Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Calafate and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in El Calafate: $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 El Calafate
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El Calafate Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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El Calafate

🇦🇷 Argentina

$961

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $961 in El Calafate versus $1,012 in Lima.

El Calafate $961
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,574 in El Calafate versus $1,589 in Lima.

El Calafate $1,574
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,187 in El Calafate versus $2,167 in Lima.

El Calafate $2,187
Lima $2,167

Living in El Calafate costs roughly 5% less than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: El Calafate 29% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.66 ARS 16.2K

$4.40 PEN 15.10

142.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.87 ARS 51.4K

$35.17 PEN 121

-3.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.85 ARS 13.4K

$6.89 PEN 23.65

28.45%

Cappuccino

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$3.26 PEN 11.20

-15.03%

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

$1.64 ARS 2,484

$1.12 PEN 3.84

46.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ARS 2,268

$0.62 PEN 2.11

140.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 ARS 3,157

$2.65 PEN 9.09

-21.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 ARS 4,452

$4.41 PEN 15.15

-33.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ARS 1,887

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-23.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ARS 2,446

$2.56 PEN 8.78

-37.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 ARS 2,930

$1.35 PEN 4.65

42.96%

Eggs

$2.20 ARS 3,346

$2.90 PEN 9.96

-24.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.29 ARS 15.6K

$8.85 PEN 30.38

16.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.07 ARS 9,209

$5.98 PEN 20.52

1.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.50 ARS 14.4K

$9.78 PEN 33.59

-2.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 ARS 2,963

$2.05 PEN 7.02

-4.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 ARS 3,205

$1.06 PEN 3.66

99.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 ARS 2,015

$1.35 PEN 4.64

-1.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.62 ARS 3,973

$1.50 PEN 5.15

74.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ARS 1,808

$0.88 PEN 3.03

35.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,821

$0.92 PEN 3.15

30.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ARS 1,973

$0.89 PEN 3.07

46.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 ARS 2,245

$0.90 PEN 3.10

64.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.16 ARS 4,800

$5.90 PEN 20.27

-46.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.97 ARS 7,536

$8.52 PEN 29.26

-41.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 ARS 3,133

$1.88 PEN 6.45

9.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ARS 4,799

$3.22 PEN 11.05

-1.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 ARS 1,159

$0.68 PEN 2.33

11.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ARS 2,293

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-60.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 ARS 1,322

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-56.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.89 ARS 8,934

$7.11 PEN 24.41

-17.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ARS 1,600

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-38.95%

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

$27.4K ARS 41.6M

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

22.96%

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

$30.2K ARS 45.9M

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

18.51%

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

$66.5 ARS 100.9K

$73.1 PEN 251

-9.01%

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

$16.85 ARS 25.6K

$16.35 PEN 56.2

3.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.42 ARS 34.0K

$27.47 PEN 94.3

-18.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.64 ARS 40.4K

$31.90 PEN 110

-16.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.53 ARS 20.5K

$19.41 PEN 66.7

-30.29%

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 ARS 9,617

$7.05 PEN 24.23

-10.07%

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

$224 ARS 340.0K

$182 PEN 627

22.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,679 ARS 4.1M

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

-79.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 ARS 110.3K

$53.8 PEN 185

35.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.7 ARS 107.3K

$34.32 PEN 118

106.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.7K

$82.8 PEN 284

38.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 ARS 172.2K

$78.2 PEN 269

45.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$342 ARS 518.6K

$721 PEN 2,476

-52.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ARS 357.2K

$343 PEN 1,179

-31.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ARS 1.1M

$1,219 PEN 4,186

-43.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$533 ARS 809.3K

$651 PEN 2,235

-18.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$2,414 PEN 8,292

-23.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,600 ARS 2.4M

$1,357 PEN 4,660

17.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

58.5

8.94

554.36%

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

Last update for El Calafate: 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

El Calafate

$235 24.5%

Lima

$343 33.9% 45.9% $108

Groceries & Markets

El Calafate

$231 24%

Lima

$226 22.3% 2.2% $5.2

Eating Out

El Calafate

$174 18.1%

Lima

$124 12.3% 28.7% $50

Clothing & Footwear

El Calafate

$167 17.4%

Lima

$112 11.1% 32.9% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Calafate

$106 11%

Lima

$117 11.6% 10.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

El Calafate

$39 4.1%

Lima

$46 4.6% 17% $6.7

Getting Around

El Calafate

$8.9 * 0.9%

Lima

$43 4.3% 387% $35

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 $342 in El Calafate and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $34.00 in El Calafate vs $35.00 in Lima. Groceries flip the comparison at $231 vs $226, with Lima cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 El Calafate

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

09:32 9:32 AM

2 h behind El Calafate

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,844

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

El Calafate Lima 4,280 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

El Calafate
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

El Calafate vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Calafate and Lima differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($961 vs $1,012 including rent). El Calafate is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,442 in El Calafate and $1,518 in Lima to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $342 in El Calafate versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $224 in El Calafate 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 El Calafate – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $35.00 in Lima. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $961 in El Calafate versus $1,012 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in El Calafate but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes El Calafate 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 El Calafate gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.