Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Cuautla

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,253 in Cuautla, 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Cuautla
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Cuautla Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Cuautla

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,253

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Cuautla

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $1,253 in Cuautla.

Lima $1,012
Cuautla $1,253

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $1,999 in Cuautla.

Lima $1,589
Cuautla $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $2,745 in Cuautla.

Lima $2,167
Cuautla $2,745

Living in Lima costs roughly 19% less than in Cuautla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Cuautla 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$11.03 MX$204

-60.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$64.2 MX$1,186

-45.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$9.42 MX$174

-26.86%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$3.71 MX$68.5

-12.13%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$1.63 MX$30.20

-31.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$1.04 MX$19.22

-40.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$3.27 MX$60.5

-18.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$5.54 MX$102

-20.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.92 MX$35.52

-15.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$2.79 MX$51.6

-8.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.94 MX$35.82

-30.41%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$2.75 MX$50.8

5.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$8.75 MX$162

1.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$9.17 MX$169

-34.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$13.77 MX$255

-28.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$3.39 MX$62.7

-39.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.60 MX$29.55

-33.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$2.14 MX$39.45

-36.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$1.94 MX$35.78

-22.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.86 MX$34.37

-52.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$1.76 MX$32.51

-47.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.51 MX$27.96

-41.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$1.19 MX$22.07

-24.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$4.50 MX$83.2

31.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$17.50 MX$323

-51.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$2.24 MX$41.32

-16.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$3.95 MX$73.0

-18.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.63 MX$11.60

7.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$3.23 MX$59.6

17.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$2.54 MX$47.02

-20.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$11.09 MX$205

-35.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.31 MX$24.22

31.30%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$20.8K MX$384.9K

7.11%

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

$58.8 MX$1,087

24.23%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$26.84 MX$496

-39.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$24.52 MX$453

12.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$36.29 MX$671

-12.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

$20.97 MX$387

-7.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$7.36 MX$136

-4.21%

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

$182 PEN 627

$263 MX$4,865

-30.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$5,033 MX$93.0K

159.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$51.9 MX$959

3.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$45.28 MX$837

-24.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$99.8 MX$1,844

-16.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$98.4 MX$1,817

-20.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$645 MX$11.9K

11.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$434 MX$8,019

-20.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$1,182 MX$21.8K

3.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$736 MX$13.6K

-11.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

$1,712 MX$31.6K

41.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

$1,075 MX$19.9K

26.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

11.99

-25.44%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cuautla: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Cuautla

$434 34.6% 26.4% $91

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Cuautla

$308 24.6% 36.1% $82

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Cuautla

$199 15.9% 60.6% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Cuautla

$110 8.8% 5.7% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Cuautla

$133 10.6% 18.5% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Cuautla

$51 4.1% 10.9% $5

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Cuautla

$18 * 1.5% 57.5% $25

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 $645 in Cuautla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $64.0 in Cuautla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $308 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇲🇽 Cuautla

🕒 Local time

10:54 10:54 AM

09:54 9:54 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

157,336

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Cuautla 4,190 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Cuautla

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 Cuautla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,518 in Lima and $1,880 in Cuautla 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 $645 in Cuautla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $263 in Cuautla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Lima – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $64.0 in Cuautla. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,253 in Cuautla, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Cuautla. The gap between the two cities makes Lima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lima is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cuautla, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Cuautla. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.