Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and La Paz

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,289 in La Paz, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in La Paz
Learn more

La Paz Living Index

Jump to prices

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

La Paz

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in La Paz

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Lima versus $1,289 in La Paz.

Lima $996
La Paz $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Lima versus $2,107 in La Paz.

Lima $1,594
La Paz $2,107

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Lima versus $2,926 in La Paz.

Lima $2,191
La Paz $2,926

Living in Lima costs roughly 23% less than in La Paz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 26% lower, La Paz 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.21

$10.11 MX$184

-56.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 121

$56.2 MX$1,022

-37.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.52

$8.18 MX$149

-16.38%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.26

$3.19 MX$58.1

2.51%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.80

$1.77 MX$32.24

-37.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.23

$1.00 MX$18.26

-35.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.88

$2.15 MX$39.17

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.39

$5.71 MX$104

-21.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.48

$2.16 MX$39.36

-26.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.89

$2.59 MX$47.13

-0.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.67

$2.25 MX$40.88

-39.56%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.14

$2.48 MX$45.03

18.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.30

$11.99 MX$218

-24.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.98

$8.53 MX$155

-31.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.80

$11.21 MX$204

-12.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.92

$3.43 MX$62.4

-41.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.70

$1.28 MX$23.31

-15.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.71

$1.95 MX$35.46

-29.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.08

$1.83 MX$33.37

-19.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.32

$2.03 MX$36.98

-52.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.93

$2.13 MX$38.68

-60.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.48 MX$27.01

-40.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.98

$1.38 MX$25.07

-36.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.31

$4.38 MX$79.7

34.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.31

$17.12 MX$311

-48.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.59

$1.31 MX$23.79

46.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 11.02

$2.88 MX$52.4

11.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.68 MX$12.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 92.0

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.10

$2.61 MX$47.54

45.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.02

$2.04 MX$37.16

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.57

$11.99 MX$218

-40.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.67

$1.48 MX$26.83

11.49%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

$21.1K MX$383.6K

5.15%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

$24.6K MX$447.2K

4.40%

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

$73.0 PEN 251

$62.8 MX$1,142

16.36%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.9

$25.84 MX$470

-37.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.9

$32.75 MX$596

-15.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 114

$34.76 MX$632

-4.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 67.1

$20.51 MX$373

-4.97%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.41

$5.23 MX$95.2

41.30%

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

$182 PEN 626

$225 MX$4,102

-19.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

$4,619 MX$84.0K

188.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 181

$58.5 MX$1,063

-10.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 118

$40.73 MX$741

-15.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 288

$74.5 MX$1,356

12.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 272

$90.0 MX$1,637

-12.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,488

$814 MX$14.8K

-11.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,170

$492 MX$8,945

-30.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,074

$1,728 MX$31.4K

-31.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,183

$1,052 MX$19.1K

-39.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,423

$1,914 MX$34.8K

27.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,718

$1,163 MX$21.2K

17.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,245

$770 MX$14.0K

-15.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

11.6

-22.93%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for La Paz: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

La Paz

$492 38.7% 44.6% $152

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

La Paz

$300 23.6% 32.5% $74

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

La Paz

$177 14% 42.8% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

La Paz

$121 9.6% 3.8% $4.5

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

La Paz

$119 9.4% 5.7% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

La Paz

$45 3.6% 5.5% $2.6

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

La Paz

$16 * 1.2% 64.2% $28

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 $723 in Lima and $814 in La Paz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

La Paz pays 18% 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 $56.0 in La Paz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $300 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇲🇽 La Paz

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

03:07 3:07 AM

2 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

250,141

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.91 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.85 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.38 MXN (100 MXN = 4.91 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima La Paz 5,410 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
La Paz

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 La Paz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 29% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in La Paz. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $723 in Lima versus $814 in La Paz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in La Paz. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $996 per month in Lima versus $1,289 in La Paz – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,289 in La Paz, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in La Paz. 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 La Paz, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lima and La Paz 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 29% less than in La Paz. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.