Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Colonia

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,511 in Colonia, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Colonia
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Colonia Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Colonia

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Colonia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $1,511 in Colonia.

Lima $1,012
Colonia $1,511

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $2,462 in Colonia.

Lima $1,589
Colonia $2,462

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $3,413 in Colonia.

Lima $2,167
Colonia $3,413

Living in Lima costs roughly 33% less than in Colonia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lima is 25% below, Colonia is 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$15.94 UYU 640

-72.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$75.1 UYU 3,015

-53.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$12.92 UYU 519

-46.67%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$5.83 UYU 234

-44.08%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$1.85 UYU 74.4

-39.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$1.40 UYU 56.2

-55.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$4.88 UYU 196

-45.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$4.74 UYU 190

-6.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.15 UYU 46.11

41.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$2.11 UYU 84.7

21.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.21 UYU 48.39

11.57%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$3.51 UYU 141

-17.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$9.96 UYU 400

-11.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$12.34 UYU 495

-51.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$11.03 UYU 443

-11.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$2.17 UYU 87.3

-5.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.89 UYU 76.0

-43.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$1.27 UYU 51.1

6.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$5.58 UYU 224

-73.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$2.04 UYU 81.8

-56.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$1.98 UYU 79.3

-53.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.23 UYU 49.17

-27.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$1.25 UYU 50.2

-28.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$7.65 UYU 307

-22.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$12.60 UYU 506

-32.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$4.44 UYU 178

-57.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$2.52 UYU 101

27.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.95 UYU 38.29

-28.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$0.86 UYU 34.47

343.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$2.53 UYU 101

-20.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.98 UYU 79.4

-13.13%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$32.0K UYU 1.3M

-30.38%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$39.2K UYU 1.6M

-34.92%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$123 UYU 4,923

-40.43%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$18.70 UYU 750

-12.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$38.73 UYU 1,555

-29.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$41.35 UYU 1,660

-22.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

$12.52 UYU 503

55.03%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$7.80 UYU 313

-9.62%

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

$56.7 UYU 2,274

-5.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$50.5 UYU 2,027

-32.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$112 UYU 4,503

-26.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$201 UYU 8,079

-61.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$597 UYU 24.0K

20.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$470 UYU 18.9K

-26.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$1,126 UYU 45.2K

8.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$977 UYU 39.2K

-33.39%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

4.5

98.67%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Colonia: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Colonia

$470 31.1% 36.9% $127

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Colonia

$314 20.8% 38.9% $88

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Colonia

$283 18.7% 128% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Colonia

$180 11.9% 54.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Colonia

$189 12.5% 68.8% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Colonia

$57 3.8% 23.8% $11

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Colonia

$17 * 1.2% 60.2% $26

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 $597 in Colonia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $75.0 in Colonia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $314 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇺🇾 Colonia

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

22:23 10:23 PM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

26,231

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Colonia 3,160 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Colonia

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 Colonia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Colonia. 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 $2,266 in Colonia 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 $597 in Colonia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,012 per month in Lima versus $1,511 in Colonia – a 49% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Colonia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,511 in Colonia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Colonia. 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 Colonia 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 49% less than in Colonia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.