Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ecatepec and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Ecatepec: $961 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $610 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lima outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

47

Cost of Living Index in Ecatepec
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Ecatepec Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Ecatepec

🇲🇽 Mexico

$961

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $961 per month in Ecatepec vs $1,012 in Lima, rent included.

Ecatepec $961
Lima $1,012

A couple spends around $1,670 per month in Ecatepec vs $1,589 in Lima, rent included.

Ecatepec $1,670
Lima $1,589

A family of three spends $2,380 per month in Ecatepec vs $2,167 in Lima, rent included.

Ecatepec $2,380
Lima $2,167

Ecatepec is about 5% cheaper than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ecatepec and Lima are more affordable than the global median – Ecatepec 29% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.14 MX$206

$4.40 PEN 15.10

153.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.1 MX$926

$35.17 PEN 121

42.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.57 MX$177

$6.89 PEN 23.65

38.90%

Cappuccino

$3.71 MX$68.6

$3.26 PEN 11.20

13.80%

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

$1.62 MX$30.02

$1.12 PEN 3.84

44.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.09

$0.62 PEN 2.11

75.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$2.65 PEN 9.09

27.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 MX$103

$4.41 PEN 15.15

26.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.71

$1.63 PEN 5.61

5.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.66 MX$49.12

$2.56 PEN 8.78

3.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.17

$1.35 PEN 4.65

45.19%

Eggs

$2.75 MX$50.9

$2.90 PEN 9.96

-5.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.82 MX$163

$8.85 PEN 30.38

-0.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 MX$168

$5.98 PEN 20.52

52.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 MX$249

$9.78 PEN 33.59

37.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 MX$58.0

$2.05 PEN 7.02

53.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 MX$30.74

$1.06 PEN 3.66

56.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.65

$1.35 PEN 4.64

51.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.12

$1.50 PEN 5.15

26.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 MX$33.16

$0.88 PEN 3.03

103.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 MX$32.42

$0.92 PEN 3.15

90.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 MX$27.48

$0.89 PEN 3.07

67.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$21.95

$0.90 PEN 3.10

32.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.59 MX$84.9

$5.90 PEN 20.27

-22.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.62 MX$307

$8.52 PEN 29.26

95.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.88 PEN 6.45

2.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 MX$70.7

$3.22 PEN 11.05

18.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.72

$0.68 PEN 2.33

-7.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.01 MX$573

$26.86 PEN 92.2

15.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.99 MX$36.81

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-47.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.68

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-74.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.32 MX$98.3

$7.11 PEN 24.41

-25.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.48

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-10.47%

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

$21.5K MX$397.7K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

-3.54%

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

$23.5K MX$434.5K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

-7.81%

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

$57.7 MX$1,067

$73.1 PEN 251

-20.99%

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

$27.01 MX$499

$16.35 PEN 56.2

65.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.74 MX$457

$27.47 PEN 94.3

-9.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.37 MX$487

$31.90 PEN 110

-17.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.00 MX$203

$19.41 PEN 66.7

-43.33%

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 MX$120

$7.05 PEN 24.23

-8.23%

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

$270 MX$4,996

$182 PEN 627

48.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,048 MX$93.3K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

-61.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 MX$1,092

$53.8 PEN 185

9.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.94 MX$830

$34.32 PEN 118

30.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 MX$1,855

$82.8 PEN 284

21.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 MX$1,826

$78.2 PEN 269

26.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$243 MX$4,487

$721 PEN 2,476

-66.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 MX$2,550

$343 PEN 1,179

-59.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 MX$12.6K

$1,219 PEN 4,186

-43.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$444 MX$8,205

$651 PEN 2,235

-31.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$755 MX$14.0K

$2,414 PEN 8,292

-68.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$755 MX$13.9K

$1,357 PEN 4,660

-44.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$553 MX$10.2K

$648 PEN 2,226

-14.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

8.94

26.40%

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

Last update for Ecatepec: 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

Ecatepec

$298 31%

Lima

$226 22.3% 24.2% $72

Eating Out

Ecatepec

$201 21%

Lima

$124 12.3% 38.4% $77

Accommodation & Living

Ecatepec

$138 14.4%

Lima

$343 33.9% 149% $205

Clothing & Footwear

Ecatepec

$136 14.2%

Lima

$112 11.1% 17.8% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ecatepec

$109 11.4%

Lima

$117 11.6% 6.8% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Ecatepec

$39 4.1%

Lima

$46 4.6% 17.1% $6.7

Getting Around

Ecatepec

$38 4%

Lima

$43 4.3% 13.9% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $243 in Ecatepec versus $721 in Lima. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 17% higher in Lima, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Ecatepec versus $35.00 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $226 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ecatepec

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

04:14 4:14 AM

05:14 5:14 AM

1 h ahead of Ecatepec

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,645,352

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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Highest

Between locations

Ecatepec Lima 4,270 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ecatepec
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

Ecatepec vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $961 in Ecatepec, $1,012 in Lima – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,441 per month in Ecatepec and $1,518 in Lima. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ecatepec, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $961 in Ecatepec and $1,012 in Lima. That's a gap of about 5%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ecatepec, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Lima at $1,012. In Ecatepec it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lima it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lima has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $961 in Ecatepec to $1,012 in Lima. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Ecatepec. 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.