Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Ecatepec

For one person, living is cheaper in Ecatepec: $961 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $610 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lima outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Ecatepec
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Ecatepec Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Ecatepec

🇲🇽 Mexico

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Ecatepec

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

A single person spends $1,012 per month in Lima vs $961 in Ecatepec, rent included.

Lima $1,012
Ecatepec $961

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

Lima $1,589
Ecatepec $1,670

A family of three spends $2,167 per month in Lima vs $2,380 in Ecatepec, rent included.

Lima $2,167
Ecatepec $2,380

Lima costs about 5% more than Ecatepec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lima and Ecatepec are more affordable than the global median – Lima 25% lower, Ecatepec 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$11.14 MX$206

-60.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$50.1 MX$926

-29.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$9.57 MX$177

-28.00%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$3.71 MX$68.6

-12.13%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$1.62 MX$30.02

-30.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$1.09 MX$20.09

-43.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$3.38 MX$62.5

-21.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$5.59 MX$103

-21.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.72 MX$31.71

-5.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$2.66 MX$49.12

-3.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.96 MX$36.17

-31.12%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$2.75 MX$50.9

5.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$8.82 MX$163

0.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$9.12 MX$168

-34.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$13.47 MX$249

-27.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$3.14 MX$58.0

-34.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.66 MX$30.74

-36.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$2.04 MX$37.65

-33.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$1.90 MX$35.12

-21.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.79 MX$33.16

-50.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$1.75 MX$32.42

-47.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.49 MX$27.48

-40.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$1.19 MX$21.95

-24.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$4.59 MX$84.9

28.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$16.62 MX$307

-48.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$1.92 MX$35.43

-2.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$3.83 MX$70.7

-15.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.63 MX$11.72

7.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

$31.01 MX$573

-13.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$1.99 MX$36.81

91.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$0.52 MX$9.68

288.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$5.32 MX$98.3

33.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.54 MX$28.48

11.69%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$21.5K MX$397.7K

3.67%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$23.5K MX$434.5K

8.48%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$57.7 MX$1,067

26.57%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$27.01 MX$499

-39.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$24.74 MX$457

11.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$26.37 MX$487

20.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

$11.00 MX$203

76.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$6.47 MX$120

8.96%

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

$182 PEN 627

$270 MX$4,996

-32.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$5,048 MX$93.3K

158.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$59.1 MX$1,092

-8.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$44.94 MX$830

-23.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$100 MX$1,855

-17.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$98.8 MX$1,826

-20.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$243 MX$4,487

197.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$138 MX$2,550

148.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$683 MX$12.6K

78.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$444 MX$8,205

46.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

$755 MX$14.0K

219.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

$755 MX$13.9K

79.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

$553 MX$10.2K

17.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

11.3

-20.88%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ecatepec: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Ecatepec

$138 14.4% 59.8% $205

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Ecatepec

$298 31% 31.9% $72

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Ecatepec

$201 21% 62.4% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Ecatepec

$109 11.4% 6.3% $7.4

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Ecatepec

$136 14.2% 21.7% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Ecatepec

$39 4.1% 14.6% $6.7

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Ecatepec

$38 4% 12.2% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Lima versus $243 in Ecatepec. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 17% higher in Lima, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Lima versus $50.0 in Ecatepec. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $298 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇲🇽 Ecatepec

🕒 Local time

05:58 5:58 AM

04:58 4:58 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

1,645,352

💱 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 Ecatepec 4,270 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Ecatepec

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 Ecatepec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,012 in Lima, $961 in Ecatepec – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,518 per month in Lima and $1,441 in Ecatepec. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ecatepec, 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 $50.0 in Ecatepec. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,012 in Lima and $961 in Ecatepec. That's a gap of about 5%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ecatepec, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Lima at $1,012. In Ecatepec it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lima 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 $961 in Ecatepec to $1,012 in Lima. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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