Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Formosa

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,295 in Formosa, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Formosa
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Formosa Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Formosa

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,295

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Formosa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $1,295 in Formosa.

Lima $1,012
Formosa $1,295

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $2,131 in Formosa.

Lima $1,589
Formosa $2,131

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $2,967 in Formosa.

Lima $2,167
Formosa $2,967

Living in Lima costs roughly 22% less than in Formosa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Formosa 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.15

$17.92 ARS 27.2K

-75.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$63.0 ARS 95.6K

-44.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.73

$11.09 ARS 16.8K

-37.87%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.24

$3.53 ARS 5,356

-7.65%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.85

$2.17 ARS 3,295

-48.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.12

$1.63 ARS 2,465

-61.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.12

$4.51 ARS 6,841

-41.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.20

$4.71 ARS 7,141

-6.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.63

$1.22 ARS 1,847

33.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.81

$2.10 ARS 3,190

21.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.67

$1.91 ARS 2,894

-29.32%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.99

$2.43 ARS 3,688

19.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.48

$11.37 ARS 17.2K

-22.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.59

$8.02 ARS 12.2K

-25.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.71

$11.48 ARS 17.4K

-14.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.05

$2.42 ARS 3,665

-15.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.67

$2.51 ARS 3,801

-57.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.39 ARS 2,105

-2.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.17

$2.69 ARS 4,078

-44.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.04

$1.05 ARS 1,593

-16.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.16

$1.11 ARS 1,681

-17.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.08

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.12

$1.92 ARS 2,918

-53.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.34

$3.14 ARS 4,759

87.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.36

$5.57 ARS 8,450

52.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.47

$2.19 ARS 3,323

-14.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.09

$3.64 ARS 5,514

-11.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.34

$1.14 ARS 1,734

-40.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.6

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.14

$1.35 ARS 2,051

182.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.50

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.93

$1.06 ARS 1,606

62.26%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.9K

$31.0K ARS 47.0M

-27.95%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.9K

$37.4K ARS 56.8M

-31.89%

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

$73.1 PEN 252

$127 ARS 191.9K

-42.25%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.3

$14.76 ARS 22.4K

10.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.7

$25.34 ARS 38.4K

8.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$32.60 ARS 49.4K

-2.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.9

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.31

$10.12 ARS 15.3K

-30.34%

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

$182 PEN 629

$291 ARS 441.3K

-37.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$98.0 ARS 148.6K

-45.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 285

$130 ARS 196.6K

-36.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 270

$148 ARS 224.7K

-47.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,485

$519 ARS 786.9K

38.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,183

$371 ARS 562.2K

-7.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,200

$942 ARS 1.4M

29.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,243

$829 ARS 1.3M

-21.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,321

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,676

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,233

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Formosa: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Formosa

$371 28.6% 8% $27

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Formosa

$263 * 20.3% 16.5% $37

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Formosa

$266 20.6% 115% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Formosa

$167 12.9% 42.5% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Formosa

$169 * 13.1% 50.8% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Formosa

$53 4.1% 14.8% $6.8

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Formosa

$5.9 * 0.5% 86.4% $38

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 $519 in Formosa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $63.0 in Formosa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $263 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇦🇷 Formosa

🕒 Local time

12:02 12:02 PM

14:02 2:02 PM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

234,354

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.85 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,693 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Formosa 2,520 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Formosa

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 Formosa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 28% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,518 in Lima and $1,942 in Formosa 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 $519 in Formosa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $291 in Formosa. 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 $63.0 in Formosa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,295 in Formosa, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Formosa. 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 Formosa, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lima and Formosa 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 Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Formosa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.