Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Calama

For one person, living is cheaper in Calama: $595 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Calama
Learn more

Calama Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Calama

🇨🇱 Chile

$595

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Calama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $595 in Calama.

Lima $1,012
Calama $595

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $1,203 in Calama.

Lima $1,589
Calama $1,203

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $1,812 in Calama.

Lima $2,167
Calama $1,812

Living in Lima is roughly 70% more expensive than in Calama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Calama 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$6.95 CLP 6,841

-36.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$31.49 CLP 31.0K

11.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$2.05 CLP 2,018

59.02%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$0.93 CLP 916

20.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$0.94 CLP 929

-34.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$3.12 CLP 3,074

-15.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$5.23 CLP 5,149

-15.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.10 CLP 1,087

48.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$0.84 CLP 825

204.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$2.62 CLP 2,575

-48.47%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$4.95 CLP 4,876

-41.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$9.36 CLP 9,217

-5.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$6.22 CLP 6,119

-3.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$7.53 CLP 7,413

29.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$1.26 CLP 1,242

62.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.05 CLP 1,029

0.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$1.55 CLP 1,523

-12.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$1.10 CLP 1,081

36.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$0.90 CLP 884

-2.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$0.93 CLP 916

-1.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$5.25 CLP 5,170

12.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$4.19 CLP 4,128

103.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$1.01 CLP 990

86.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$1.25 CLP 1,235

157.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.95 CLP 931

-28.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$1.43 CLP 1,412

41.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.44 CLP 1,415

19.44%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$40.05 CLP 39.4K

82.45%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$13.28 CLP 13.1K

106.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

-38.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

$20.74 CLP 20.4K

-6.41%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$4.69 CLP 4,617

50.32%

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

$182 PEN 627

$306 CLP 301.6K

-40.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$36.08 CLP 35.5K

49.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$28.38 CLP 27.9K

20.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$45.82 CLP 45.1K

80.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$61.8 CLP 60.9K

26.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$327 CLP 322.3K

120.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$102 CLP 100.6K

236.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$807 CLP 794.0K

51.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$608 CLP 599.0K

6.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

$1,403 CLP 1.4M

72.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

$1,229 CLP 1.2M

10.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

$1,110 CLP 1.1M

-41.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

78.80%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Calama: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Calama

$102 17.2% 70.2% $241

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Calama

$176 * 29.6% 22% $50

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Calama

$114 * 19.1% 8.2% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Calama

$53 * 9% 54.4% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Calama

$77 13% 30.9% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Calama

$61 10.3% 32.8% $15

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Calama

$11 * 1.8% 74.8% $33

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 $327 in Calama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calama pays 71% 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 $31.00 in Calama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $176 per month, with Calama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇨🇱 Calama

🕒 Local time

16:47 4:47 PM

18:47 6:47 PM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

157,575

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Calama 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Calama

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 Calama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calama wins on cost – living expenses run 70% lower than in Lima. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Calama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 71% lower in Calama. 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 $327 in Calama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,012 per month in Lima versus $595 in Calama – a 70% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $595 in Calama versus $1,012 in Lima, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Calama but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Calama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Calama delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $595 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Calama hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Calama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.