Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lazaro Cardenas and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,014 a month against $1,141 in Lazaro Cardenas, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico
Lima, Peru
Lazaro Cardenas
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,141
/mo nomad
Lima
🇵🇪 Peru
$1,014
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,141 in Lazaro Cardenas versus $1,014 in Lima.

  • Lazaro Cardenas $1,141
  • Lima $1,014

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,839 in Lazaro Cardenas versus $1,613 in Lima.

  • Lazaro Cardenas $1,839
  • Lima $1,613

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,537 in Lazaro Cardenas versus $2,211 in Lima.

  • Lazaro Cardenas $2,537
  • Lima $2,211

Living in Lazaro Cardenas is roughly 12% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lazaro Cardenas 16% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lazaro Cardenas
Lima
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.83 MX$203
$4.42 PEN 15.20
145.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.66 MX$817
$34.56 PEN 119
26.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.70 MX$163
$6.80 PEN 23.37
27.94%
Cappuccino
$3.61 MX$67.6
$3.30 PEN 11.34
9.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 MX$26.59
$1.06 PEN 3.64
33.96%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 MX$19.24
$0.66 PEN 2.26
56.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.51 MX$46.92
$2.54 PEN 8.71
-1.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.99 MX$74.7
$4.24 PEN 14.56
-5.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lazaro Cardenas
Lima
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 MX$31.06
$1.58 PEN 5.43
5.06%
White Bread (500g)
$2.53 MX$47.41
$2.61 PEN 8.97
-3.07%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.67 MX$31.19
$1.34 PEN 4.60
24.63%
Eggs
$2.43 MX$45.51
$2.93 PEN 10.08
-17.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.19 MX$153
$9.45 PEN 32.45
-13.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.49 MX$159
$5.75 PEN 19.76
47.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.33 MX$212
$9.69 PEN 33.29
16.92%
Apples (1kg)
$2.67 MX$49.98
$2.02 PEN 6.95
32.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.59 MX$29.74
$1.07 PEN 3.66
48.60%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.65
$1.37 PEN 4.70
38.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.83 MX$34.27
$1.47 PEN 5.05
24.49%
Potato (1kg)
$1.93 MX$36.05
$0.95 PEN 3.25
103.16%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 MX$33.61
$0.91 PEN 3.14
97.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.75
$0.90 PEN 3.10
64.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 MX$20.23
$0.89 PEN 3.04
21.35%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.32 MX$80.8
$5.74 PEN 19.71
-24.74%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.32 MX$193
$9.21 PEN 31.64
12.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 MX$32.88
$1.84 PEN 6.31
-4.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.20 MX$59.8
$3.11 PEN 10.67
2.89%
🚌 Getting Around
Lazaro Cardenas
Lima
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.69 MX$12.92
$0.72 PEN 2.46
-4.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.03 PEN 89.4
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.53 MX$47.26
$3.54 PEN 12.17
-28.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.92 MX$35.92
$2.07 PEN 7.12
-7.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.01 MX$206
$7.75 PEN 26.62
42.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 MX$27.62
$1.71 PEN 5.86
-13.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K MX$395.7K
$21.6K PEN 74.2K
-2.08%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$445.7K
$28.6K PEN 98.2K
-16.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lazaro Cardenas
Lima
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$58.7 MX$1,099
$68.2 PEN 234
-13.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.31 MX$417
$15.73 PEN 54.0
41.83%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.94 MX$560
$26.48 PEN 91.0
13.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lazaro Cardenas
Lima
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.30 MX$642
$33.94 PEN 117
1.06%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.49 MX$384
$20.10 PEN 69.0
1.94%
Cinema Ticket
$5.11 MX$95.7
$7.22 PEN 24.80
-29.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lazaro Cardenas
Lima
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$221 MX$4,141
$201 PEN 689
10.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,553 MX$85.2K
$12.9K PEN 44.3K
-64.72%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lazaro Cardenas
Lima
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.3 MX$1,035
$53.7 PEN 184
2.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.96 MX$748
$35.88 PEN 123
11.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.7 MX$1,867
$83.8 PEN 288
19.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.1 MX$1,687
$78.8 PEN 271
14.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lazaro Cardenas
Lima
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$602 MX$11.3K
$729 PEN 2,506
-17.51%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$393 MX$7,352
$349 PEN 1,197
12.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,055 MX$19.8K
$1,186 PEN 4,074
-11.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$780 MX$14.6K
$696 PEN 2,392
12.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,921 MX$36.0K
$2,360 PEN 8,106
-18.61%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,169 MX$21.9K
$1,356 PEN 4,658
-13.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lazaro Cardenas
Lima
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$552 MX$10.3K
$663 PEN 2,278
-16.79%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.3
8.78
28.70%

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

Last update for Lazaro Cardenas: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lazaro Cardenas
$393
Lima
$349 11.2% $44
Groceries & Markets
Lazaro Cardenas
$263
Lima
$227 13.6% $36
Eating Out
Lazaro Cardenas
$186
Lima
$123 33.7% $63
Clothing & Footwear
Lazaro Cardenas
$128
Lima
$113 11.6% $15
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lazaro Cardenas
$111
Lima
$110 0.5% $0.6
Sport & Entertainment
Lazaro Cardenas
$45
Lima
$48 8.7% $3.9
Getting Around
Lazaro Cardenas
$15 *
Lima
$43 188% $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 $602 in Lazaro Cardenas and $729 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44 in Lazaro Cardenas vs $35 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $263 vs $227 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Lazaro Cardenas
🇵🇪 Lima
🕒 Local time
04:02 4:02 AM
05:02 5:02 AM
1 h ahead of Lazaro Cardenas
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
83,637
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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.85 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lazaro Cardenas Lima 4,330 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lazaro Cardenas
  • 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
Lazaro Cardenas vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Lazaro Cardenas or Lima?
Lima wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Lazaro Cardenas. 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 Lazaro Cardenas or in Lima?
On paper, salaries run 17% lower in Lazaro Cardenas. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Lazaro Cardenas compared to Lima?
Rent for a central apartment: $602 in Lazaro Cardenas versus $729 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Lazaro Cardenas and in Lima?
Childcare runs $221 in Lazaro Cardenas versus $201 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Lazaro Cardenas and in Lima?
Dining out is cheaper in Lima – a meal for two runs $35 versus $44 in Lazaro Cardenas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Lazaro Cardenas or in Lima?
Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Lima gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Lazaro Cardenas or Lima?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Lazaro Cardenas vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?