Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Chimaltenango

For one person, living is cheaper in Chimaltenango: $745 a month against $996 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Chimaltenango
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Chimaltenango Living Index

Jump to prices

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Chimaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$745

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Chimaltenango

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

A single person spends $996 per month in Lima vs $745 in Chimaltenango, rent included.

Lima $996
Chimaltenango $745

A couple spends around $1,594 per month in Lima vs $1,229 in Chimaltenango, rent included.

Lima $1,594
Chimaltenango $1,229

A family of three spends $2,191 per month in Lima vs $1,712 in Chimaltenango, rent included.

Lima $2,191
Chimaltenango $1,712

Lima costs about 34% more than Chimaltenango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lima and Chimaltenango are more affordable than the global median – Lima 26% lower, Chimaltenango 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.16

$6.92 Q 52.9

-36.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 120

$49.80 Q 381

-29.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.44

$7.69 Q 58.8

-11.05%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.22

$3.36 Q 25.67

-2.68%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.78

$1.16 Q 8.88

-5.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.22

$0.93 Q 7.10

-30.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.85

$3.19 Q 24.36

-19.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.34

$4.85 Q 37.04

-7.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.46

$2.00 Q 15.30

-20.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.86

$3.13 Q 23.94

-17.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.65

$2.09 Q 15.96

-34.93%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.11

$2.56 Q 19.59

15.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.19

$6.46 Q 49.37

40.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.91

$9.44 Q 72.1

-38.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.68

$13.47 Q 103

-27.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.89

$4.00 Q 30.54

-49.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.69

$1.66 Q 12.66

-34.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$2.82 Q 21.56

-51.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.06

$1.66 Q 12.70

-10.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.30

$1.48 Q 11.27

-35.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.92

$2.10 Q 16.08

-59.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.02

$0.68 Q 5.17

29.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.97

$1.15 Q 8.78

-24.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.24

$3.99 Q 30.48

47.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.21

$8.36 Q 63.9

5.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.57

$1.75 Q 13.36

9.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 10.98

$2.68 Q 20.49

19.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 91.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.06

$5.27 Q 40.28

-27.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.00

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.49

$10.27 Q 78.5

-30.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.65

$1.21 Q 9.28

36.36%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

$27.9K Q 213.3K

-20.55%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

$25.3K Q 193.1K

1.55%

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

$73.0 PEN 250

$72.4 Q 553

0.90%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.7

$29.30 Q 224

-44.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.6

$47.04 Q 359

-41.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 113

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 66.8

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.33

$6.34 Q 48.43

16.56%

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

$182 PEN 624

$338 Q 2,583

-46.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

$6,593 Q 50.4K

102.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 180

$49.38 Q 377

6.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 117

$47.63 Q 364

-28.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 287

$116 Q 889

-28.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 271

$114 Q 873

-30.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,479

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,166

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,060

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,176

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,394

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,702

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,237

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

11.62

-23.06%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for Chimaltenango: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

Chimaltenango

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

Chimaltenango

$282 37.7% 24.8% $56

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Chimaltenango

$153 20.4% 23.1% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Chimaltenango

$149 19.9% 27.2% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Chimaltenango

$147 19.7% 31.3% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

Chimaltenango

$13 * 1.7% 73.5% $35

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Chimaltenango

$5.3 * 0.7% 87.9% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Lima versus $50.0 in Chimaltenango. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $282 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇬🇹 Chimaltenango

🕒 Local time

02:00 2:00 AM

01:00 1:00 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

43,900

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, 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).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.57 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Chimaltenango 3,340 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Chimaltenango

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 Chimaltenango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima costs about 34% more than Chimaltenango, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,117 in Chimaltenango. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Lima and $50.0 in Chimaltenango. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 25% 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 Chimaltenango, where all-in costs run around $745, than in Lima at $996. In Chimaltenango it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lima it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chimaltenango costs $745 versus $996 in Lima. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chimaltenango. 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.