Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Alajuela

For one person, living costs are similar in Lima and in Alajuela: $1,012 and $1,004 a month, rent and utilities included.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Alajuela
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Alajuela Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Alajuela

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,004

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Alajuela

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $1,004 in Alajuela.

Lima $1,012
Alajuela $1,004

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $1,609 in Alajuela.

Lima $1,589
Alajuela $1,609

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $2,214 in Alajuela.

Lima $2,167
Alajuela $2,214

Living in Lima is roughly 1% more expensive than in Alajuela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Alajuela 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.11

$12.20 ₡5,480

-63.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$43.92 ₡19.7K

-19.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.66

$10.89 ₡4,892

-36.73%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.21

$4.50 ₡2,021

-27.56%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$2.43 ₡1,092

-53.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$1.73 ₡775

-64.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.10

$3.00 ₡1,349

-11.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.16

$3.93 ₡1,766

12.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.62

$2.42 ₡1,086

-32.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$1.13 ₡506

126.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$2.19 ₡985

-38.36%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$3.55 ₡1,596

-18.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.40

$10.62 ₡4,770

-16.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.53

$10.23 ₡4,593

-41.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.62

$13.77 ₡6,186

-28.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.03

$2.26 ₡1,015

-9.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.62 ₡729

-34.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$2.27 ₡1,018

-40.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.16

$3.94 ₡1,768

-61.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$2.23 ₡1,000

-60.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$2.18 ₡981

-57.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.02 ₡458

-12.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.11

$1.03 ₡462

-12.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.29

$5.35 ₡2,402

10.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.28

$19.71 ₡8,854

-56.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$1.42 ₡638

32.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$0.99 ₡444

225.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.34

$0.73 ₡327

-6.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.3

$126 ₡56.5K

-78.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.10

$1.82 ₡819

109.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.94

$1.61 ₡722

25.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.43

$8.02 ₡3,604

-11.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.50 ₡676

14.67%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.7K

$22.0K ₡9.9M

1.43%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$27.9K ₡12.5M

-8.68%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$79.2 ₡35.6K

-7.75%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$30.88 ₡13.9K

-47.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.4

$59.2 ₡26.6K

-53.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.24

$7.85 ₡3,527

-10.19%

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

$182 PEN 627

$963 ₡432.7K

-81.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-23.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$71.4 ₡32.1K

-24.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$56.0 ₡25.2K

-38.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 285

$129 ₡57.8K

-35.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$73.6 ₡33.1K

6.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,478

$739 ₡332.0K

-2.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,180

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,189

$1,424 ₡639.7K

-14.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,236

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,297

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,663

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,227

$2,125 ₡954.5K

-69.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

8.62

3.71%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Alajuela: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Alajuela

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Alajuela

$309 30.7% 36.5% $83

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Alajuela

$224 22.3% 80.5% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Alajuela

$169 16.9% 44.8% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Alajuela

$148 14.8% 32.3% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Alajuela

$16 * 1.6% 65.9% $30

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Alajuela

$139 13.8% 219% $95

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Lima and $739 in Alajuela. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alajuela pays 228% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $44.00 in Alajuela for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $309 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇨🇷 Alajuela

🕒 Local time

08:32 8:32 AM

07:32 7:32 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

50,000

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.85 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Alajuela 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Alajuela

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 Alajuela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alajuela is cheaper overall, especially in leisure. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 228% lower in Alajuela. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Lima versus $739 in Alajuela. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Alajuela runs roughly 368% less than in Lima. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $963 in Alajuela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,004 in Alajuela versus $1,012 in Lima, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Alajuela but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Alajuela the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Alajuela is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lima, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Alajuela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.