Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Atenas

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,546 in Atenas, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Atenas
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Atenas Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Atenas

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,546

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Atenas

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

A single person spends $1,012 per month in Lima vs $1,546 in Atenas, rent included.

Lima $1,012
Atenas $1,546

A couple spends around $1,589 per month in Lima vs $2,543 in Atenas, rent included.

Lima $1,589
Atenas $2,543

A family of three spends $2,167 per month in Lima vs $3,540 in Atenas, rent included.

Lima $2,167
Atenas $3,540

Lima is about 35% cheaper than Atenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Lima sits 25% below the global median, while Atenas is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$9.58 ₡4,298

-54.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$56.8 ₡25.5K

-38.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$11.85 ₡5,314

-41.86%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$3.82 ₡1,711

-14.66%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$2.64 ₡1,186

-57.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$1.90 ₡852

-67.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$3.25 ₡1,459

-18.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$4.38 ₡1,966

0.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$2.39 ₡1,070

-31.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$3.12 ₡1,401

-17.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$2.13 ₡957

-36.62%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$3.41 ₡1,528

-14.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$10.71 ₡4,802

-17.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$9.87 ₡4,426

-39.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$10.36 ₡4,646

-5.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$4.28 ₡1,921

-52.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.57 ₡704

-32.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$2.56 ₡1,148

-47.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$2.39 ₡1,071

-37.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$3.70 ₡1,660

-76.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$2.69 ₡1,205

-65.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.11 ₡500

-19.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$3.09 ₡1,387

-70.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$6.00 ₡2,690

-1.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$18.30 ₡8,207

-53.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$2.68 ₡1,200

-29.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$2.69 ₡1,208

19.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$2.23 ₡1,001

-69.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$2.38 ₡1,067

60.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$1.62 ₡725

24.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$8.83 ₡3,960

-19.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.56 ₡701

10.26%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$22.3K ₡10.0M

-0.01%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$34.6K ₡15.5M

-26.32%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$95.7 ₡42.9K

-23.62%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$35.36 ₡15.9K

-53.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$51.0 ₡22.8K

-46.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$48.47 ₡21.7K

-34.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

$10.78 ₡4,835

80.06%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$7.90 ₡3,542

-10.76%

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

$182 PEN 627

$994 ₡445.7K

-81.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$6,652 ₡3.0M

96.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$71.0 ₡31.8K

-24.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$55.1 ₡24.7K

-37.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$128 ₡57.2K

-35.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$129 ₡58.0K

-39.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$648 ₡290.6K

11.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$550 ₡246.8K

-37.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$1,521 ₡682.3K

-19.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$1,281 ₡574.3K

-49.19%

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

$1,322 ₡592.9K

-50.98%

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 Atenas: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Atenas

$550 35.6% 60.3% $207

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Atenas

$356 23.1% 57.7% $130

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Atenas

$201 13% 62.3% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Atenas

$182 11.8% 55.7% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Atenas

$172 11.2% 53.7% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Atenas

$64 4.2% 39.7% $18

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Atenas

$19 * 1.3% 55.4% $24

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 $648 in Atenas. 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 104% higher in Atenas, 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 $57.0 in Atenas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $356 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇨🇷 Atenas

🕒 Local time

04:06 4:06 AM

03:06 3:06 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

7,000

💱 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 = 1.98 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Lima
Atenas

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 Atenas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Atenas is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,518 per month in Lima and $2,319 in Atenas. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Lima and $57.0 in Atenas. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 58% more in Atenas, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lima, where all-in costs run around $1,012, than in Atenas at $1,546. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Atenas 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, Atenas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.