Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Curridabat and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,739 in Curridabat, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Curridabat
Learn more

Curridabat Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

Curridabat

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,739

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,739 in Curridabat versus $1,012 in Lima.

Curridabat $1,739
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,732 in Curridabat versus $1,589 in Lima.

Curridabat $2,732
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,724 in Curridabat versus $2,167 in Lima.

Curridabat $3,724
Lima $2,167

Living in Curridabat is roughly 72% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Curridabat is 29% above, Lima is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.77 ₡4,839

$4.40 PEN 15.08

144.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.6 ₡25.0K

$35.17 PEN 121

58.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.04 ₡4,510

$6.89 PEN 23.61

45.72%

Cappuccino

$4.49 ₡2,016

$3.26 PEN 11.19

37.73%

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

$1.96 ₡881

$1.12 PEN 3.83

75.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$0.62 PEN 2.11

116.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 ₡1,498

$2.65 PEN 9.08

25.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₡1,364

$4.41 PEN 15.12

-31.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₡1,071

$1.63 PEN 5.60

46.01%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,401

$2.56 PEN 8.76

21.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,082

$1.35 PEN 4.64

78.52%

Eggs

$3.51 ₡1,579

$2.90 PEN 9.94

21.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 ₡4,725

$8.85 PEN 30.33

18.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 ₡4,621

$5.98 PEN 20.49

71.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 ₡6,273

$9.78 PEN 33.54

42.74%

Apples (1kg)

$5.05 ₡2,271

$2.05 PEN 7.01

146.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡730

$1.06 PEN 3.65

52.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.66 ₡2,095

$1.35 PEN 4.63

245.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 ₡1,712

$1.50 PEN 5.14

154.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 ₡1,734

$0.88 PEN 3.02

338.64%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,605

$0.92 PEN 3.15

288.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ₡501

$0.89 PEN 3.07

24.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₡1,429

$0.90 PEN 3.10

253.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,698

$5.90 PEN 20.24

1.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.29 ₡9,119

$8.52 PEN 29.21

138.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 ₡1,287

$1.88 PEN 6.44

52.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 ₡1,617

$3.22 PEN 11.03

11.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ₡651

$0.68 PEN 2.33

113.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ₡1,065

$3.81 PEN 13.07

-37.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 ₡728

$2.02 PEN 6.92

-19.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.69 ₡3,904

$7.11 PEN 24.37

22.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 ₡693

$1.72 PEN 5.90

-10.47%

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

$21.9K ₡9.8M

$22.3K PEN 76.5K

-1.97%

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

$35.4K ₡15.9M

$25.5K PEN 87.4K

38.75%

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

$96.2 ₡43.2K

$73.1 PEN 251

31.61%

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

$35.78 ₡16.1K

$16.35 PEN 56.1

118.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.4 ₡27.1K

$27.47 PEN 94.2

119.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.9 ₡30.5K

$31.90 PEN 109

112.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.6

Cinema Ticket

$7.49 ₡3,366

$7.05 PEN 24.19

6.24%

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

$998 ₡448.6K

$182 PEN 626

447.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ₡7.8M

$13.0K PEN 44.7K

33.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.8 ₡32.7K

$53.8 PEN 184

35.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 ₡24.7K

$34.32 PEN 118

60.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.7K

$82.8 PEN 284

55.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡59.9K

$78.2 PEN 268

70.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$815 ₡366.4K

$721 PEN 2,472

13.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 ₡299.5K

$343 PEN 1,177

94.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,891 ₡849.9K

$1,219 PEN 4,179

55.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,315 ₡590.9K

$651 PEN 2,231

102.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,278

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,653

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$506 ₡227.3K

$648 PEN 2,222

-21.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

8.94

-3.58%

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

Last update for Curridabat: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Curridabat

$666 38.3%

Lima

$343 33.9% 48.5% $323

Groceries & Markets

Curridabat

$400 23%

Lima

$226 22.3% 43.5% $174

Eating Out

Curridabat

$206 11.9%

Lima

$124 12.3% 39.8% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Curridabat

$192 11.1%

Lima

$117 11.6% 39.2% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Curridabat

$175 10.1%

Lima

$112 11.1% 36% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Curridabat

$83 4.8%

Lima

$46 4.6% 44.5% $37

Getting Around

Curridabat

$16 * 0.9%

Lima

$43 4.3% 167% $27

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 $815 in Curridabat and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 28% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $56.0 in Curridabat vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $400 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Curridabat

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

04:43 4:43 AM

05:43 5:43 AM

1 h ahead of Curridabat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,000

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Curridabat Lima 2,560 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Curridabat
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

Curridabat vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 72% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 28% lower in Lima. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $815 in Curridabat versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $998 in Curridabat versus $182 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Lima – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $56.0 in Curridabat. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,739 in Curridabat, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Curridabat. The gap between the two cities makes Lima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lima is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Curridabat, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Curridabat 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 72% less than in Curridabat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.