Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and La Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in La Plata: $959 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $640 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lima outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in La Plata
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La Plata Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

La Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$959

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,012 per month in Lima vs $959 in La Plata, rent included.

Lima $1,012
La Plata $959

A couple spends around $1,589 per month in Lima vs $1,711 in La Plata, rent included.

Lima $1,589
La Plata $1,711

A family of three spends $2,167 per month in Lima vs $2,464 in La Plata, rent included.

Lima $2,167
La Plata $2,464

Lima costs about 5% more than La Plata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lima and La Plata are more affordable than the global median – Lima 25% lower, La Plata 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.15

$15.43 ARS 23.4K

-71.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$49.89 ARS 75.7K

-29.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.73

$9.82 ARS 14.9K

-29.84%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.24

$3.84 ARS 5,826

-15.10%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.85

$1.54 ARS 2,342

-27.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.12

$0.91 ARS 1,385

-31.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.12

$4.04 ARS 6,121

-34.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.20

$3.60 ARS 5,455

22.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.63

$1.04 ARS 1,579

56.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.81

$2.18 ARS 3,301

17.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.67

$0.88 ARS 1,327

53.41%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.99

$2.23 ARS 3,385

30.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.48

$9.00 ARS 13.7K

-1.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.59

$5.40 ARS 8,182

10.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.71

$9.44 ARS 14.3K

3.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.05

$2.08 ARS 3,155

-1.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.67

$1.94 ARS 2,941

-45.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$0.74 ARS 1,121

82.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.17

$1.55 ARS 2,355

-3.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.04

$0.52 ARS 789

69.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.16

$0.60 ARS 916

53.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.08

$1.01 ARS 1,534

-11.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.12

$1.01 ARS 1,537

-10.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.34

$3.23 ARS 4,900

82.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.36

$4.99 ARS 7,573

70.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.47

$2.09 ARS 3,176

-10.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.09

$2.83 ARS 4,285

13.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.34

$0.73 ARS 1,107

-6.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.6

$4.59 ARS 6,961

485.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.14

$1.55 ARS 2,350

145.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.96

$0.67 ARS 1,020

201.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.50

$7.76 ARS 11.8K

-8.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.93

$1.16 ARS 1,755

48.28%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.9K

$22.0K ARS 33.4M

1.34%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.9K

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

-26.14%

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

$73.1 PEN 252

$70.9 ARS 107.6K

3.02%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.3

$11.14 ARS 16.9K

46.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.7

$24.13 ARS 36.6K

13.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$26.16 ARS 39.7K

21.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.9

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

79.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.31

$5.36 ARS 8,121

31.53%

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

$182 PEN 629

$138 ARS 209.5K

32.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.9K

$4,189 ARS 6.4M

211.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$108 ARS 163.1K

-50.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$20.87 ARS 31.6K

64.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 285

$94.5 ARS 143.3K

-12.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 270

$54.1 ARS 82.0K

44.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,485

$346 ARS 524.8K

108.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,183

$238 ARS 361.1K

44.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,200

$1,207 ARS 1.8M

1.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,243

$758 ARS 1.1M

-14.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,321

$2,009 ARS 3.0M

20.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,676

$1,190 ARS 1.8M

14.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,233

$716 ARS 1.1M

-9.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

-78.71%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for La Plata: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

La Plata

$238 24.8% 30.7% $105

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

La Plata

$205 21.4% 9.4% $21

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

La Plata

$236 24.6% 90.5% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

La Plata

$106 11.1% 9.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

La Plata

$125 13% 11.2% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

La Plata

$37 3.8% 19.9% $9.1

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

La Plata

$12 1.3% 71.4% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Lima versus $346 in La Plata. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 11% higher in La Plata, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Lima versus $50.0 in La Plata. Groceries tell a different story – $226 in Lima vs $205 in La Plata – so La Plata wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇦🇷 La Plata

🕒 Local time

09:57 9:57 AM

11:57 11:57 AM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

193,144

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Lima La Plata 3,190 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
La Plata

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 Plata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,012 in Lima, $959 in La Plata – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,518 per month in Lima and $1,439 in La Plata. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Lima and $50.0 in La Plata. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,012 in Lima and $959 in La Plata. That's a gap of about 5%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in La Plata, where all-in costs run around $959, than in Lima at $1,012. In La Plata 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 $959 in La Plata 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 La Plata. 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.