Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guadalajara and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,302 in Guadalajara, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Guadalajara
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Guadalajara Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,302

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,302 in Guadalajara versus $996 in Lima.

Guadalajara $1,302
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,119 in Guadalajara versus $1,594 in Lima.

Guadalajara $2,119
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,936 in Guadalajara versus $2,191 in Lima.

Guadalajara $2,936
Lima $2,191

Living in Guadalajara is roughly 31% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Guadalajara 3% lower, Lima 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.67 MX$249

$4.42 PEN 15.21

209.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.72 MX$813

$35.04 PEN 121

27.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.08 MX$165

$6.84 PEN 23.52

32.75%

Cappuccino

$3.90 MX$70.9

$3.27 PEN 11.26

19.27%

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

$1.67 MX$30.40

$1.10 PEN 3.80

51.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$21.36

$0.65 PEN 2.23

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 MX$49.24

$2.58 PEN 8.88

5.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 MX$88.7

$4.47 PEN 15.39

9.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 MX$32.08

$1.59 PEN 5.48

10.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.62 MX$47.68

$2.58 PEN 8.89

1.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MX$31.39

$1.36 PEN 4.67

27.21%

Eggs

$2.48 MX$45.14

$2.95 PEN 10.14

-15.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.99 MX$164

$9.10 PEN 31.30

-1.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 MX$181

$5.81 PEN 19.98

71.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.52 MX$209

$9.83 PEN 33.80

17.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.1

$2.01 PEN 6.92

45.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 MX$29.08

$1.08 PEN 3.70

48.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.03

$1.37 PEN 4.71

48.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 MX$31.97

$1.48 PEN 5.08

18.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.43

$0.96 PEN 3.32

108.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$32.73

$0.85 PEN 2.93

111.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 MX$27.16

$0.88 PEN 3.03

69.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$19.69

$0.87 PEN 2.98

24.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.63 MX$84.1

$5.90 PEN 20.31

-21.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.82 MX$197

$8.81 PEN 30.31

22.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 MX$35.22

$1.92 PEN 6.59

1.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 MX$61.5

$3.20 PEN 11.02

5.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 MX$10.55

$0.68 PEN 2.33

-14.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.62 MX$557

$26.74 PEN 92.0

14.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.20 MX$39.94

$3.81 PEN 13.10

-42.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 MX$25.62

$2.04 PEN 7.02

-30.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.36 MX$225

$7.14 PEN 24.57

73.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.65

$1.65 PEN 5.67

-7.88%

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

$21.1K MX$383.9K

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

-4.82%

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

$24.1K MX$438.1K

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

-6.17%

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

$49.59 MX$902

$73.0 PEN 251

-32.11%

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

$22.94 MX$417

$16.26 PEN 55.9

41.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.15 MX$567

$27.60 PEN 94.9

12.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.66 MX$521

$33.07 PEN 114

-13.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.30 MX$206

$19.49 PEN 67.1

-42.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.57 MX$119

$7.39 PEN 25.41

-11.10%

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

$253 MX$4,602

$182 PEN 626

39.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K MX$197.9K

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

-18.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.1 MX$1,093

$52.6 PEN 181

14.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.27 MX$733

$34.23 PEN 118

17.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$1,965

$83.8 PEN 288

28.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.1 MX$1,511

$79.0 PEN 272

5.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$856 MX$15.6K

$723 PEN 2,488

18.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 MX$9,039

$340 PEN 1,170

46.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,571 MX$28.6K

$1,184 PEN 4,074

32.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 MX$18.3K

$635 PEN 2,183

58.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,101 MX$56.4K

$2,449 PEN 8,423

26.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,953 MX$35.5K

$1,372 PEN 4,718

42.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$776 MX$14.1K

$653 PEN 2,245

18.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

8.94

30.65%

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

Last update for Guadalajara: October 6, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guadalajara

$497 37.8%

Lima

$340 33.6% 31.6% $157

Groceries & Markets

Guadalajara

$280 21.3%

Lima

$226 22.4% 19.1% $53

Eating Out

Guadalajara

$218 16.6%

Lima

$124 12.3% 43.1% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Guadalajara

$131 10%

Lima

$112 11.1% 14.4% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guadalajara

$104 7.9%

Lima

$117 11.6% 12.7% $13

Getting Around

Guadalajara

$42 3.2%

Lima

$43 4.3% 3.1% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Guadalajara

$42 3.2%

Lima

$48 4.7% 14.5% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $856 in Guadalajara and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Guadalajara pays 19% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $45.00 in Guadalajara vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $280 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Guadalajara

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

00:22 12:22 AM

01:22 1:22 AM

1 h ahead of Guadalajara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,385,629

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 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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Between locations

Guadalajara Lima 4,640 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Guadalajara
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

Guadalajara vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Guadalajara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lima the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 19% higher in Guadalajara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $856 in Guadalajara versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Guadalajara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lima – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $45.00 in Guadalajara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,302 in Guadalajara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Guadalajara. The gap between the two cities makes Lima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lima delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $996 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lima hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Guadalajara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.