Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Acuna

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $1,203 in Acuna, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Lima, Peru
Acuna, Mexico
Lima
🇵🇪 Peru
$1,042
/mo nomad
Acuna
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,203
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Acuna

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 Acuna actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,042 per month in Lima vs $1,203 in Acuna, rent included.

  • Lima $1,042
  • Acuna $1,203

A couple spends around $1,651 per month in Lima vs $1,872 in Acuna, rent included.

  • Lima $1,651
  • Acuna $1,872

A family of three spends $2,259 per month in Lima vs $2,540 in Acuna, rent included.

  • Lima $2,259
  • Acuna $2,540

Lima is about 13% cheaper than Acuna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lima and Acuna are more affordable than the global median – Lima 23% lower, Acuna 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lima
Acuna
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.64 PEN 15.95
$10.82 MX$203
-57.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.34 PEN 118
$42.78 MX$803
-19.73%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.01 PEN 24.12
$8.73 MX$164
-19.70%
Cappuccino
$3.22 PEN 11.09
$3.49 MX$65.5
-7.74%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.13 PEN 3.90
$1.40 MX$26.24
-19.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.61 PEN 2.09
$0.99 MX$18.63
-38.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.93 PEN 10.08
$2.49 MX$46.78
17.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 PEN 14.63
$3.92 MX$73.6
8.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lima
Acuna
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.58 PEN 5.44
$1.56 MX$29.21
1.28%
White Bread (500g)
$2.61 PEN 8.98
$2.58 MX$48.36
1.16%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.30 PEN 4.47
$1.64 MX$30.82
-20.73%
Eggs
$2.92 PEN 10.05
$2.45 MX$46.09
19.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.54 PEN 32.82
$8.25 MX$155
15.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.71 PEN 19.66
$7.96 MX$149
-28.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.47 PEN 32.58
$11.30 MX$212
-16.19%
Apples (1kg)
$2.01 PEN 6.91
$2.61 MX$49.03
-22.99%
Banana (1kg)
$1.02 PEN 3.52
$1.56 MX$29.37
-34.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.45 PEN 4.99
$1.84 MX$34.57
-21.20%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.49 PEN 5.14
$1.78 MX$33.50
-16.29%
Potato (1kg)
$0.91 PEN 3.14
$2.04 MX$38.32
-55.39%
Onion (1kg)
$0.89 PEN 3.07
$1.82 MX$34.25
-51.10%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.86 PEN 2.97
$1.43 MX$26.83
-39.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 PEN 3.06
$1.12 MX$21.05
-20.54%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.47 PEN 18.83
$4.20 MX$78.8
30.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.17 PEN 35.00
$10.27 MX$193
-0.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.81 PEN 6.21
$1.79 MX$33.58
1.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.15 PEN 10.84
$3.16 MX$59.4
-0.32%
🚌 Getting Around
Lima
Acuna
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.66 PEN 2.28
$0.62 MX$11.61
6.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$31.89 PEN 110
$29.62 MX$556
7.66%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.43 PEN 11.79
$2.54 MX$47.74
35.04%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.98 PEN 6.80
$1.93 MX$36.21
2.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.60 PEN 33.04
$10.78 MX$202
-10.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.71 PEN 5.89
$1.32 MX$24.74
29.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.9K PEN 75.3K
$23.3K MX$436.7K
-5.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.0K PEN 100.0K
$23.7K MX$444.8K
22.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lima
Acuna
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$65.8 PEN 227
$57.2 MX$1,075
15.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.26 PEN 52.5
$22.85 MX$429
-33.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$26.87 PEN 92.5
$29.20 MX$548
-7.98%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lima
Acuna
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.91 PEN 113
$32.41 MX$609
1.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.12 PEN 69.2
$20.22 MX$380
-0.49%
Cinema Ticket
$7.12 PEN 24.49
$4.97 MX$93.4
43.26%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lima
Acuna
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$309 PEN 1,064
$218 MX$4,093
41.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.4K PEN 73.5K
$4,512 MX$84.7K
373.16%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lima
Acuna
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.0 PEN 179
$54.3 MX$1,020
-4.27%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.69 PEN 123
$39.96 MX$750
-10.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$81.8 PEN 281
$97.7 MX$1,834
-16.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.0 PEN 268
$89.5 MX$1,682
-12.93%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lima
Acuna
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$727 PEN 2,501
$596 MX$11.2K
21.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$373 PEN 1,284
$436 MX$8,195
-14.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,249 PEN 4,297
$1,039 MX$19.5K
20.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$739 PEN 2,544
$751 MX$14.1K
-1.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,380 PEN 8,191
$1,911 MX$35.9K
24.53%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,365 PEN 4,697
$1,107 MX$20.8K
23.35%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lima
Acuna
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$650 PEN 2,238
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.38
11.31
-25.91%

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

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Last update for Acuna: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lima
$373
Acuna
$436 17% $63
Groceries & Markets
Lima
$228
Acuna
$260 13.8% $31
Eating Out
Lima
$127
Acuna
$184 45.3% $58
Clothing & Footwear
Lima
$111
Acuna
$127 13.8% $15
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lima
$108
Acuna
$109 1.2% $1.3
Getting Around
Lima
$48
Acuna
$44 7.4% $3.6
Sport & Entertainment
Lima
$47
Acuna
$42 10.2% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $727 in Lima versus $596 in Acuna. 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 $34 in Lima versus $43 in Acuna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $228 vs $260 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇪 Lima
🇲🇽 Acuna
🕒 Local time
03:44 3:44 AM
02:44 2:44 AM
1 h behind Lima
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,989,369 Capital
160,225
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.87 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lima Acuna 5,270 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lima
  • Acuna

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 Acuna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lima cheaper than Acuna?
Yes – Acuna is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,564 per month in Lima and $1,804 in Acuna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Acuna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $596 there versus $727 in Lima.
What are total monthly expenses in Lima and in Acuna?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,042 in Lima and $1,203 in Acuna. That makes Lima about 13% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 7% less in Acuna. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $2,000 enough for either Lima or Acuna?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,042 in Lima and $1,203 in Acuna, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Lima or in Acuna?
It depends on your priorities. Lima has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,042 in Lima to $1,203 in Acuna. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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