Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Paz and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,289 in La Paz, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in La Paz
Learn more

La Paz Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

La Paz

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,289

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,289 in La Paz versus $996 in Lima.

La Paz $1,289
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,107 in La Paz versus $1,594 in Lima.

La Paz $2,107
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,926 in La Paz versus $2,191 in Lima.

La Paz $2,926
Lima $2,191

Living in La Paz is roughly 29% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: La Paz 4% lower, Lima 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.11 MX$184

$4.42 PEN 15.21

128.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 MX$1,022

$35.04 PEN 121

60.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.18 MX$149

$6.84 PEN 23.52

19.59%

Cappuccino

$3.19 MX$58.1

$3.27 PEN 11.26

-2.45%

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

$1.77 MX$32.24

$1.10 PEN 3.80

60.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 MX$18.26

$0.65 PEN 2.23

53.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 MX$39.17

$2.58 PEN 8.88

-16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 MX$104

$4.47 PEN 15.39

27.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 MX$39.36

$1.59 PEN 5.48

35.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.59 MX$47.13

$2.58 PEN 8.89

0.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 MX$40.88

$1.36 PEN 4.67

65.44%

Eggs

$2.48 MX$45.03

$2.95 PEN 10.14

-15.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.99 MX$218

$9.10 PEN 31.30

31.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.53 MX$155

$5.81 PEN 19.98

46.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.21 MX$204

$9.83 PEN 33.80

14.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 MX$62.4

$2.01 PEN 6.92

70.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 MX$23.31

$1.08 PEN 3.70

18.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.46

$1.37 PEN 4.71

42.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MX$33.37

$1.48 PEN 5.08

23.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$36.98

$0.96 PEN 3.32

111.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 MX$38.68

$0.85 PEN 2.93

150.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.01

$0.88 PEN 3.03

68.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 MX$25.07

$0.87 PEN 2.98

58.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$79.7

$5.90 PEN 20.31

-25.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.12 MX$311

$8.81 PEN 30.31

94.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$23.79

$1.92 PEN 6.59

-31.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 MX$52.4

$3.20 PEN 11.02

-10.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.40

$0.68 PEN 2.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 92.0

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 MX$47.54

$3.81 PEN 13.10

-31.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 MX$37.16

$2.04 PEN 7.02

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.99 MX$218

$7.14 PEN 24.57

67.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$26.83

$1.65 PEN 5.67

-10.30%

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

$21.1K MX$383.6K

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

-4.90%

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

$24.6K MX$447.2K

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

-4.21%

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

$62.8 MX$1,142

$73.0 PEN 251

-14.06%

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

$25.84 MX$470

$16.26 PEN 55.9

58.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.75 MX$596

$27.60 PEN 94.9

18.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.76 MX$632

$33.07 PEN 114

5.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.51 MX$373

$19.49 PEN 67.1

5.23%

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MX$95.2

$7.39 PEN 25.41

-29.23%

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

$225 MX$4,102

$182 PEN 626

23.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,619 MX$84.0K

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

-65.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 MX$1,063

$52.6 PEN 181

11.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.73 MX$741

$34.23 PEN 118

18.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 MX$1,356

$83.8 PEN 288

-11.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 MX$1,637

$79.0 PEN 272

13.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 MX$14.8K

$723 PEN 2,488

12.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$492 MX$8,945

$340 PEN 1,170

44.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,728 MX$31.4K

$1,184 PEN 4,074

45.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 MX$19.1K

$635 PEN 2,183

65.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,914 MX$34.8K

$2,449 PEN 8,423

-21.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,163 MX$21.2K

$1,372 PEN 4,718

-15.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$770 MX$14.0K

$653 PEN 2,245

17.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

8.94

29.75%

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

Last update for La Paz: 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

La Paz

$492 38.7%

Lima

$340 33.6% 30.8% $152

Groceries & Markets

La Paz

$300 23.6%

Lima

$226 22.4% 24.5% $74

Eating Out

La Paz

$177 14%

Lima

$124 12.3% 30% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Paz

$121 9.6%

Lima

$117 11.6% 3.7% $4.5

Clothing & Footwear

La Paz

$119 9.4%

Lima

$112 11.1% 5.4% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

La Paz

$45 3.6%

Lima

$48 4.7% 5.8% $2.6

Getting Around

La Paz

$16 * 1.2%

Lima

$43 4.3% 180% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $814 in La Paz and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

La Paz pays 18% 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: $56.0 in La Paz vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $300 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 La Paz

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

00:11 12:11 AM

02:11 2:11 AM

2 h ahead of La Paz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

250,141

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

La Paz Lima 5,410 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Lima is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 29% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 18% higher in La Paz, 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: $814 in La Paz versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in La Paz. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,289 per month in La Paz versus $996 in Lima – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,289 in La Paz, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in La Paz. The gap between the two cities makes Lima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lima is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in La Paz, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, La Paz 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.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in La Paz. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.