Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Lazaro Cardenas

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,014 a month against $1,141 in Lazaro Cardenas, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Lazaro Cardenas
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Lazaro Cardenas Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,014

/mo nomad

Lazaro Cardenas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,141

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Lazaro Cardenas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,014 in Lima versus $1,141 in Lazaro Cardenas.

Lima $1,014
Lazaro Cardenas $1,141

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,613 in Lima versus $1,839 in Lazaro Cardenas.

Lima $1,613
Lazaro Cardenas $1,839

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,211 in Lima versus $2,537 in Lazaro Cardenas.

Lima $2,211
Lazaro Cardenas $2,537

Living in Lima costs roughly 11% less than in Lazaro Cardenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Lazaro Cardenas 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.20

$10.83 MX$203

-59.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.56 PEN 119

$43.66 MX$817

-20.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.80 PEN 23.37

$8.70 MX$163

-21.84%

Cappuccino

$3.30 PEN 11.34

$3.61 MX$67.6

-8.59%

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

$1.06 PEN 3.64

$1.42 MX$26.59

-25.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 PEN 2.26

$1.03 MX$19.24

-35.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 PEN 8.71

$2.51 MX$46.92

1.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 PEN 14.56

$3.99 MX$74.7

6.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.43

$1.66 MX$31.06

-4.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 PEN 8.97

$2.53 MX$47.41

3.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 PEN 4.60

$1.67 MX$31.19

-19.76%

Eggs

$2.93 PEN 10.08

$2.43 MX$45.51

20.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.45 PEN 32.45

$8.19 MX$153

15.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.75 PEN 19.76

$8.49 MX$159

-32.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 PEN 33.29

$11.33 MX$212

-14.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 PEN 6.95

$2.67 MX$49.98

-24.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 PEN 3.66

$1.59 MX$29.74

-32.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$1.90 MX$35.65

-27.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 PEN 5.05

$1.83 MX$34.27

-19.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 PEN 3.25

$1.93 MX$36.05

-50.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 PEN 3.14

$1.80 MX$33.61

-49.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$1.48 MX$27.75

-39.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 PEN 3.04

$1.08 MX$20.23

-17.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 PEN 19.71

$4.32 MX$80.8

32.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.21 PEN 31.64

$10.32 MX$193

-10.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 PEN 6.31

$1.76 MX$32.88

4.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 PEN 10.67

$3.20 MX$59.8

-2.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 PEN 2.46

$0.69 MX$12.92

4.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.03 PEN 89.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 PEN 12.17

$2.53 MX$47.26

39.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 PEN 7.12

$1.92 MX$35.92

7.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.75 PEN 26.62

$11.01 MX$206

-29.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 PEN 5.86

$1.48 MX$27.62

15.54%

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

$21.6K PEN 74.2K

$21.1K MX$395.7K

2.13%

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

$28.6K PEN 98.2K

$23.8K MX$445.7K

20.04%

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

$68.2 PEN 234

$58.7 MX$1,099

16.06%

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

$15.73 PEN 54.0

$22.31 MX$417

-29.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.48 PEN 91.0

$29.94 MX$560

-11.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.94 PEN 117

$34.30 MX$642

-1.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.10 PEN 69.0

$20.49 MX$384

-1.90%

Cinema Ticket

$7.22 PEN 24.80

$5.11 MX$95.7

41.29%

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

$201 PEN 689

$221 MX$4,141

-9.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

$4,553 MX$85.2K

183.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 PEN 184

$55.3 MX$1,035

-2.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.88 PEN 123

$39.96 MX$748

-10.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 288

$99.7 MX$1,867

-16.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.8 PEN 271

$90.1 MX$1,687

-12.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 PEN 2,506

$602 MX$11.3K

21.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 PEN 1,197

$393 MX$7,352

-11.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 PEN 4,074

$1,055 MX$19.8K

12.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 PEN 2,392

$780 MX$14.6K

-10.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,360 PEN 8,106

$1,921 MX$36.0K

22.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,356 PEN 4,658

$1,169 MX$21.9K

16.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 PEN 2,278

$552 MX$10.3K

20.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

11.3

-22.30%

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

Last update for Lima: October 17, 2026

Last update for Lazaro Cardenas: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$349 34.4%

Lazaro Cardenas

$393 34.4% 12.7% $44

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$227 22.4%

Lazaro Cardenas

$263 23.1% 15.8% $36

Eating Out

Lima

$123 12.2%

Lazaro Cardenas

$186 16.3% 50.9% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$113 11.2%

Lazaro Cardenas

$128 11.3% 13.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$110 10.9%

Lazaro Cardenas

$111 9.7% 0.6% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.8%

Lazaro Cardenas

$45 3.9% 8% $3.9

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.2%

Lazaro Cardenas

$15 * 1.3% 65.2% $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 $729 in Lima and $602 in Lazaro Cardenas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35 in Lima vs $44 in Lazaro Cardenas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $227 vs $263 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇲🇽 Lazaro Cardenas

🕒 Local time

05:52 5:52 AM

04:52 4:52 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

83,637

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.85 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Lazaro Cardenas 4,330 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Lazaro Cardenas

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 Lazaro Cardenas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Lazaro Cardenas. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lima the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 20% higher in Lima, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Lima versus $602 in Lazaro Cardenas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Lima versus $221 in Lazaro Cardenas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Lima – a meal for two runs $35 versus $44 in Lazaro Cardenas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Lima gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.