Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Acapulco

For one person, living is cheaper in Acapulco: $859 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lima outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Acapulco
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Acapulco Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Acapulco

🇲🇽 Mexico

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Acapulco

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lima and in Acapulco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,012 per month in Lima vs $859 in Acapulco, rent included.

Lima $1,012
Acapulco $859

A couple spends around $1,589 per month in Lima vs $1,435 in Acapulco, rent included.

Lima $1,589
Acapulco $1,435

A family of three spends $2,167 per month in Lima vs $2,012 in Acapulco, rent included.

Lima $2,167
Acapulco $2,012

Lima costs about 18% more than Acapulco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lima and Acapulco are more affordable than the global median – Lima 25% lower, Acapulco 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$9.48 MX$175

-53.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$37.64 MX$696

-6.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$11.97 MX$221

-42.44%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$3.76 MX$69.5

-13.30%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$1.63 MX$30.10

-31.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$1.66 MX$30.65

-62.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$3.00 MX$55.4

-11.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$4.79 MX$88.4

-7.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.59 MX$29.36

2.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$2.89 MX$53.5

-11.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.68 MX$31.11

-19.64%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$1.79 MX$33.06

62.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$6.64 MX$123

33.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$8.04 MX$149

-25.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$10.78 MX$199

-9.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$4.58 MX$84.7

-55.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.65 MX$30.46

-35.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$3.38 MX$62.5

-60.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$3.13 MX$57.9

-52.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$3.47 MX$64.2

-74.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$2.96 MX$54.7

-68.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.31 MX$24.12

-32.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.78 MX$14.46

15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$8.16 MX$151

-27.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$6.66 MX$123

27.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$1.12 MX$20.74

67.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$2.70 MX$49.94

19.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.88 MX$16.27

-22.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$4.85 MX$89.6

-21.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.47 MX$27.16

17.01%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$21.1K MX$389.7K

5.78%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$24.8K MX$458.4K

2.82%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$39.89 MX$737

83.18%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$14.81 MX$274

10.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$21.72 MX$401

26.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$19.02 MX$351

67.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

$13.85 MX$256

40.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$3.87 MX$71.6

82.17%

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

$182 PEN 627

$162 MX$2,994

12.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$64.4 MX$1,191

-16.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$44.58 MX$824

-23.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$107 MX$1,985

-22.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$83.2 MX$1,538

-5.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$519 MX$9,593

38.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$150 MX$2,763

129.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$956 MX$17.7K

27.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$331 MX$6,118

96.55%

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

$449 MX$8,293

44.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

11.6

-22.93%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Acapulco: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Acapulco

$150 17.4% 56.5% $194

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Acapulco

$269 31.3% 18.8% $43

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Acapulco

$195 22.7% 57% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Acapulco

$76 8.9% 34.6% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Acapulco

$135 15.7% 20.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Acapulco

$27 3.1% 41.8% $19

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Acapulco

$8.4 * 1% 80.7% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Lima versus $519 in Acapulco. 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 44% higher in Lima, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Lima versus $38.00 in Acapulco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $269 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇲🇽 Acapulco

🕒 Local time

10:53 10:53 AM

09:53 9:53 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

658,609

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

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).

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).

USD to PEN in detail →

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Between locations

Lima Acapulco 4,080 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Acapulco

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

Lima vs Acapulco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima costs about 18% more than Acapulco, 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 $1,518 per month in Lima and $1,288 in Acapulco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Acapulco, 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 $1,012 in Lima and $859 in Acapulco. That's a gap of about 18%.

Kindergarten costs $182 per month in Lima and $162 in Acapulco. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Acapulco, where all-in costs run around $859, than in Lima at $1,012. In Acapulco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lima it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Acapulco costs $859 versus $1,012 in Lima. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Acapulco. 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.