Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Liberia

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,621 in Liberia, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Liberia
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Liberia Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Liberia

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Liberia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $1,621 in Liberia.

Lima $1,012
Liberia $1,621

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $2,267 in Liberia.

Lima $1,589
Liberia $2,267

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $2,914 in Liberia.

Lima $2,167
Liberia $2,914

Living in Lima costs roughly 38% less than in Liberia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lima is 25% below, Liberia is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.13

$10.81 ₡4,855

-59.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$37.83 ₡17.0K

-7.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.69

$10.88 ₡4,886

-36.67%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.22

$3.54 ₡1,590

-7.91%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$1.99 ₡894

-43.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.12

$1.61 ₡722

-61.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.11

$2.67 ₡1,198

-0.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.17

$4.39 ₡1,973

0.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.62

$2.43 ₡1,090

-32.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.79

$3.13 ₡1,405

-18.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.66

$2.29 ₡1,029

-41.05%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.97

$3.42 ₡1,534

-15.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.43

$7.88 ₡3,537

12.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.55

$7.86 ₡3,532

-23.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.65

$12.42 ₡5,577

-21.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.04

$5.15 ₡2,314

-60.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.55 ₡697

-31.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$2.52 ₡1,133

-46.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.16

$3.24 ₡1,454

-53.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$3.91 ₡1,754

-77.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.16

$2.61 ₡1,171

-64.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.08

$1.08 ₡484

-17.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.11

$2.15 ₡966

-58.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.31

$4.94 ₡2,220

19.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.31

$15.49 ₡6,956

-45.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.46

$2.31 ₡1,035

-18.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.07

$3.55 ₡1,596

-9.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.34

$1.11 ₡500

-38.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.4

$54.5 ₡24.5K

-50.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.11

$2.46 ₡1,104

54.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.94

$1.56 ₡699

29.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.45

$8.64 ₡3,880

-17.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.92

$1.57 ₡705

9.55%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.7K

$22.3K ₡10.0M

0.09%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.7K

$35.0K ₡15.7M

-27.20%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$94.3 ₡42.3K

-22.50%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$30.81 ₡13.8K

-46.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.5

$39.82 ₡17.9K

-31.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$49.26 ₡22.1K

-35.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.8

$34.92 ₡15.7K

-44.42%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.27

$7.54 ₡3,387

-6.50%

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

$182 PEN 628

$1,002 ₡449.9K

-81.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.9K

$17.0K ₡7.6M

-23.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$66.2 ₡29.7K

-18.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$36.81 ₡16.5K

-6.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 285

$130 ₡58.4K

-36.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$92.6 ₡41.6K

-15.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,481

$794 ₡356.6K

-9.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,181

$641 ₡287.9K

-46.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,193

$926 ₡415.8K

31.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,239

$739 ₡331.7K

-11.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,306

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,668

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,229

$886 ₡398.1K

-26.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

8.62

3.71%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Liberia: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Liberia

$641 39.6% 86.7% $298

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Liberia

$337 20.8% 49% $111

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Liberia

$198 12.2% 59.8% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Liberia

$165 10.2% 41.1% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Liberia

$147 9% 30.7% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Liberia

$64 4% 39.9% $18

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Liberia

$69 4.3% 59.2% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Lima and $794 in Liberia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Liberia pays 37% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $38.00 in Liberia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $337 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇨🇷 Liberia

🕒 Local time

05:23 5:23 AM

04:23 4:23 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

46,000

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.85 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lima Liberia 2,690 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Liberia

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 Liberia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima wins on cost – living expenses run 60% lower than in Liberia. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lima the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 37% lower in Liberia. 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 $794 in Liberia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lima – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $38.00 in Liberia. 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 $1,621 in Liberia – a 60% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,621 in Liberia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Liberia. 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 Liberia 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 60% less than in Liberia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.