Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Desamparados

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,689 in Desamparados, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
82

Cost of Living Index in Desamparados
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Desamparados Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Desamparados

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Desamparados

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

A single person spends $1,012 per month in Lima vs $1,689 in Desamparados, rent included.

Lima $1,012
Desamparados $1,689

A couple spends around $1,589 per month in Lima vs $2,670 in Desamparados, rent included.

Lima $1,589
Desamparados $2,670

A family of three spends $2,167 per month in Lima vs $3,651 in Desamparados, rent included.

Lima $2,167
Desamparados $3,651

Lima is about 40% cheaper than Desamparados, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Lima sits 25% below the global median, while Desamparados is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$12.26 ₡5,498

-64.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$52.4 ₡23.5K

-32.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$11.82 ₡5,303

-41.71%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$4.69 ₡2,101

-30.49%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$2.39 ₡1,072

-53.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$1.98 ₡889

-68.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$3.60 ₡1,617

-26.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$4.68 ₡2,097

-5.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$2.42 ₡1,087

-32.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$2.71 ₡1,217

-5.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$2.13 ₡954

-36.62%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$3.88 ₡1,740

-25.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$12.07 ₡5,412

-26.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$10.56 ₡4,736

-43.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$14.00 ₡6,279

-30.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$4.90 ₡2,200

-58.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.75 ₡785

-39.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$3.61 ₡1,617

-62.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$3.24 ₡1,454

-53.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$3.49 ₡1,564

-74.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$3.33 ₡1,493

-72.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.05 ₡469

-15.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$2.86 ₡1,283

-68.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$5.63 ₡2,524

4.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$15.39 ₡6,903

-44.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$2.26 ₡1,015

-16.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$2.84 ₡1,273

13.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$1.32 ₡594

-48.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$2.25 ₡1,008

69.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$1.76 ₡788

14.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$7.44 ₡3,337

-4.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.54 ₡692

11.69%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$21.5K ₡9.6M

3.78%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$30.9K ₡13.9M

-17.48%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$97.5 ₡43.7K

-25.07%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$34.11 ₡15.3K

-52.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$56.3 ₡25.2K

-51.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$69.1 ₡31.0K

-53.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$7.96 ₡3,571

-11.43%

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

$182 PEN 627

$919 ₡412.2K

-80.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$14.9K ₡6.7M

-12.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$76.9 ₡34.5K

-30.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$60.9 ₡27.3K

-43.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$133 ₡59.5K

-37.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$121 ₡54.4K

-35.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$854 ₡383.1K

-15.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$613 ₡275.0K

-44.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$2,068 ₡927.3K

-41.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$1,243 ₡557.3K

-47.63%

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

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 Desamparados: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Desamparados

$613 36.3% 78.6% $270

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Desamparados

$375 22.2% 66.2% $150

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Desamparados

$235 13.9% 89.3% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Desamparados

$188 11.1% 60.8% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Desamparados

$176 10.4% 57.2% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Desamparados

$85 5% 84.8% $39

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Desamparados

$16 * 1% 62.4% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Lima versus $854 in Desamparados. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Lima versus $52.0 in Desamparados. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $375 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇨🇷 Desamparados

🕒 Local time

08:54 8:54 AM

07:54 7:54 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

38,000

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Desamparados 2,560 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Desamparados

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 Desamparados: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,012 in Lima, $1,689 in Desamparados – roughly 67% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,518 per month in Lima and $2,533 in Desamparados. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lima, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Lima and $52.0 in Desamparados. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 66% more in Desamparados, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lima, where all-in costs run around $1,012, than in Desamparados at $1,689. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Desamparados it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lima has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,012 in Lima to $1,689 in Desamparados. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Lima. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Desamparados makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.