Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and La Serena

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,094 in La Serena, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in La Serena despite lower rent and utilities.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in La Serena
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La Serena Living Index

Jump to prices

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

La Serena

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,094

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $996 per month in Lima vs $1,094 in La Serena, rent included.

Lima $996
La Serena $1,094

A couple spends around $1,594 per month in Lima vs $1,814 in La Serena, rent included.

Lima $1,594
La Serena $1,814

A family of three spends $2,191 per month in Lima vs $2,534 in La Serena, rent included.

Lima $2,191
La Serena $2,534

Lima is about 9% cheaper than La Serena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Lima and La Serena are more affordable than the global median – Lima 26% lower, La Serena 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.16

$7.53 CLP 7,339

-41.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 120

$48.88 CLP 47.7K

-28.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.44

$8.16 CLP 7,956

-16.18%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.22

$2.91 CLP 2,835

12.37%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.78

$1.10 CLP 1,074

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.22

$0.64 CLP 626

1.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.85

$2.11 CLP 2,053

22.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.34

$3.82 CLP 3,727

17.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.46

$1.25 CLP 1,216

27.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.86

$2.38 CLP 2,320

8.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.65

$1.53 CLP 1,492

-11.11%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.11

$3.86 CLP 3,761

-23.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.19

$12.43 CLP 12.1K

-26.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.91

$5.99 CLP 5,836

-3.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.68

$12.72 CLP 12.4K

-22.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.89

$1.82 CLP 1,777

10.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.69

$1.78 CLP 1,733

-39.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$1.28 CLP 1,251

7.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.06

$1.43 CLP 1,391

3.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.30

$1.15 CLP 1,118

-16.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.92

$1.22 CLP 1,191

-30.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.02

$1.02 CLP 999

-13.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.97

$0.92 CLP 896

-5.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.24

$5.30 CLP 5,164

11.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.21

$5.18 CLP 5,055

70.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.57

$0.96 CLP 939

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 10.98

$2.08 CLP 2,028

53.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$1.04 CLP 1,015

-34.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 91.7

$35.64 CLP 34.8K

-24.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.06

$0.70 CLP 680

444.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.00

$2.04 CLP 1,994

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.49

$12.37 CLP 12.1K

-42.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.65

$1.43 CLP 1,391

15.38%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

$20.4K CLP 19.9M

8.60%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

$12.6K CLP 12.3M

102.97%

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

$73.0 PEN 250

$89.2 CLP 86.9K

-18.09%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.7

$11.07 CLP 10.8K

46.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.6

$21.51 CLP 21.0K

28.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 113

$86.5 CLP 84.3K

-61.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 66.8

$20.92 CLP 20.4K

-6.84%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.33

$8.13 CLP 7,929

-9.10%

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

$182 PEN 624

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 180

$44.32 CLP 43.2K

18.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 117

$61.4 CLP 59.9K

-44.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 287

$92.2 CLP 89.9K

-9.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 271

$105 CLP 102.0K

-24.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,479

$429 CLP 418.2K

68.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,166

$323 CLP 314.8K

5.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,060

$898 CLP 876.1K

31.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,176

$728 CLP 709.8K

-12.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,394

$2,070 CLP 2.0M

18.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,702

$1,353 CLP 1.3M

1.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,237

$718 CLP 700.2K

-9.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

6.5

37.54%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for La Serena: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

La Serena

$323 29% 5.1% $17

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

La Serena

$236 21.1% 4.1% $9.3

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

La Serena

$145 13% 16.7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

La Serena

$122 10.9% 4.1% $4.8

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

La Serena

$136 12.2% 21.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

La Serena

$103 9.2% 115% $55

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

La Serena

$51 4.6% 16.7% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $723 in Lima versus $429 in La Serena. 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 10% higher in La Serena, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Lima versus $49.00 in La Serena. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $236 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇨🇱 La Serena

🕒 Local time

06:14 6:14 AM

08:14 8:14 AM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

195,382

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.26 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.15 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 975 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 1,093 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.15 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lima La Serena 2,070 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
La Serena

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 Serena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – La Serena is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,494 per month in Lima and $1,642 in La Serena. 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 $996 in Lima and $1,094 in La Serena. That's a gap of about 10%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Lima and $49.00 in La Serena. 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 Lima, where all-in costs run around $996, than in La Serena at $1,094. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in La Serena 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, La Serena makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.