Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiquimula and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiquimula: $829 a month against $996 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lima outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Chiquimula

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$829

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $829 per month in Chiquimula vs $996 in Lima, rent included.

Chiquimula $829
Lima $996

A couple spends around $1,379 per month in Chiquimula vs $1,594 in Lima, rent included.

Chiquimula $1,379
Lima $1,594

A family of three spends $1,929 per month in Chiquimula vs $2,191 in Lima, rent included.

Chiquimula $1,929
Lima $2,191

Chiquimula is about 17% cheaper than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiquimula and Lima are more affordable than the global median – Chiquimula 38% lower, Lima 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.60 Q 65.7

$4.42 PEN 15.16

94.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.6 Q 402

$35.04 PEN 120

50.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.85 Q 67.6

$6.84 PEN 23.44

29.39%

Cappuccino

$4.00 Q 30.56

$3.27 PEN 11.22

22.32%

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

$2.12 Q 16.24

$1.10 PEN 3.78

92.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 Q 11.11

$0.65 PEN 2.22

123.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 Q 30.02

$2.58 PEN 8.85

52.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.04 Q 46.12

$4.47 PEN 15.34

35.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 Q 15.56

$1.59 PEN 5.46

28.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 Q 27.43

$2.58 PEN 8.86

39.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 Q 15.30

$1.36 PEN 4.65

47.06%

Eggs

$2.35 Q 17.95

$2.95 PEN 10.11

-20.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.34 Q 40.77

$9.10 PEN 31.19

-41.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.79 Q 105

$5.81 PEN 19.91

137.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.20 Q 78.0

$9.83 PEN 33.68

3.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.75 Q 36.29

$2.01 PEN 6.89

136.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 Q 18.15

$1.08 PEN 3.69

120.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.24 Q 40.05

$1.37 PEN 4.70

282.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 Q 12.11

$1.48 PEN 5.06

6.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Q 14.17

$0.96 PEN 3.30

92.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 Q 13.48

$0.85 PEN 2.92

107.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 Q 9.91

$0.88 PEN 3.02

47.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 Q 10.48

$0.87 PEN 2.97

57.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 Q 29.85

$5.90 PEN 20.24

-33.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 Q 59.7

$8.81 PEN 30.21

-11.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 Q 21.88

$1.92 PEN 6.57

48.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 Q 28.85

$3.20 PEN 10.98

18.12%

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)

$4.73 Q 36.14

$3.81 PEN 13.06

24.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.00

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.49

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 Q 9.52

$1.65 PEN 5.65

-24.24%

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

$22.7K Q 173.7K

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

2.50%

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

$21.4K Q 163.8K

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

-16.51%

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

$56.5 Q 432

$73.0 PEN 250

-22.69%

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

$39.05 Q 298

$16.26 PEN 55.7

140.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.1 Q 475

$27.60 PEN 94.6

125.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 113

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 66.8

Cinema Ticket

$8.27 Q 63.2

$7.39 PEN 25.33

11.91%

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

$545 Q 4,163

$182 PEN 624

199.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K Q 108.8K

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

6.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.74 Q 334

$52.6 PEN 180

-16.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.2 Q 406

$34.23 PEN 117

55.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 Q 717

$83.8 PEN 287

12.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.6 Q 616

$79.0 PEN 271

1.97%

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 %)

8.94

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

Last update for Chiquimula: October 3, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiquimula

–

Lima

$340 33.6%

Groceries & Markets

Chiquimula

–

Lima

$226 22.4%

Eating Out

Chiquimula

–

Lima

$124 12.3%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiquimula

–

Lima

$117 11.6%

Clothing & Footwear

Chiquimula

–

Lima

$112 11.1%

Sport & Entertainment

Chiquimula

–

Lima

$48 4.7%

Getting Around

Chiquimula

–

Lima

$43 4.3%

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53.0 in Chiquimula versus $35.00 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $226 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Chiquimula

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

04:04 4:04 AM

1 h ahead of Chiquimula

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,815

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

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Between locations

Chiquimula Lima 3,290 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiquimula
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

Chiquimula vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lima is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,243 per month in Chiquimula 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 $53.0 in Chiquimula 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 43% cheaper in Lima – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Chiquimula, where all-in costs run around $829, than in Lima at $996. In Chiquimula it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lima it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chiquimula – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Chiquimula. 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.