Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Ajijic

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,267 in Ajijic, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ajijic outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Ajijic
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Ajijic Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Ajijic

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,267

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Ajijic

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

A single person spends $1,012 per month in Lima vs $1,267 in Ajijic, rent included.

Lima $1,012
Ajijic $1,267

A couple spends around $1,589 per month in Lima vs $2,020 in Ajijic, rent included.

Lima $1,589
Ajijic $2,020

A family of three spends $2,167 per month in Lima vs $2,773 in Ajijic, rent included.

Lima $2,167
Ajijic $2,773

Lima is about 20% cheaper than Ajijic, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lima and Ajijic are more affordable than the global median – Lima 25% lower, Ajijic 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$9.81 MX$181

-55.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$43.69 MX$807

-19.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$7.22 MX$133

-4.57%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$3.47 MX$64.1

-6.05%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$1.60 MX$29.62

-30.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$1.24 MX$22.92

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$2.24 MX$41.31

18.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$3.32 MX$61.4

32.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.49 MX$27.52

9.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$2.24 MX$41.31

14.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.07 MX$19.78

26.17%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$2.19 MX$40.54

32.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$7.84 MX$145

12.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$8.56 MX$158

-30.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$7.21 MX$133

35.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$2.30 MX$42.42

-10.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.32 MX$24.42

-19.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$1.48 MX$27.42

-8.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$1.71 MX$31.66

-12.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.60 MX$29.60

-45.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$1.38 MX$25.57

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.03 MX$19.03

-13.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.84 MX$15.55

7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$4.47 MX$82.7

31.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$8.92 MX$165

-4.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$1.55 MX$28.60

21.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$1.39 MX$25.61

131.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.64 MX$11.84

6.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$1.25 MX$23.18

204.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$4.40 MX$81.3

-54.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$11.00 MX$203

-35.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.49 MX$27.50

15.44%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$20.9K MX$386.5K

6.66%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$24.2K MX$447.2K

5.38%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$55.9 MX$1,033

30.72%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$14.30 MX$264

14.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$24.07 MX$445

14.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$24.24 MX$448

31.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

$5.42 MX$100

258.12%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$4.78 MX$88.3

47.49%

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

$182 PEN 627

$212 MX$3,922

-14.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$2,953 MX$54.6K

341.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$44.03 MX$814

22.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$16.71 MX$309

105.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$68.7 MX$1,270

20.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$69.6 MX$1,286

12.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$841 MX$15.5K

-14.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$630 MX$11.6K

-45.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$1,506 MX$27.8K

-19.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$1,267 MX$23.4K

-48.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

$3,332 MX$61.6K

-27.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

$1,734 MX$32.0K

-21.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

$562 MX$10.4K

15.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

11.2

-20.18%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ajijic: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Ajijic

$630 49.7% 83.4% $286

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Ajijic

$222 17.6% 1.6% $3.7

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Ajijic

$171 13.5% 37.9% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Ajijic

$94 7.4% 19.3% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Ajijic

$90 7.1% 20.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Ajijic

$34 2.7% 26.5% $12

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Ajijic

$26 * 2% 40.6% $18

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 $841 in Ajijic. 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 15% 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 $35.00 in Lima versus $44.00 in Ajijic. Groceries tell a different story – $226 in Lima vs $222 in Ajijic – so Ajijic wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇲🇽 Ajijic

🕒 Local time

19:56 7:56 PM

18:56 6:56 PM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

11,439

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Lima Ajijic 4,600 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Ajijic

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 Ajijic: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ajijic is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,518 per month in Lima and $1,900 in Ajijic. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,012 in Lima and $1,267 in Ajijic. That's a gap of about 25%.

Kindergarten costs $182 per month in Lima and $212 in Ajijic. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lima, where all-in costs run around $1,012, than in Ajijic at $1,267. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ajijic it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lima – 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 Lima. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ajijic makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.