Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Celaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Celaya: $921 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lima outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Celaya
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Celaya Living Index

Jump to prices

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Celaya

🇲🇽 Mexico

$921

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Celaya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $921 in Celaya.

Lima $1,012
Celaya $921

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $1,452 in Celaya.

Lima $1,589
Celaya $1,452

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $1,982 in Celaya.

Lima $2,167
Celaya $1,982

Living in Lima is roughly 10% more expensive than in Celaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Celaya 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$12.49 MX$231

-64.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$44.05 MX$814

-20.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$7.21 MX$133

-4.44%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$3.37 MX$62.3

-3.26%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$1.23 MX$22.76

-8.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$1.07 MX$19.84

-42.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$2.14 MX$39.49

23.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$3.36 MX$62.1

31.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.44 MX$26.70

13.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$2.26 MX$41.83

13.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.48 MX$27.29

-8.78%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$2.15 MX$39.71

34.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$7.93 MX$147

11.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$8.40 MX$155

-28.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$11.30 MX$209

-13.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$2.29 MX$42.37

-10.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.12 MX$20.63

-5.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$1.54 MX$28.53

-12.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$1.08 MX$19.91

38.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.56 MX$28.74

-43.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$1.39 MX$25.67

-33.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$0.98 MX$18.12

-9.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.80 MX$14.87

12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$4.33 MX$80.0

36.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$8.72 MX$161

-2.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$1.83 MX$33.89

2.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$3.40 MX$62.9

-5.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.63 MX$11.61

7.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

$27.70 MX$512

-3.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$1.20 MX$22.14

217.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$1.13 MX$20.95

78.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$10.77 MX$199

-33.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.43 MX$26.33

20.28%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$21.5K MX$398.1K

3.55%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$24.0K MX$444.0K

6.14%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$37.60 MX$695

94.34%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$19.37 MX$358

-15.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$19.55 MX$361

40.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$33.06 MX$611

-3.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

$27.48 MX$508

-29.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$5.13 MX$94.7

37.43%

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

$182 PEN 627

$210 MX$3,873

-12.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$2,882 MX$53.3K

352.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$55.2 MX$1,019

-2.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$38.02 MX$703

-9.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$103 MX$1,897

-19.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$70.9 MX$1,310

10.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$248 MX$4,588

190.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$220 MX$4,072

55.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$390 MX$7,208

212.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$283 MX$5,231

129.87%

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

$817 MX$15.1K

-20.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

11.2

-20.18%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Celaya: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Celaya

$220 23.9% 35.8% $123

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Celaya

$235 25.6% 4.2% $9.5

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Celaya

$189 20.5% 52.1% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Celaya

$77 8.3% 34.5% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Celaya

$120 13% 7% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Celaya

$43 4.7% 5.9% $2.7

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Celaya

$37 4% 14.7% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Lima and $248 in Celaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Celaya pays 26% 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 $44.00 in Celaya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $235 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇲🇽 Celaya

🕒 Local time

23:08 11:08 PM

22:08 10:08 PM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

378,143

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, 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).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lima Celaya 4,460 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Celaya

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 Celaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Celaya differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $921 including rent). Celaya is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Celaya. 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 $248 in Celaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Celaya – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $35.00 in Lima. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,012 per month in Lima versus $921 in Celaya – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $921 in Celaya versus $1,012 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Celaya but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Celaya 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.

Expats usually find Celaya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.