Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leon and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Leon: $821 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lima outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

40

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

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$821

/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 $821 per month in Leon vs $1,012 in Lima, rent included.

Leon $821
Lima $1,012

A couple spends around $1,423 per month in Leon vs $1,589 in Lima, rent included.

Leon $1,423
Lima $1,589

A family of three spends $2,026 per month in Leon vs $2,167 in Lima, rent included.

Leon $2,026
Lima $2,167

Leon is about 19% cheaper than Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Leon and Lima are more affordable than the global median – Leon 39% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.90 NIO 363

$4.40 PEN 15.10

125.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.68 NIO 1,270

$35.17 PEN 121

-1.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 NIO 271

$6.89 PEN 23.65

7.55%

Cappuccino

$2.54 NIO 93.1

$3.26 PEN 11.20

-22.09%

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

$0.91 NIO 33.42

$1.12 PEN 3.84

-18.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 NIO 26.50

$0.62 PEN 2.11

16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 NIO 53.6

$2.65 PEN 9.09

-44.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 NIO 81.8

$4.41 PEN 15.15

-49.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 NIO 44.10

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-26.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 NIO 85.5

$2.56 PEN 8.78

-8.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 NIO 68.7

$1.35 PEN 4.65

39.26%

Eggs

$2.32 NIO 84.8

$2.90 PEN 9.96

-20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.45 NIO 420

$8.85 PEN 30.38

29.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.44 NIO 236

$5.98 PEN 20.52

7.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.93 NIO 290

$9.78 PEN 33.59

-18.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 NIO 150

$2.05 PEN 7.02

100.49%

Banana (1kg)

$0.59 NIO 21.60

$1.06 PEN 3.66

-44.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 NIO 67.8

$1.35 PEN 4.64

37.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 NIO 88.6

$1.50 PEN 5.15

61.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 NIO 141

$0.88 PEN 3.03

337.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 NIO 80.8

$0.92 PEN 3.15

140.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 NIO 39.90

$0.89 PEN 3.07

22.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 NIO 36.66

$0.90 PEN 3.10

11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 NIO 102

$5.90 PEN 20.27

-52.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.92 NIO 547

$8.52 PEN 29.26

75.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 NIO 51.9

$1.88 PEN 6.45

-24.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 NIO 82.9

$3.22 PEN 11.05

-29.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 NIO 58.9

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-57.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 NIO 58.0

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-21.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.00 NIO 256

$7.11 PEN 24.41

-1.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 NIO 47.98

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-23.84%

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

$23.0K NIO 841.2K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

2.95%

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

$26.9K NIO 985.1K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

5.46%

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

$153 NIO 5,618

$73.1 PEN 251

109.92%

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

$19.86 NIO 727

$16.35 PEN 56.2

21.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.75 NIO 1,199

$27.47 PEN 94.3

19.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$9.23 NIO 338

$7.05 PEN 24.23

30.92%

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

$235 NIO 8,617

$182 PEN 627

28.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,149 NIO 225.2K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

-52.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.1 NIO 2,236

$53.8 PEN 185

13.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 NIO 2,386

$34.32 PEN 118

89.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 NIO 4,430

$82.8 PEN 284

46.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 NIO 5,318

$78.2 PEN 269

85.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$407 NIO 14.9K

$721 PEN 2,476

-43.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$284 NIO 10.4K

$651 PEN 2,235

-56.40%

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)

$648 PEN 2,226

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.92

8.94

33.33%

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

Last update for Leon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Leon

$260 31.7%

Lima

$226 22.3% 13.1% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leon

$206 25.1%

Lima

$117 11.6% 43.3% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Leon

$177 21.5%

Lima

$112 11.1% 36.5% $64

Eating Out

Leon

$150 18.3%

Lima

$124 12.3% 17.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Leon

$18 * 2.3%

Lima

$46 4.6% 149% $28

Getting Around

Leon

$9.5 * 1.2%

Lima

$43 4.3% 356% $34

Accommodation & Living

Leon

- * 0%

Lima

$343 33.9%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $407 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Leon versus $35.00 in Lima. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Leon vs $226 in Lima – so Lima wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇮 Leon

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

13:49 1:49 PM

14:49 2:49 PM

1 h ahead of Leon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

207,533

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.43 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to NIO – Nicaraguan Córdoba Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇮 Nicaraguan Córdoba (C$)

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 41.18 NIO (100 NIO = 2.43 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to NIO in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Leon Lima 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min 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

Yes – Lima is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,231 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 Leon, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $821 in Leon and $1,012 in Lima. That's a gap of about 23%.

Kindergarten costs $235 per month in Leon and $182 in Lima. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Leon, where all-in costs run around $821, than in Lima at $1,012. In Leon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lima it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Leon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Leon. 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.