Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guanajuato and Lima

For one person, living costs are similar in Guanajuato and in Lima: $1,054 and $1,012 a month, rent and utilities included.

Guanajuato
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,054
/mo nomad
Lima
🇵🇪 Peru
$1,012
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,054 in Guanajuato versus $1,012 in Lima.

  • Guanajuato $1,054
  • Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,619 in Guanajuato versus $1,589 in Lima.

  • Guanajuato $1,619
  • Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,185 in Guanajuato versus $2,167 in Lima.

  • Guanajuato $2,185
  • Lima $2,167

Living in Guanajuato is roughly 4% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Guanajuato 22% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Guanajuato
Lima
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.62 MX$252
$4.40 PEN 15.10
209.55%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.07 MX$814
$35.17 PEN 121
25.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.59 MX$140
$6.89 PEN 23.65
10.16%
Cappuccino
$3.86 MX$71.3
$3.26 PEN 11.20
18.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$30.87
$1.12 PEN 3.84
49.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.99 MX$18.28
$0.62 PEN 2.11
59.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.67 MX$49.29
$2.65 PEN 9.09
0.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.84 MX$89.4
$4.41 PEN 15.15
9.75%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Guanajuato
Lima
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.59 MX$29.41
$1.63 PEN 5.61
-2.45%
White Bread (500g)
$2.61 MX$48.21
$2.56 PEN 8.78
1.95%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.44 MX$26.68
$1.35 PEN 4.65
6.67%
Eggs
$2.38 MX$44.03
$2.90 PEN 9.96
-17.93%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.84 MX$89.5
$8.85 PEN 30.38
-45.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.57 MX$177
$5.98 PEN 20.52
60.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.88 MX$219
$9.78 PEN 33.59
21.47%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$50.2
$2.05 PEN 7.02
32.68%
Banana (1kg)
$1.64 MX$30.31
$1.06 PEN 3.66
54.72%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.59
$1.35 PEN 4.64
50.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.55 MX$28.73
$1.50 PEN 5.15
3.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.98 MX$36.64
$0.88 PEN 3.03
125.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.83 MX$33.75
$0.92 PEN 3.15
98.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.52 MX$28.00
$0.89 PEN 3.07
70.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.06 MX$19.65
$0.90 PEN 3.10
17.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.83 MX$89.3
$5.90 PEN 20.27
-18.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.74 MX$198
$8.52 PEN 29.26
26.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.88 MX$34.77
$1.88 PEN 6.45
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.46 MX$64.0
$3.22 PEN 11.05
7.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Guanajuato
Lima
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.58 MX$10.64
$0.68 PEN 2.33
-14.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.18 MX$502
$26.86 PEN 92.2
1.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.17 MX$40.16
$3.81 PEN 13.09
-43.04%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.38 MX$25.53
$2.02 PEN 6.93
-31.68%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.94 MX$165
$7.11 PEN 24.41
25.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 MX$27.33
$1.72 PEN 5.91
-13.95%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.4K MX$376.1K
$22.3K PEN 76.6K
-8.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$443.1K
$25.5K PEN 87.6K
-5.99%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guanajuato
Lima
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$50.7 MX$937
$73.1 PEN 251
-30.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.05 MX$371
$16.35 PEN 56.2
22.63%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.98 MX$517
$27.47 PEN 94.3
1.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Guanajuato
Lima
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.52 MX$582
$31.90 PEN 110
-1.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.44 MX$507
$19.41 PEN 66.7
41.37%
Cinema Ticket
$6.63 MX$122
$7.05 PEN 24.23
-5.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Guanajuato
Lima
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$209 MX$3,862
$182 PEN 627
14.54%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,492 MX$101.5K
$13.0K PEN 44.8K
-57.88%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Guanajuato
Lima
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.3 MX$1,096
$53.8 PEN 185
10.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.24 MX$688
$34.32 PEN 118
8.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.5 MX$1,432
$82.8 PEN 284
-6.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.3 MX$1,058
$78.2 PEN 269
-26.83%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Guanajuato
Lima
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$518 MX$9,579
$721 PEN 2,476
-28.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$295 MX$5,460
$343 PEN 1,179
-13.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$779 MX$14.4K
$1,219 PEN 4,186
-36.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$388 MX$7,179
$651 PEN 2,235
-40.30%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,346 MX$24.9K
$2,414 PEN 8,292
-44.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,086 MX$20.1K
$1,357 PEN 4,660
-19.94%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Guanajuato
Lima
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$712 MX$13.1K
$648 PEN 2,226
9.81%
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 Guanajuato: 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
Guanajuato
$295
Lima
$343 16.2% $48
Groceries & Markets
Guanajuato
$261
Lima
$226 13.4% $35
Eating Out
Guanajuato
$212
Lima
$124 41.4% $88
Clothing & Footwear
Guanajuato
$104
Lima
$112 7.7% $8
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guanajuato
$99
Lima
$117 18.4% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Guanajuato
$45
Lima
$46 2.7% $1.2
Getting Around
Guanajuato
$39
Lima
$43 12.8% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $518 in Guanajuato and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Guanajuato pays 10% 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: $44.00 in Guanajuato vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $261 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Guanajuato
🇵🇪 Lima
🕒 Local time
10:46 10:46 AM
11:46 11:46 AM
1 h ahead of Guanajuato
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
70,068
9,989,369 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Guanajuato Lima 4,530 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Guanajuato
  • 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
Guanajuato vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Guanajuato or Lima?
Lima wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Guanajuato. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lima the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Guanajuato or in Lima?
Average pay runs 10% higher in Guanajuato, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Guanajuato compared to Lima?
Rent for a central apartment: $518 in Guanajuato versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Guanajuato or in Lima?
Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Guanajuato. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How do dining costs compare in Guanajuato and in Lima?
Dining out is cheaper in Lima – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $44.00 in Guanajuato. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Guanajuato or in Lima?
At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,054 in Guanajuato, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Guanajuato. The gap between the two cities makes Lima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Guanajuato or Lima?
Both work as nomad bases, but Lima delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,012 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lima hard to pass up.
How safe is Guanajuato compared to Lima?
Safety-wise, Guanajuato 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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Guanajuato. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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