Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guanacaste and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,548 in Guanacaste, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Guanacaste
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Guanacaste Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

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Guanacaste

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,548

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Guanacaste vs $1,012 in Lima, rent included.

Guanacaste $1,548
Lima $1,012

A couple spends around $2,428 per month in Guanacaste vs $1,589 in Lima, rent included.

Guanacaste $2,428
Lima $1,589

A family of three spends $3,309 per month in Guanacaste vs $2,167 in Lima, rent included.

Guanacaste $3,309
Lima $2,167

Guanacaste costs about 53% more than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Guanacaste sits 15% above the global median, while Lima is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.82 ₡4,860

$4.40 PEN 15.08

145.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 ₡21.9K

$35.17 PEN 121

38.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 ₡5,248

$6.89 PEN 23.61

69.52%

Cappuccino

$4.53 ₡2,036

$3.26 PEN 11.19

38.96%

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

$2.75 ₡1,236

$1.12 PEN 3.83

145.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₡872

$0.62 PEN 2.11

212.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.16 ₡1,420

$2.65 PEN 9.08

19.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,041

$4.41 PEN 15.12

2.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₡897

$1.63 PEN 5.60

22.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 ₡1,366

$2.56 PEN 8.76

18.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 ₡1,092

$1.35 PEN 4.64

80.00%

Eggs

$3.54 ₡1,591

$2.90 PEN 9.94

22.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.44 ₡2,442

$8.85 PEN 30.33

-38.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.47 ₡2,006

$5.98 PEN 20.49

-25.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.84 ₡4,870

$9.78 PEN 33.54

10.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 ₡1,149

$2.05 PEN 7.01

24.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.06 PEN 3.65

54.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 ₡2,026

$1.35 PEN 4.63

234.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ₡699

$1.50 PEN 5.14

4.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.90 ₡1,753

$0.88 PEN 3.02

343.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 ₡1,004

$0.92 PEN 3.15

142.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 ₡384

$0.89 PEN 3.07

-4.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,389

$0.90 PEN 3.10

243.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 ₡1,988

$5.90 PEN 20.24

-25.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.31 ₡9,125

$8.52 PEN 29.21

138.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,302

$1.88 PEN 6.44

54.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$3.22 PEN 11.03

-17.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡583

$0.68 PEN 2.33

91.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 ₡1,102

$3.81 PEN 13.07

-35.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡698

$2.02 PEN 6.92

-23.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ₡3,952

$7.11 PEN 24.37

23.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.72 PEN 5.90

-9.88%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$22.3K PEN 76.5K

-2.17%

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

$35.4K ₡15.9M

$25.5K PEN 87.4K

38.95%

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

$96.5 ₡43.4K

$73.1 PEN 251

32.04%

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

$36.34 ₡16.3K

$16.35 PEN 56.1

122.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.76 ₡14.7K

$27.47 PEN 94.2

19.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.0 ₡32.4K

$31.90 PEN 109

125.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.6

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ₡3,401

$7.05 PEN 24.19

7.38%

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

$974 ₡437.5K

$182 PEN 626

433.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ₡7.8M

$13.0K PEN 44.7K

33.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.6 ₡29.5K

$53.8 PEN 184

22.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.46 ₡19.5K

$34.32 PEN 118

26.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.9 ₡39.9K

$82.8 PEN 284

7.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.9 ₡34.5K

$78.2 PEN 268

-1.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$812 ₡364.9K

$721 PEN 2,472

12.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₡280.9K

$343 PEN 1,177

82.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 ₡862.8K

$1,219 PEN 4,179

57.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,264 ₡568.2K

$651 PEN 2,231

94.30%

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)

$648 PEN 2,222

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 Guanacaste: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guanacaste

$625 40.4%

Lima

$343 33.9% 45.1% $282

Groceries & Markets

Guanacaste

$311 20.1%

Lima

$226 22.3% 27.3% $85

Eating Out

Guanacaste

$220 14.2%

Lima

$124 12.3% 43.5% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guanacaste

$166 10.7%

Lima

$117 11.6% 29.4% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Guanacaste

$124 8%

Lima

$112 11.1% 9.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Guanacaste

$87 5.6%

Lima

$46 4.6% 47.2% $41

Getting Around

Guanacaste

$15 * 1%

Lima

$43 4.3% 182% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $812 in Guanacaste 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Guanacaste versus $35.00 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $311 vs $226 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Guanacaste

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

02:01 2:01 AM

03:01 3:01 AM

1 h ahead of Guanacaste

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,823

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 = 0.261 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 = 0.261 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Guanacaste Lima 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Guanacaste
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

Guanacaste vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Guanacaste is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,321 per month in Guanacaste 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 Lima, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,548 in Guanacaste and $1,012 in Lima. That's a gap of about 53%.

Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Guanacaste and $182 in Lima. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lima, where all-in costs run around $1,012, than in Guanacaste at $1,548. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guanacaste it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lima – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Lima. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Guanacaste makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.