Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Castro

For one person, living is cheaper in Castro: $875 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Lima despite lower rent and utilities.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Castro
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Castro Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Castro

🇨🇱 Chile

$875

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Castro

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

A single person spends $1,012 per month in Lima vs $875 in Castro, rent included.

Lima $1,012
Castro $875

A couple spends around $1,589 per month in Lima vs $1,381 in Castro, rent included.

Lima $1,589
Castro $1,381

A family of three spends $2,167 per month in Lima vs $1,887 in Castro, rent included.

Lima $2,167
Castro $1,887

Lima costs about 16% more than Castro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Lima and Castro are more affordable than the global median – Lima 25% lower, Castro 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$8.29 CLP 8,163

-46.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$46.10 CLP 45.4K

-23.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$5.66 CLP 5,568

21.73%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$1.49 CLP 1,464

118.79%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$1.20 CLP 1,181

-6.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$1.01 CLP 990

-38.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$5.15 CLP 5,066

-48.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$7.29 CLP 7,173

-39.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.08 CLP 1,065

50.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$3.51 CLP 3,451

-27.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.25 CLP 1,232

8.00%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$4.12 CLP 4,056

-29.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$9.67 CLP 9,523

-8.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$4.03 CLP 3,965

48.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$8.49 CLP 8,358

15.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$1.40 CLP 1,373

46.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$2.30 CLP 2,268

-53.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$1.48 CLP 1,461

-8.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$1.98 CLP 1,947

-24.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.13 CLP 1,109

-22.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.52 CLP 1,494

-41.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$1.56 CLP 1,531

-42.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$3.75 CLP 3,688

57.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$7.78 CLP 7,662

9.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$1.00 CLP 987

88.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$3.13 CLP 3,085

2.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.66 CLP 654

3.03%

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

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.30 CLP 1,282

32.31%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$15.5K CLP 15.2M

44.32%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$18.2K CLP 17.9M

39.97%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$131 CLP 128.8K

-44.16%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$31.25 CLP 30.8K

-12.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

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

$182 PEN 627

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$81.0 CLP 79.7K

2.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$355 CLP 349.2K

103.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$290 CLP 285.5K

18.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$1,002 CLP 986.6K

21.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$576 CLP 566.8K

13.01%

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

$614 CLP 604.7K

5.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

27.71%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Castro: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Castro

$290 33.2% 15.5% $53

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Castro

$234 * 26.7% 3.4% $7.6

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Castro

$150 17.2% 21.2% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Castro

$162 * 18.5% 38.7% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Castro

$36 * 4.2% 67.5% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Castro

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Castro

$2.7 * 0.3% 93.9% $41

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 $355 in Castro. 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 5% higher in Lima, 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 $46.00 in Castro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $234 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇨🇱 Castro

🕒 Local time

20:32 8:32 PM

22:32 10:32 PM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

33,417

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

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Between locations

Lima Castro 3,400 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Castro

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 Castro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima costs about 16% more than Castro, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,518 per month in Lima and $1,313 in Castro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Castro, 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 $875 in Castro. That's a gap of about 16%.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Lima – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Castro, where all-in costs run around $875, than in Lima at $1,012. In Castro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lima it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Castro costs $875 versus $1,012 in Lima. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Castro. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lima makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.