Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Encarnacion

For one person, living is cheaper in Encarnacion: $838 a month against $996 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in Lima despite lower rent and utilities.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Encarnacion
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Encarnacion Living Index

Jump to prices

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Encarnacion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$838

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Encarnacion

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Lima versus $838 in Encarnacion.

Lima $996
Encarnacion $838

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Lima versus $1,272 in Encarnacion.

Lima $1,594
Encarnacion $1,272

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Lima versus $1,706 in Encarnacion.

Lima $2,191
Encarnacion $1,706

Living in Lima is roughly 19% more expensive than in Encarnacion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 26% lower, Encarnacion 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.16

$4.27 ₲24.2K

3.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 120

$34.51 ₲195.9K

1.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.44

$6.63 ₲37.7K

3.17%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.22

$2.49 ₲14.1K

31.33%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.78

$1.48 ₲8,399

-25.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.22

$0.51 ₲2,914

27.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.85

$0.96 ₲5,446

168.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.34

$2.03 ₲11.5K

120.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.46

$1.07 ₲6,064

48.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.86

$0.84 ₲4,768

207.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.65

$1.79 ₲10.2K

-24.02%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.11

$1.58 ₲8,972

86.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.19

$5.38 ₲30.5K

69.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.91

$3.25 ₲18.4K

78.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.68

$5.53 ₲31.4K

77.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.89

$2.04 ₲11.6K

-1.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.69

$0.78 ₲4,426

38.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$0.94 ₲5,351

45.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.06

$1.65 ₲9,386

-10.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.30

$0.90 ₲5,104

6.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.92

$0.88 ₲4,977

-3.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.02

$0.56 ₲3,163

57.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.97

$0.50 ₲2,860

74.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.24

$1.52 ₲8,644

288.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.21

$5.39 ₲30.6K

63.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.57

$0.82 ₲4,629

134.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 10.98

$1.47 ₲8,345

117.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.47 ₲2,658

44.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 91.7

$35.08 ₲199.1K

-23.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.06

$1.33 ₲7,575

186.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.00

$0.71 ₲4,004

187.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.49

$6.72 ₲38.2K

6.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.65

$1.21 ₲6,864

36.36%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

$13.8K ₲78.2M

61.06%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

$26.3K ₲149.5M

-2.56%

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

$73.0 PEN 250

$44.25 ₲251.2K

65.06%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.7

$13.05 ₲74.0K

24.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.6

$18.56 ₲105.3K

48.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 113

$30.43 ₲172.7K

8.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 66.8

$13.15 ₲74.7K

48.21%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.33

$5.92 ₲33.6K

24.83%

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

$182 PEN 624

$195 ₲1.1M

-6.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

$3,335 ₲18.9M

299.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 180

$57.2 ₲324.8K

-8.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 117

$28.13 ₲159.6K

21.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 287

$67.6 ₲383.9K

23.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 271

$69.0 ₲391.9K

14.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,479

$503 ₲2.9M

43.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,166

$324 ₲1.8M

4.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,060

$658 ₲3.7M

80.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,176

$523 ₲3.0M

21.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,394

$1,548 ₲8.8M

58.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,702

$1,403 ₲8.0M

-2.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,237

$361 ₲2.0M

80.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

9.5

-5.89%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for Encarnacion: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

Encarnacion

$324 39.4% 4.7% $16

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

Encarnacion

$139 16.9% 38.6% $87

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Encarnacion

$101 12.2% 18.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Encarnacion

$76 9.2% 35.1% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Encarnacion

$100 12.1% 11% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

Encarnacion

$42 5.1% 11.7% $5.6

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Encarnacion

$42 5.1% 3.8% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $723 in Lima and $503 in Encarnacion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 81% 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 $35.00 in Encarnacion. Groceries flip the comparison at $226 vs $139, with Encarnacion cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇵🇾 Encarnacion

🕒 Local time

01:07 1:07 AM

03:07 3:07 AM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

127,600

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.57 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PYG, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 5,676 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,366 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.57 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Encarnacion 2,780 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Encarnacion

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 Encarnacion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Encarnacion differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($996 vs $838 including rent). Encarnacion is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 81% higher in Lima, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $723 in Lima versus $503 in Encarnacion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $996 per month in Lima versus $838 in Encarnacion – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Encarnacion runs roughly 31% less than in Lima. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $838 in Encarnacion versus $996 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Encarnacion but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Encarnacion the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Lima and Encarnacion 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 Encarnacion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.