Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leon and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,223 in Leon, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. The total is higher in Leon despite lower rent and utilities.

60

Cost of Living Index in Leon
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Leon Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Leon

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,223

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,223 per month in Leon vs $1,012 in Lima, rent included.

Leon $1,223
Lima $1,012

A couple spends around $1,985 per month in Leon vs $1,589 in Lima, rent included.

Leon $1,985
Lima $1,589

A family of three spends $2,747 per month in Leon vs $2,167 in Lima, rent included.

Leon $2,747
Lima $2,167

Leon costs about 21% more than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Leon and Lima are more affordable than the global median – Leon 9% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.17 MX$206

$4.40 PEN 15.10

153.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 MX$1,020

$35.17 PEN 121

57.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 MX$163

$6.89 PEN 23.65

27.72%

Cappuccino

$4.03 MX$74.5

$3.26 PEN 11.20

23.62%

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

$1.56 MX$28.84

$1.12 PEN 3.84

39.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.04

$0.62 PEN 2.11

101.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 MX$56.8

$2.65 PEN 9.09

15.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 MX$72.6

$4.41 PEN 15.15

-10.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 MX$31.67

$1.63 PEN 5.61

4.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 MX$49.51

$2.56 PEN 8.78

4.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.31

$1.35 PEN 4.65

33.33%

Eggs

$3.27 MX$60.4

$2.90 PEN 9.96

12.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.21 MX$133

$8.85 PEN 30.38

-18.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.58 MX$140

$5.98 PEN 20.52

26.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.81 MX$200

$9.78 PEN 33.59

10.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.03

$2.05 PEN 7.02

21.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.59

$1.06 PEN 3.66

30.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 MX$33.76

$1.35 PEN 4.64

35.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.42

$1.50 PEN 5.15

2.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.75

$0.88 PEN 3.03

126.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 MX$38.60

$0.92 PEN 3.15

127.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 MX$25.56

$0.89 PEN 3.07

55.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 MX$12.89

$0.90 PEN 3.10

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 MX$129

$5.90 PEN 20.27

18.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.63 MX$252

$8.52 PEN 29.26

59.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 MX$43.71

$1.88 PEN 6.45

26.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 MX$66.7

$3.22 PEN 11.05

12.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MX$13.93

$0.68 PEN 2.33

10.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.67 MX$659

$26.86 PEN 92.2

32.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 MX$51.1

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-27.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 MX$50.2

$2.02 PEN 6.93

34.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.96 MX$276

$7.11 PEN 24.41

110.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.97

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-15.12%

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

$21.2K MX$392.0K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

-4.92%

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

$24.2K MX$446.3K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

-5.30%

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

$21.60 MX$399

$73.1 PEN 251

-70.44%

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

$40.70 MX$752

$16.35 PEN 56.2

148.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.3 MX$1,077

$27.47 PEN 94.3

112.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.7 MX$1,121

$31.90 PEN 110

90.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.51 MX$638

$19.41 PEN 66.7

77.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 MX$120

$7.05 PEN 24.23

-8.23%

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

$183 MX$3,386

$182 PEN 627

0.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,826 MX$70.7K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

-70.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 MX$1,049

$53.8 PEN 185

5.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.0 MX$1,219

$34.32 PEN 118

92.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MX$1,868

$82.8 PEN 284

22.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,122

$78.2 PEN 269

46.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 MX$9,681

$721 PEN 2,476

-27.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 MX$6,653

$343 PEN 1,179

4.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$761 MX$14.1K

$1,219 PEN 4,186

-37.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$683 MX$12.6K

$651 PEN 2,235

4.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$532 MX$9,839

$648 PEN 2,226

-17.84%

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 Leon: 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

Leon

$360 29.5%

Lima

$343 33.9% 4.6% $17

Groceries & Markets

Leon

$262 21.5%

Lima

$226 22.3% 13.8% $36

Eating Out

Leon

$199 16.3%

Lima

$124 12.3% 37.6% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Leon

$152 12.5%

Lima

$112 11.1% 26.4% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leon

$121 9.9%

Lima

$117 11.6% 3.1% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Leon

$74 6%

Lima

$46 4.6% 37.5% $28

Getting Around

Leon

$55 4.5%

Lima

$43 4.3% 21% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $524 in Leon 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 22% higher in Lima, 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 $55.0 in Leon versus $35.00 in Lima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $226 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Leon

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

21:20 9:20 PM

22:20 10:20 PM

1 h ahead of Leon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,579,803

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Leon Lima 4,570 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Leon
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

Leon vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Leon costs about 21% more than Lima, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,834 per month in Leon 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 Lima, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Leon, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Leon and $35.00 in Lima. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lima, where all-in costs run around $1,012, than in Leon at $1,223. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Leon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lima costs $1,012 versus $1,223 in Leon. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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