Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Guanacaste

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,548 in Guanacaste, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Guanacaste
Learn more

Guanacaste Living Index

Jump to prices

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Guanacaste

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Guanacaste

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

A single person spends $1,012 per month in Lima vs $1,548 in Guanacaste, rent included.

Lima $1,012
Guanacaste $1,548

A couple spends around $1,589 per month in Lima vs $2,428 in Guanacaste, rent included.

Lima $1,589
Guanacaste $2,428

A family of three spends $2,167 per month in Lima vs $3,309 in Guanacaste, rent included.

Lima $2,167
Guanacaste $3,309

Lima is about 35% cheaper than Guanacaste, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lima sits 25% below the global median, while Guanacaste is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.08

$10.82 ₡4,860

-59.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$48.68 ₡21.9K

-27.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.61

$11.68 ₡5,248

-41.01%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.19

$4.53 ₡2,036

-28.04%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.83

$2.75 ₡1,236

-59.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$1.94 ₡872

-68.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.08

$3.16 ₡1,420

-16.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.12

$4.54 ₡2,041

-2.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.60

$2.00 ₡897

-18.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.76

$3.04 ₡1,366

-15.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$2.43 ₡1,092

-44.44%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.94

$3.54 ₡1,591

-18.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.33

$5.44 ₡2,442

62.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.49

$4.47 ₡2,006

33.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.54

$10.84 ₡4,870

-9.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.01

$2.56 ₡1,149

-19.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.65

$1.64 ₡737

-35.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.63

$4.51 ₡2,026

-70.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.14

$1.56 ₡699

-3.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.02

$3.90 ₡1,753

-77.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$2.23 ₡1,004

-58.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$0.85 ₡384

4.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$3.09 ₡1,389

-70.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.24

$4.42 ₡1,988

33.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.21

$20.31 ₡9,125

-58.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.44

$2.90 ₡1,302

-35.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.03

$2.66 ₡1,193

21.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$1.30 ₡583

-47.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.07

$2.45 ₡1,102

55.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.92

$1.55 ₡698

30.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.37

$8.80 ₡3,952

-19.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.90

$1.55 ₡696

10.97%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.5K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

2.22%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.4K

$35.4K ₡15.9M

-28.03%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$96.5 ₡43.4K

-24.26%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.1

$36.34 ₡16.3K

-55.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.2

$32.76 ₡14.7K

-16.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 109

$72.0 ₡32.4K

-55.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.6

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.19

$7.57 ₡3,401

-6.87%

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

$182 PEN 626

$974 ₡437.5K

-81.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.7K

$17.4K ₡7.8M

-25.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 184

$65.6 ₡29.5K

-18.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$43.46 ₡19.5K

-21.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$88.9 ₡39.9K

-6.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 268

$76.9 ₡34.5K

1.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,472

$812 ₡364.9K

-11.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,177

$625 ₡280.9K

-45.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,179

$1,920 ₡862.8K

-36.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,231

$1,264 ₡568.2K

-48.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,278

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,653

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,222

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 Guanacaste: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Guanacaste

$625 40.4% 82% $282

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Guanacaste

$311 20.1% 37.6% $85

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Guanacaste

$220 14.2% 77.1% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Guanacaste

$166 10.7% 41.6% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Guanacaste

$124 8% 10.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Guanacaste

$87 5.6% 89.5% $41

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Guanacaste

$15 * 1% 64.6% $28

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 $812 in Guanacaste. 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 $49.00 in Guanacaste. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $311 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇨🇷 Guanacaste

🕒 Local time

03:46 3:46 AM

02:46 2:46 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

1,823

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.261 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.261 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Guanacaste 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Guanacaste

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 Guanacaste: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Guanacaste is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,518 per month in Lima and $2,321 in Guanacaste. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,012 in Lima and $1,548 in Guanacaste. That's a gap of about 53%.

Kindergarten costs $182 per month in Lima and $974 in Guanacaste. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lima, where all-in costs run around $1,012, than in Guanacaste at $1,548. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guanacaste it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Lima – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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