Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Viejo and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in El Viejo: $819 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lima outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

40

Cost of Living Index in El Viejo
Learn more

El Viejo Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

El Viejo

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$819

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $819 in El Viejo versus $1,012 in Lima.

El Viejo $819
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,281 in El Viejo versus $1,589 in Lima.

El Viejo $1,281
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,744 in El Viejo versus $2,167 in Lima.

El Viejo $1,744
Lima $2,167

Living in El Viejo costs roughly 19% less than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: El Viejo 39% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 NIO 368

$4.40 PEN 15.10

128.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.93 NIO 1,279

$35.17 PEN 121

-0.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 NIO 274

$6.89 PEN 23.65

8.71%

Cappuccino

$2.59 NIO 94.8

$3.26 PEN 11.20

-20.55%

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

$0.84 NIO 30.75

$1.12 PEN 3.84

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 NIO 24.80

$0.62 PEN 2.11

9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 NIO 56.0

$2.65 PEN 9.09

-42.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 NIO 81.7

$4.41 PEN 15.15

-49.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 NIO 46.47

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-22.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 NIO 88.6

$2.56 PEN 8.78

-5.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 NIO 66.6

$1.35 PEN 4.65

34.81%

Eggs

$2.39 NIO 87.7

$2.90 PEN 9.96

-17.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 NIO 418

$8.85 PEN 30.38

28.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.42 NIO 235

$5.98 PEN 20.52

7.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.83 NIO 287

$9.78 PEN 33.59

-19.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 NIO 151

$2.05 PEN 7.02

100.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.58 NIO 21.37

$1.06 PEN 3.66

-45.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 NIO 65.3

$1.35 PEN 4.64

31.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 NIO 88.2

$1.50 PEN 5.15

60.67%

Potato (1kg)

$4.02 NIO 147

$0.88 PEN 3.03

356.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 NIO 79.3

$0.92 PEN 3.15

135.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 NIO 39.59

$0.89 PEN 3.07

21.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 NIO 38.36

$0.90 PEN 3.10

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.76 NIO 101

$5.90 PEN 20.27

-53.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.69 NIO 538

$8.52 PEN 29.26

72.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 NIO 53.8

$1.88 PEN 6.45

-21.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 NIO 79.0

$3.22 PEN 11.05

-32.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 NIO 58.1

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-58.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 NIO 59.3

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-19.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.88 NIO 252

$7.11 PEN 24.41

-3.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 NIO 48.19

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-23.26%

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

$23.4K NIO 856.7K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

4.84%

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

$26.5K NIO 969.5K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

3.79%

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

$151 NIO 5,517

$73.1 PEN 251

106.14%

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

$19.34 NIO 708

$16.35 PEN 56.2

18.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.75 NIO 1,199

$27.47 PEN 94.3

19.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 NIO 332

$7.05 PEN 24.23

28.65%

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

$232 NIO 8,479

$182 PEN 627

26.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,987 NIO 219.3K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

-54.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 NIO 2,179

$53.8 PEN 185

10.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.2 NIO 2,426

$34.32 PEN 118

93.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 NIO 4,406

$82.8 PEN 284

45.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 NIO 5,246

$78.2 PEN 269

83.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.92

8.94

33.33%

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

Last update for El Viejo: 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

El Viejo

$261 31.9%

Lima

$226 22.3% 13.5% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Viejo

$203 24.8%

Lima

$117 11.6% 42.3% $86

Clothing & Footwear

El Viejo

$175 21.4%

Lima

$112 11.1% 36% $63

Eating Out

El Viejo

$152 18.6%

Lima

$124 12.3% 18.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

El Viejo

$18 * 2.2%

Lima

$46 4.6% 154% $28

Getting Around

El Viejo

$9.7 * 1.2%

Lima

$43 4.3% 350% $34

Accommodation & Living

El Viejo

- * 0%

Lima

$343 33.9%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $35.00 in El Viejo vs $35.00 in Lima. Groceries flip the comparison at $261 vs $226, with Lima cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇮 El Viejo

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

14:51 2:51 PM

1 h ahead of El Viejo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,607

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.43 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to NIO – Nicaraguan Córdoba Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇮 Nicaraguan Córdoba (C$)

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 41.18 NIO (100 NIO = 2.43 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to NIO in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

El Viejo Lima 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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

El Viejo is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,229 in El Viejo 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.

Childcare runs $232 in El Viejo 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 Viejo – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $35.00 in Lima. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $819 in El Viejo versus $1,012 in Lima, a $1,500 budget is realistic in El Viejo but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes El Viejo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, El Viejo 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 El Viejo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.