Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Cuernavaca

For one person, living costs are similar in Lima and in Cuernavaca: $1,012 and $1,011 a month, rent and utilities included.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Cuernavaca
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Cuernavaca Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Cuernavaca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,011

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Cuernavaca

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $1,011 in Cuernavaca.

Lima $1,012
Cuernavaca $1,011

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $1,692 in Cuernavaca.

Lima $1,589
Cuernavaca $1,692

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $2,373 in Cuernavaca.

Lima $2,167
Cuernavaca $2,373

Monthly costs are close between Lima and Cuernavaca; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$8.05 MX$149

-45.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$38.27 MX$707

-8.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$7.24 MX$134

-4.83%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$2.43 MX$44.98

34.16%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$1.27 MX$23.43

-11.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$0.63 MX$11.60

-1.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$2.50 MX$46.29

6.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$3.26 MX$60.3

35.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.70 MX$31.33

-4.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$2.21 MX$40.92

15.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.44 MX$26.52

-6.25%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$1.92 MX$35.49

51.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$8.08 MX$149

9.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$4.89 MX$90.4

22.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$13.78 MX$255

-29.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$2.23 MX$41.24

-8.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.35 MX$25.02

-21.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$2.17 MX$40.07

-37.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$1.67 MX$30.92

-10.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.71 MX$31.62

-48.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$1.74 MX$32.06

-47.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.53 MX$28.25

-41.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.91 MX$16.78

-1.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$4.39 MX$81.2

34.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$8.15 MX$151

4.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$1.22 MX$22.55

54.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$3.32 MX$61.4

-3.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.57 MX$10.51

19.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

$27.69 MX$512

-3.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$1.90 MX$35.20

100.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$2.63 MX$48.52

-23.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$10.93 MX$202

-34.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.42 MX$26.26

21.13%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$21.0K MX$387.9K

6.29%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$24.1K MX$444.6K

5.99%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$57.3 MX$1,059

27.57%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$18.78 MX$347

-12.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$25.19 MX$465

9.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$25.75 MX$476

23.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$5.44 MX$100

29.60%

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

$182 PEN 627

$217 MX$4,018

-16.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$5,075 MX$93.8K

156.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$41.29 MX$763

30.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$33.18 MX$613

3.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$93.0 MX$1,719

-10.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$99.1 MX$1,832

-21.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$385 MX$7,110

87.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$332 MX$6,140

3.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$957 MX$17.7K

27.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$804 MX$14.9K

-19.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

$870 MX$16.1K

177.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

$606 MX$11.2K

123.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

$649 MX$12.0K

-0.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

11.4

-21.58%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cuernavaca: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Cuernavaca

$332 32.9% 3.2% $11

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Cuernavaca

$234 23.1% 3.4% $7.6

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Cuernavaca

$142 14.1% 14.5% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Cuernavaca

$101 10% 13.4% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Cuernavaca

$120 11.9% 7% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Cuernavaca

$37 3.6% 20.4% $9.4

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Cuernavaca

$45 4.5% 3.5% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Lima and $385 in Cuernavaca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cuernavaca pays 0% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $38.00 in Cuernavaca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $234 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇲🇽 Cuernavaca

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

06:22 6:22 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

341,029

💱 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 Cuernavaca 4,220 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Cuernavaca

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 Cuernavaca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 0% lower in Cuernavaca. 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 $385 in Cuernavaca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cuernavaca runs roughly 3% less than in Lima. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Shoppers in Lima pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,011 in Cuernavaca versus $1,012 in Lima, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cuernavaca but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Cuernavaca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Lima and Cuernavaca are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Cuernavaca wins on affordability, Lima on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.