Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Ayacucho

For one person, living is cheaper in Ayacucho: $474 a month against $1,045 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Ayacucho
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Ayacucho Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,045

/mo nomad

Ayacucho

🇵🇪 Peru

$474

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Ayacucho

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,045 in Lima versus $474 in Ayacucho.

Lima $1,045
Ayacucho $474

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,668 in Lima versus $766 in Ayacucho.

Lima $1,668
Ayacucho $766

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,292 in Lima versus $1,058 in Ayacucho.

Lima $2,292
Ayacucho $1,058

Living in Lima is roughly 121% more expensive than in Ayacucho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 23% lower, Ayacucho 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.25 PEN 14.65

$1.69 PEN 5.82

151.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.07 PEN 121

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 PEN 24.26

Cappuccino

$3.30 PEN 11.39

$1.78 PEN 6.12

85.39%

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

$1.11 PEN 3.83

$0.91 PEN 3.14

21.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.13

$0.30 PEN 1.04

106.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.64 PEN 9.11

$1.47 PEN 5.08

79.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.22

$4.38 PEN 15.09

0.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 PEN 5.59

White Bread (500g)

$2.59 PEN 8.93

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 PEN 4.55

$0.56 PEN 1.93

135.71%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.16

$1.79 PEN 6.17

64.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.59 PEN 33.07

$2.95 PEN 10.18

225.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.70 PEN 19.66

$4.27 PEN 14.73

33.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.95 PEN 34.31

$5.66 PEN 19.50

75.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 PEN 6.70

$1.18 PEN 4.08

64.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 PEN 3.55

$0.57 PEN 1.96

80.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 PEN 4.95

$0.60 PEN 2.09

140.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 PEN 5.27

$0.56 PEN 1.93

173.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.30 PEN 1.05

200.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 PEN 3.08

$0.30 PEN 1.04

196.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 PEN 3.01

$0.28 PEN 0.95

210.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.64 PEN 19.46

Wine (Bottle)

$9.56 PEN 32.97

$5.90 PEN 20.32

62.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.63

$2.98 PEN 10.27

-35.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 PEN 10.88

$4.40 PEN 15.16

-28.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 PEN 2.48

$0.61 PEN 2.10

18.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.28 PEN 111

$35.47 PEN 122

-8.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 PEN 12.28

$2.26 PEN 7.80

57.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 PEN 6.86

$1.15 PEN 3.95

73.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.83 PEN 26.99

$4.31 PEN 14.85

81.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.68

$1.71 PEN 5.88

-3.51%

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

$21.7K PEN 74.9K

$9,956 PEN 34.3K

118.19%

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

$28.3K PEN 97.4K

$12.3K PEN 42.5K

129.32%

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

$67.7 PEN 233

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

$15.71 PEN 54.2

$11.47 PEN 39.52

36.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.76 PEN 92.3

$17.16 PEN 59.2

55.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.50 PEN 112

$14.48 PEN 49.91

124.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 PEN 67.8

$29.41 PEN 101

-33.08%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.47

$4.44 PEN 15.31

66.44%

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

$309 PEN 1,065

$72.4 PEN 250

326.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 PEN 186

$17.29 PEN 59.6

211.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.93 PEN 124

$26.45 PEN 91.2

35.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.5 PEN 281

$102 PEN 353

-20.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.5 PEN 274

$103 PEN 355

-22.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 PEN 2,530

$342 PEN 1,180

114.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 PEN 1,287

$88.5 PEN 305

322.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 PEN 4,436

$861 PEN 2,968

49.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$764 PEN 2,632

$232 PEN 799

229.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,434 PEN 8,391

$1,884 PEN 6,493

29.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,359 PEN 4,683

$1,739 PEN 5,995

-21.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$666 PEN 2,295

$471 PEN 1,624

41.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

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

Last update for Lima: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ayacucho: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$373 35.7%

Ayacucho

$88 18.7% 76.3% $285

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$229 21.9%

Ayacucho

$120 * 25.3% 47.7% $109

Eating Out

Lima

$124 11.8%

Ayacucho

$56 * 11.8% 54.9% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$113 10.8%

Ayacucho

$112 23.6% 0.7% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$110 10.5%

Ayacucho

$29 * 6% 74% $82

Getting Around

Lima

$49 4.7%

Ayacucho

$46 9.7% 5.7% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$47 4.5%

Ayacucho

$23 4.9% 50.6% $24

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 $734 in Lima and $342 in Ayacucho. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 41% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇵🇪 Ayacucho

🕒 Local time

17:15 5:15 PM

Same time as Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

99,427

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.261 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.261 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lima Ayacucho 330 km

From you

Lima
Ayacucho

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 Ayacucho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ayacucho wins on cost – living expenses run 55% lower than in Lima. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ayacucho the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 41% higher in Lima, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $734 in Lima versus $342 in Ayacucho. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $309 in Lima versus $72 in Ayacucho. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Lima runs roughly 9% less than in Ayacucho. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $474 in Ayacucho versus $1,045 in Lima, a $800 budget is realistic in Ayacucho but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Ayacucho the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Ayacucho wins on affordability, Lima on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.