Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Catamarca

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,250 in Catamarca, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Catamarca
Learn more

Catamarca Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Catamarca

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Catamarca

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $1,250 in Catamarca.

Lima $1,012
Catamarca $1,250

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $2,133 in Catamarca.

Lima $1,589
Catamarca $2,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $3,016 in Catamarca.

Lima $2,167
Catamarca $3,016

Living in Lima costs roughly 19% less than in Catamarca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Catamarca 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.15

$16.87 ARS 25.6K

-73.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$63.8 ARS 96.7K

-44.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.73

$11.22 ARS 17.0K

-38.59%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.24

$3.86 ARS 5,853

-15.54%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.85

$2.09 ARS 3,166

-46.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.12

$2.00 ARS 3,035

-69.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.12

$3.41 ARS 5,169

-22.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.20

$4.63 ARS 7,020

-4.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.63

$1.47 ARS 2,236

10.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.81

$2.45 ARS 3,712

4.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.67

$2.04 ARS 3,087

-33.82%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.99

$2.97 ARS 4,509

-2.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.48

$9.63 ARS 14.6K

-8.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.59

$8.18 ARS 12.4K

-26.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.71

$11.29 ARS 17.1K

-13.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.05

$2.09 ARS 3,165

-1.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.67

$2.21 ARS 3,358

-52.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.43 ARS 2,165

-5.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.17

$2.61 ARS 3,961

-42.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.04

$1.16 ARS 1,765

-24.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.16

$0.98 ARS 1,480

-6.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.08

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.12

$1.70 ARS 2,575

-47.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.34

$3.79 ARS 5,747

55.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.36

$4.52 ARS 6,854

88.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.47

$1.85 ARS 2,813

1.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.09

$3.20 ARS 4,854

0.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.34

$0.93 ARS 1,403

-26.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.6

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.14

$1.66 ARS 2,523

129.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.50

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.93

$1.11 ARS 1,686

54.95%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.9K

$25.9K ARS 39.2M

-13.76%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.9K

$34.0K ARS 51.6M

-25.01%

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

$73.1 PEN 252

$111 ARS 168.2K

-34.14%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.3

$16.12 ARS 24.4K

1.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.7

$28.95 ARS 43.9K

-5.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$29.54 ARS 44.8K

7.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.9

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.31

$8.40 ARS 12.7K

-16.07%

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

$182 PEN 629

$302 ARS 458.0K

-39.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$115 ARS 174.6K

-53.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 285

$108 ARS 164.3K

-23.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 270

$151 ARS 229.6K

-48.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,485

$591 ARS 895.7K

22.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,183

$360 ARS 545.8K

-4.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,200

$1,085 ARS 1.6M

12.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,243

$928 ARS 1.4M

-29.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,321

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,676

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,233

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Catamarca: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Catamarca

$360 28.8% 4.8% $16

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Catamarca

$256 * 20.5% 13.3% $30

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Catamarca

$258 20.6% 108% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Catamarca

$156 12.5% 33.5% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Catamarca

$169 * 13.5% 50.5% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Catamarca

$46 3.7% 0.7% $0.3

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Catamarca

$5.4 * 0.4% 87.7% $38

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 $591 in Catamarca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $64.0 in Catamarca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $256 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇦🇷 Catamarca

🕒 Local time

09:57 9:57 AM

11:57 11:57 AM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

160,058

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.85 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,693 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Catamarca 2,170 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Catamarca

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 Catamarca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Catamarca. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lima the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,518 in Lima and $1,875 in Catamarca to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Lima versus $591 in Catamarca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Catamarca. 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 $1,250 in Catamarca – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,250 in Catamarca, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Catamarca. The gap between the two cities makes Lima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lima delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,012 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lima hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lima and Catamarca are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Catamarca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.