Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Merced and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in La Merced: $558 a month against $1,042 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in La Merced
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La Merced Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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La Merced

🇵🇪 Peru

$558

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $558 per month in La Merced vs $1,042 in Lima, rent included.

La Merced $558
Lima $1,042

A couple spends around $910 per month in La Merced vs $1,651 in Lima, rent included.

La Merced $910
Lima $1,651

A family of three spends $1,263 per month in La Merced vs $2,259 in Lima, rent included.

La Merced $1,263
Lima $2,259

La Merced is about 46% cheaper than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both La Merced and Lima are more affordable than the global median – La Merced 59% lower, Lima 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.38 PEN 15.10

$4.64 PEN 15.99

-5.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.86 PEN 120

$34.34 PEN 118

1.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 PEN 24.19

$7.01 PEN 24.18

Cappuccino

$3.18 PEN 10.97

$3.22 PEN 11.12

-1.24%

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

$1.08 PEN 3.72

$1.13 PEN 3.91

-4.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.24

$0.61 PEN 2.10

6.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 PEN 8.86

$2.93 PEN 10.10

-12.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 PEN 14.81

$4.25 PEN 14.67

0.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.44

$1.58 PEN 5.45

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 PEN 7.15

$2.61 PEN 9.00

-20.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 PEN 4.43

$1.30 PEN 4.48

-1.54%

Eggs

$2.35 PEN 8.11

$2.92 PEN 10.07

-19.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.33 PEN 25.29

$9.54 PEN 32.90

-23.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.78 PEN 19.94

$5.71 PEN 19.71

1.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.68 PEN 29.94

$9.47 PEN 32.66

-8.34%

Apples (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.17

$2.01 PEN 6.93

-54.23%

Banana (1kg)

$0.45 PEN 1.56

$1.02 PEN 3.53

-55.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.30 PEN 1.04

$1.45 PEN 5.00

-79.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.71 PEN 2.46

$1.49 PEN 5.15

-52.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 PEN 0.96

$0.91 PEN 3.15

-69.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.45 PEN 1.55

$0.89 PEN 3.08

-49.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 PEN 2.07

$0.86 PEN 2.97

-30.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 3.01

$0.89 PEN 3.06

-2.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.63 PEN 19.42

$5.47 PEN 18.88

2.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 PEN 25.30

$10.17 PEN 35.08

-27.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 PEN 6.56

$1.81 PEN 6.23

4.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 PEN 10.61

$3.15 PEN 10.86

-2.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 PEN 2.29

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.89 PEN 110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 PEN 11.84

$3.43 PEN 11.82

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 PEN 7.14

$1.98 PEN 6.81

4.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.64 PEN 26.37

$9.60 PEN 33.12

-20.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 PEN 5.65

$1.71 PEN 5.90

-4.09%

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

$21.7K PEN 75.0K

$21.9K PEN 75.4K

-0.53%

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

$28.9K PEN 99.8K

$29.0K PEN 100.2K

-0.36%

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

$66.7 PEN 230

$65.8 PEN 227

1.25%

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

$15.80 PEN 54.5

$15.26 PEN 52.6

3.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.06 PEN 93.4

$26.87 PEN 92.7

0.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.91 PEN 114

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 PEN 69.4

Cinema Ticket

$7.14 PEN 24.63

$7.12 PEN 24.55

0.28%

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

$318 PEN 1,096

$309 PEN 1,066

2.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K PEN 43.6K

$21.4K PEN 73.7K

-40.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 PEN 184

$52.0 PEN 179

2.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.12 PEN 121

$35.69 PEN 123

-1.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.7 PEN 289

$81.8 PEN 282

2.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 PEN 273

$78.0 PEN 269

1.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$727 PEN 2,507

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 PEN 1,287

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,249 PEN 4,307

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 PEN 2,550

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,380 PEN 8,210

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,365 PEN 4,708

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$650 PEN 2,243

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

8.38

4.77%

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

Last update for La Merced: October 31, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

La Merced

$185 33.1%

Lima

$228 21.9% 23.3% $43

Eating Out

La Merced

$123 22%

Lima

$127 12.2% 3.5% $4.3

Clothing & Footwear

La Merced

$113 20.3%

Lima

$111 10.7% 1.5% $1.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Merced

$110 19.6%

Lima

$108 10.4% 1.4% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

La Merced

$14 * 2.6%

Lima

$47 4.5% 230% $33

Getting Around

La Merced

$14 * 2.5%

Lima

$48 4.6% 247% $34

Accommodation & Living

La Merced

- * 0%

Lima

$373 35.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in La Merced versus $34 in Lima. Groceries tell a different story – $185 in La Merced vs $228 in Lima – so La Merced wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇪 La Merced

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

Same time as La Merced

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

La Merced Lima 270 km

From you

La Merced
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

La Merced vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima costs about 87% more than La Merced, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $837 per month in La Merced and $1,564 in Lima. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $558 in La Merced and $1,042 in Lima. That makes La Merced about 46% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $318 per month in La Merced and $309 in Lima. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in La Merced, where all-in costs run around $558, than in Lima at $1,042. In La Merced it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lima it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lima has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $558 in La Merced to $1,042 in Lima. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.