Eating Out

Chimaltenango

$153 20.4%

Lima

$124 12.3% 18.8% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chimaltenango

$149 19.9%

Lima

$117 11.6% 21.4% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Chimaltenango

$147 19.7%

Lima

$112 11.1% 23.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Chimaltenango

$13 * 1.7%

Lima

$48 4.7% 277% $35

Getting Around

Chimaltenango

$5.3 * 0.7%

Lima

$43 4.3% 725% $38

Accommodation & Living

Chimaltenango

- * 0%

Lima

$340 33.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Chimaltenango versus $35.00 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $282 vs $226 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Chimaltenango

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

23:22 11:22 PM

00:22 12:22 AM

1 h ahead of Chimaltenango

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,900

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.57 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

USD to GTQ in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chimaltenango Lima 3,340 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chimaltenango
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

Chimaltenango vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima costs about 34% more than Chimaltenango, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,117 per month in Chimaltenango and $1,494 in Lima. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Chimaltenango and $35.00 in Lima. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 25% 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 Chimaltenango, where all-in costs run around $745, than in Lima at $996. In Chimaltenango it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lima it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chimaltenango costs $745 versus $996 in Lima. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Chimaltenango. 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.