Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and the Galapagos Islands

For one person, living is cheaper in the Galapagos Islands: $884 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in the Galapagos Islands
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Galapagos Islands Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Galapagos Islands

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$884

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in the Galapagos Islands

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 the Galapagos Islands actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,012 per month in Lima vs $884 in the Galapagos Islands, rent included.

Lima $1,012
Galapagos Islands $884

A couple spends around $1,589 per month in Lima vs $1,343 in the Galapagos Islands, rent included.

Lima $1,589
Galapagos Islands $1,343

A family of three spends $2,167 per month in Lima vs $1,801 in the Galapagos Islands, rent included.

Lima $2,167
Galapagos Islands $1,801

Lima costs about 14% more than the Galapagos Islands, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lima and Galapagos Islands are more affordable than the global median – Lima 25% lower, Galapagos Islands 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$3.60 $3.60

22.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$27.53 $27.53

27.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$7.42 $7.42

-7.14%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$2.51 $2.51

29.88%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$0.87 $0.87

28.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$0.66 $0.66

-6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$1.98 $1.98

33.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$3.44 $3.44

28.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.09 $1.09

49.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$1.61 $1.61

59.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.52 $1.52

-11.18%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$2.10 $2.10

38.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$5.40 $5.40

63.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$5.47 $5.47

9.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$6.25 $6.25

56.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$2.01 $2.01

1.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.16 $1.16

-8.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$1.10 $1.10

22.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$1.04 $1.04

44.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.43 $1.43

-38.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$1.04 $1.04

-11.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$0.52 $0.52

71.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.98 $0.98

-8.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$5.88 $5.88

0.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$10.15 $10.15

-16.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$1.54 $1.54

22.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$2.52 $2.52

27.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.37 $0.37

83.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

$24.35 $24.35

10.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$1.47 $1.47

159.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$1.03 $1.03

96.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$9.90 $9.90

-28.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$0.67 $0.67

156.72%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$25.1K $25.1K

-11.14%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$28.6K $28.6K

-10.70%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$40.03 $40.03

82.54%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$13.47 $13.47

21.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$30.81 $30.81

-10.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$30.54 $30.54

4.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

$14.82 $14.82

30.97%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$7.50 $7.50

-6.00%

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

$182 PEN 627

$254 $254

-28.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$5,661 $5,661

130.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$55.8 $55.8

-3.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$43.36 $43.36

-20.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$101 $101

-17.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$73.8 $73.8

6.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$348 $348

107.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$311 $311

10.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$628 $628

94.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$507 $507

28.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

$1,226 $1,226

97.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

$1,017 $1,017

33.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

-10.60%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for the Galapagos Islands: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Galapagos Islands

$311 35.2% 9.4% $32

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Galapagos Islands

$184 20.8% 18.7% $42

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Galapagos Islands

$104 11.8% 16% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Galapagos Islands

$84 9.5% 27.9% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Galapagos Islands

$123 13.9% 9.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Galapagos Islands

$46 5.2% 1% $0.5

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Galapagos Islands

$32 3.7% 25.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Lima versus $348 in the Galapagos Islands. 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 $28.00 in the Galapagos Islands. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $184 – making Galapagos Islands the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇪🇨 Galapagos Islands

🕒 Local time

23:00 11:00 PM

22:00 10:00 PM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

32,000

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

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Between locations

Lima Galapagos Islands 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Galapagos Islands

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 Galapagos Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,012 in Lima, $884 in the Galapagos Islands – roughly 14% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,518 per month in Lima and $1,326 in the Galapagos Islands. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 23% more in Lima, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Lima and $28.00 in the Galapagos Islands. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in the Galapagos Islands, where all-in costs run around $884, than in Lima at $1,012. In Galapagos Islands 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 $884 in the Galapagos Islands to $1,012 in Lima. 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 the Galapagos Islands. 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.