Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Aguilares

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguilares: $806 a month against $996 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.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Aguilares
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Aguilares Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Aguilares

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Aguilares

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Lima versus $806 in Aguilares.

Lima $996
Aguilares $806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Lima versus $1,292 in Aguilares.

Lima $1,594
Aguilares $1,292

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Lima versus $1,777 in Aguilares.

Lima $2,191
Aguilares $1,777

Living in Lima is roughly 24% more expensive than in Aguilares, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 26% lower, Aguilares 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.16

$6.90 $6.90

-35.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 120

$44.21 $44.21

-20.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.44

$6.90 $6.90

-0.87%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.22

$3.70 $3.70

-11.62%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.78

$1.15 $1.15

-4.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.22

$0.79 $0.79

-17.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.85

$1.96 $1.96

31.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.34

$3.58 $3.58

24.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.46

$1.85 $1.85

-14.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.86

$2.77 $2.77

-6.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.65

$1.37 $1.37

-0.73%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.11

$3.12 $3.12

-5.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.19

$7.51 $7.51

21.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.91

$6.78 $6.78

-14.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.68

$10.37 $10.37

-5.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.89

$5.11 $5.11

-60.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.69

$1.47 $1.47

-26.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$2.94 $2.94

-53.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.06

$3.52 $3.52

-57.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.30

$2.96 $2.96

-67.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.92

$3.34 $3.34

-74.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.02

$0.97 $0.97

-9.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.97

$0.96 $0.96

-9.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.24

$3.96 $3.96

48.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.21

$11.79 $11.79

-25.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.57

$2.27 $2.27

-15.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 10.98

$2.89 $2.89

10.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 91.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.06

$5.90 $5.90

-35.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.00

$2.96 $2.96

-31.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.49

$19.87 $19.87

-64.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.65

$1.20 $1.20

37.50%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

$25.2K $25.2K

-12.01%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

$26.9K $26.9K

-4.44%

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

$73.0 PEN 250

$128 $128

-43.11%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.7

$21.01 $21.01

-22.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.6

$41.77 $41.77

-33.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 113

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 66.8

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.33

$5.10 $5.10

44.90%

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

$182 PEN 624

$160 $160

13.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

$4,767 $4,767

179.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 180

$66.4 $66.4

-20.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 117

$46.24 $46.24

-25.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 287

$116 $116

-28.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 271

$117 $117

-32.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,479

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,166

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,060

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,176

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,394

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,702

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,237

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

8.5

5.18%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for Aguilares: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

Aguilares

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

Aguilares

$287 35.5% 26.9% $61

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Aguilares

$145 17.9% 16.9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Aguilares

$191 23.6% 63.5% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Aguilares

$156 19.2% 38.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

Aguilares

$10 * 1.3% 78.7% $38

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Aguilares

$21 * 2.6% 52.4% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $44.00 in Aguilares for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $287 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇸🇻 Aguilares

🕒 Local time

06:17 6:17 AM

05:17 5:17 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

21,445

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lima Aguilares 3,190 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Aguilares

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 Aguilares: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aguilares wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Lima. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Aguilares the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,494 in Lima and $1,209 in Aguilares to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $160 in Aguilares. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Aguilares – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $35.00 in Lima. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $806 in Aguilares versus $996 in Lima, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Aguilares but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Aguilares the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Aguilares delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Aguilares hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Aguilares gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.