Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Plata and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in La Plata: $959 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $640 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lima outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

47

Cost of Living Index in La Plata
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La Plata Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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La Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$959

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $959 per month in La Plata vs $1,012 in Lima, rent included.

La Plata $959
Lima $1,012

A couple spends around $1,711 per month in La Plata vs $1,589 in Lima, rent included.

La Plata $1,711
Lima $1,589

A family of three spends $2,464 per month in La Plata vs $2,167 in Lima, rent included.

La Plata $2,464
Lima $2,167

La Plata is about 5% cheaper than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both La Plata and Lima are more affordable than the global median – La Plata 29% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.43 ARS 23.4K

$4.40 PEN 15.15

250.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.89 ARS 75.7K

$35.17 PEN 121

41.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.82 ARS 14.9K

$6.89 PEN 23.73

42.53%

Cappuccino

$3.84 ARS 5,826

$3.26 PEN 11.24

17.79%

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

$1.54 ARS 2,342

$1.12 PEN 3.85

37.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 ARS 1,385

$0.62 PEN 2.12

46.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.04 ARS 6,121

$2.65 PEN 9.12

52.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 ARS 5,455

$4.41 PEN 15.20

-18.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 ARS 1,579

$1.63 PEN 5.63

-36.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 ARS 3,301

$2.56 PEN 8.81

-14.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.88 ARS 1,327

$1.35 PEN 4.67

-34.81%

Eggs

$2.23 ARS 3,385

$2.90 PEN 9.99

-23.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.00 ARS 13.7K

$8.85 PEN 30.48

1.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 ARS 8,182

$5.98 PEN 20.59

-9.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.44 ARS 14.3K

$9.78 PEN 33.71

-3.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 ARS 3,155

$2.05 PEN 7.05

1.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 ARS 2,941

$1.06 PEN 3.67

83.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.74 ARS 1,121

$1.35 PEN 4.65

-45.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ARS 2,355

$1.50 PEN 5.17

3.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.52 ARS 789

$0.88 PEN 3.04

-40.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 ARS 916

$0.92 PEN 3.16

-34.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ARS 1,534

$0.89 PEN 3.08

13.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ARS 1,537

$0.90 PEN 3.12

12.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.23 ARS 4,900

$5.90 PEN 20.34

-45.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.99 ARS 7,573

$8.52 PEN 29.36

-41.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,176

$1.88 PEN 6.47

11.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 ARS 4,285

$3.22 PEN 11.09

-12.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 ARS 1,107

$0.68 PEN 2.34

7.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.59 ARS 6,961

$26.86 PEN 92.6

-82.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.55 ARS 2,350

$3.81 PEN 13.14

-59.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ARS 1,020

$2.02 PEN 6.96

-66.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.76 ARS 11.8K

$7.11 PEN 24.50

9.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ARS 1,755

$1.72 PEN 5.93

-32.56%

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

$22.0K ARS 33.4M

$22.3K PEN 76.9K

-1.32%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$25.5K PEN 87.9K

35.38%

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

$70.9 ARS 107.6K

$73.1 PEN 252

-2.93%

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

$11.14 ARS 16.9K

$16.35 PEN 56.3

-31.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.13 ARS 36.6K

$27.47 PEN 94.7

-12.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.16 ARS 39.7K

$31.90 PEN 110

-17.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

$19.41 PEN 66.9

-44.36%

Cinema Ticket

$5.36 ARS 8,121

$7.05 PEN 24.31

-23.97%

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

$138 ARS 209.5K

$182 PEN 629

-24.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,189 ARS 6.4M

$13.0K PEN 44.9K

-67.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 ARS 163.1K

$53.8 PEN 185

99.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.87 ARS 31.6K

$34.32 PEN 118

-39.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.5 ARS 143.3K

$82.8 PEN 285

14.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.1 ARS 82.0K

$78.2 PEN 270

-30.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$346 ARS 524.8K

$721 PEN 2,485

-52.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$238 ARS 361.1K

$343 PEN 1,183

-30.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 ARS 1.8M

$1,219 PEN 4,200

-1.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$758 ARS 1.1M

$651 PEN 2,243

16.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,009 ARS 3.0M

$2,414 PEN 8,321

-16.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,190 ARS 1.8M

$1,357 PEN 4,676

-12.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$716 ARS 1.1M

$648 PEN 2,233

10.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

369.80%

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

Last update for La Plata: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

La Plata

$238 24.8%

Lima

$343 33.9% 44.2% $105

Eating Out

La Plata

$236 24.6%

Lima

$124 12.3% 47.5% $112

Groceries & Markets

La Plata

$205 21.4%

Lima

$226 22.3% 10.3% $21

Clothing & Footwear

La Plata

$125 13%

Lima

$112 11.1% 10.1% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Plata

$106 11.1%

Lima

$117 11.6% 10.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

La Plata

$37 3.8%

Lima

$46 4.6% 24.8% $9.1

Getting Around

La Plata

$12 1.3%

Lima

$43 4.3% 250% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $346 in La Plata 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.

Salaries run about 11% higher in La Plata, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in La Plata versus $35.00 in Lima. Groceries tell a different story – $205 in La Plata vs $226 in Lima – so La Plata wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇷 La Plata

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

10:51 10:51 AM

08:51 8:51 AM

2 h behind La Plata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

193,144

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,693 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.85 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

La Plata Lima 3,190 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $959 in La Plata, $1,012 in Lima – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,439 per month in La Plata 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 La Plata, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in La Plata and $35.00 in Lima. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $959 in La Plata and $1,012 in Lima. That's a gap of about 5%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in La Plata, where all-in costs run around $959, than in Lima at $1,012. In La Plata 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 $959 in La Plata to $1,012 in Lima. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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