Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Chihuahua

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,235 in Chihuahua, 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Chihuahua
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Chihuahua Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Chihuahua

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Chihuahua

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

A single person spends $996 per month in Lima vs $1,235 in Chihuahua, rent included.

Lima $996
Chihuahua $1,235

A couple spends around $1,594 per month in Lima vs $1,838 in Chihuahua, rent included.

Lima $1,594
Chihuahua $1,838

A family of three spends $2,191 per month in Lima vs $2,441 in Chihuahua, rent included.

Lima $2,191
Chihuahua $2,441

Lima is about 19% cheaper than Chihuahua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lima and Chihuahua are more affordable than the global median – Lima 26% lower, Chihuahua 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.16

$10.89 MX$200

-59.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 120

$33.13 MX$608

5.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.44

$11.03 MX$202

-37.99%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.22

$2.43 MX$44.60

34.57%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.78

$1.23 MX$22.55

-10.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.22

$0.76 MX$13.90

-14.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.85

$2.42 MX$44.37

6.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.34

$4.12 MX$75.6

8.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.46

$1.65 MX$30.23

-3.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.86

$3.27 MX$60.0

-21.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.65

$2.13 MX$39.08

-36.15%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.11

$2.58 MX$47.33

14.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.19

$9.32 MX$171

-2.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.91

$6.99 MX$128

-16.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.68

$12.49 MX$229

-21.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.89

$2.53 MX$46.42

-20.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.69

$1.63 MX$29.85

-33.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$2.05 MX$37.63

-33.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.06

$2.90 MX$53.3

-48.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.30

$2.42 MX$44.47

-60.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.92

$2.65 MX$48.64

-67.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.02

$1.35 MX$24.85

-34.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.97

$1.16 MX$21.33

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.24

$4.51 MX$82.8

30.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.21

$10.53 MX$193

-16.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.57

$1.48 MX$27.09

29.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 10.98

$2.90 MX$53.3

10.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.57 MX$10.48

19.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 91.7

$33.79 MX$620

-20.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.06

$2.72 MX$50.0

40.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.00

$0.79 MX$14.42

158.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.49

$10.03 MX$184

-28.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.65

$1.51 MX$27.69

9.27%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

$21.3K MX$391.7K

3.95%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

$24.2K MX$444.2K

6.09%

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

$73.0 PEN 250

$83.2 MX$1,527

-12.18%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.7

$21.01 MX$386

-22.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.6

$24.02 MX$441

14.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 113

$28.14 MX$517

17.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 66.8

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.33

$4.89 MX$89.7

51.12%

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

$182 PEN 624

$269 MX$4,939

-32.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

$3,353 MX$61.6K

297.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 180

$48.73 MX$895

7.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 117

$25.25 MX$464

35.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 287

$103 MX$1,893

-18.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 271

$90.3 MX$1,657

-12.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,479

$605 MX$11.1K

19.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,166

$463 MX$8,506

-26.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,060

$1,119 MX$20.6K

5.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,176

$718 MX$13.2K

-11.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,394

$3,385 MX$62.1K

-27.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,702

$1,112 MX$20.4K

23.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,237

$863 MX$15.8K

-24.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

10.84

-17.53%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for Chihuahua: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

Chihuahua

$463 37.1% 36.2% $123

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

Chihuahua

$280 22.4% 23.6% $53

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Chihuahua

$178 14.2% 43.2% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Chihuahua

$128 10.3% 9.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Chihuahua

$120 9.6% 7.1% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

Chihuahua

$38 3% 20.8% $9.9

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Chihuahua

$43 3.4% 1.7% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $723 in Lima versus $605 in Chihuahua. 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 32% higher in Chihuahua, 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 $33.00 in Chihuahua. Groceries tell a different story – $226 in Lima vs $280 in Chihuahua – so Lima wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇲🇽 Chihuahua

🕒 Local time

05:27 5:27 AM

04:27 4:27 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

925,762

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lima Chihuahua 5,500 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Chihuahua

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 Chihuahua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chihuahua costs about 24% more than Lima, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,494 per month in Lima and $1,852 in Chihuahua. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lima, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $182 per month in Lima and $269 in Chihuahua. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Chihuahua, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lima, where all-in costs run around $996, than in Chihuahua at $1,235. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chihuahua it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lima costs $996 versus $1,235 in Chihuahua. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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