Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Heredia and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,829 in Heredia, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Heredia
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Heredia Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Heredia

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,829

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,829 per month in Heredia vs $996 in Lima, rent included.

Heredia $1,829
Lima $996

A couple spends around $2,857 per month in Heredia vs $1,594 in Lima, rent included.

Heredia $2,857
Lima $1,594

A family of three spends $3,885 per month in Heredia vs $2,191 in Lima, rent included.

Heredia $3,885
Lima $2,191

Heredia costs about 84% more than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Heredia sits 36% above the global median, while Lima is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₡5,390

$4.42 PEN 15.16

170.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 ₡26.6K

$35.04 PEN 120

68.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.28 ₡4,636

$6.84 PEN 23.44

50.29%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ₡1,683

$3.27 PEN 11.22

14.07%

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

$2.19 ₡986

$1.10 PEN 3.78

99.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ₡759

$0.65 PEN 2.22

158.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.10 ₡947

$2.58 PEN 8.85

-18.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 ₡1,775

$4.47 PEN 15.34

-11.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 ₡1,002

$1.59 PEN 5.46

39.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 ₡1,125

$2.58 PEN 8.86

-3.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 ₡1,236

$1.36 PEN 4.65

101.47%

Eggs

$7.32 ₡3,300

$2.95 PEN 10.11

148.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.42 ₡5,149

$9.10 PEN 31.19

25.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.28 ₡6,437

$5.81 PEN 19.91

145.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.86 ₡7,601

$9.83 PEN 33.68

71.52%

Apples (1kg)

$10.63 ₡4,790

$2.01 PEN 6.89

428.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.91 ₡1,312

$1.08 PEN 3.69

169.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.68 ₡2,109

$1.37 PEN 4.70

241.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 ₡1,514

$1.48 PEN 5.06

127.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.47 ₡1,564

$0.96 PEN 3.30

261.46%

Onion (1kg)

$4.52 ₡2,037

$0.85 PEN 2.92

431.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 ₡984

$0.88 PEN 3.02

147.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$4.60 ₡2,075

$0.87 PEN 2.97

428.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.51 ₡2,482

$5.90 PEN 20.24

-6.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.43 ₡6,505

$8.81 PEN 30.21

63.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 ₡1,171

$1.92 PEN 6.57

35.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 ₡2,006

$3.20 PEN 10.98

39.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 ₡576

$0.68 PEN 2.33

88.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.23 ₡7,316

$26.74 PEN 91.7

-39.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 ₡1,168

$3.81 PEN 13.06

-32.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ₡1,306

$2.04 PEN 7.00

42.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.99 ₡4,953

$7.14 PEN 24.49

53.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₡680

$1.65 PEN 5.65

-8.48%

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

$32.8K ₡14.8M

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

47.75%

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

$41.7K ₡18.8M

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

62.56%

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

$103 ₡46.3K

$73.0 PEN 250

40.48%

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

$26.25 ₡11.8K

$16.26 PEN 55.7

61.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 ₡24.4K

$27.60 PEN 94.6

95.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.4 ₡33.1K

$33.07 PEN 113

121.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.53 ₡9,706

$19.49 PEN 66.8

10.47%

Cinema Ticket

$11.52 ₡5,195

$7.39 PEN 25.33

55.89%

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

$706 ₡318.2K

$182 PEN 624

287.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.4K ₡8.3M

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

37.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.3 ₡40.7K

$52.6 PEN 180

71.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.8 ₡28.8K

$34.23 PEN 117

86.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 ₡62.8K

$83.8 PEN 287

66.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 ₡49.4K

$79.0 PEN 271

38.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 ₡437.1K

$723 PEN 2,479

34.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$605 ₡272.9K

$340 PEN 1,166

77.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,840 ₡829.6K

$1,184 PEN 4,060

55.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 ₡501.6K

$635 PEN 2,176

75.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,104 ₡948.4K

$2,449 PEN 8,394

-14.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,468 ₡661.9K

$1,372 PEN 4,702

7.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,347 ₡607.5K

$653 PEN 2,237

106.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

45.41%

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

Last update for Heredia: October 4, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Heredia

$605 33.8%

Lima

$340 33.6% 43.8% $265

Groceries & Markets

Heredia

$484 27%

Lima

$226 22.4% 53.2% $258

Eating Out

Heredia

$205 11.4%

Lima

$124 12.3% 39.5% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Heredia

$183 10.2%

Lima

$117 11.6% 36.1% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Heredia

$181 10.1%

Lima

$112 11.1% 38.1% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Heredia

$96 5.4%

Lima

$48 4.7% 50.4% $49

Getting Around

Heredia

$38 2.1%

Lima

$43 4.3% 13.2% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $970 in Heredia versus $723 in Lima. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 106% higher in Heredia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59.0 in Heredia versus $35.00 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $484 vs $226 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Heredia

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

06:34 6:34 AM

07:34 7:34 AM

1 h ahead of Heredia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,000

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Heredia Lima 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Heredia
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

Heredia vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Heredia is pricier by about 84%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,743 per month in Heredia and $1,494 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 $1,829 in Heredia and $996 in Lima. That's a gap of about 84%.

Public transport costs about 65% less in Lima. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lima, where all-in costs run around $996, than in Heredia at $1,829. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Heredia 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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