Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Leon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,223 in Leon, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. The total is higher in Leon despite lower rent and utilities.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Leon
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Leon Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Leon

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Leon

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

A single person spends $1,012 per month in Lima vs $1,223 in Leon, rent included.

Lima $1,012
Leon $1,223

A couple spends around $1,589 per month in Lima vs $1,985 in Leon, rent included.

Lima $1,589
Leon $1,985

A family of three spends $2,167 per month in Lima vs $2,747 in Leon, rent included.

Lima $2,167
Leon $2,747

Lima is about 17% cheaper than Leon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lima and Leon are more affordable than the global median – Lima 25% lower, Leon 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$11.17 MX$206

-60.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$55.2 MX$1,020

-36.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$8.80 MX$163

-21.70%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$4.03 MX$74.5

-19.11%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$1.56 MX$28.84

-28.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$1.25 MX$23.04

-50.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$3.07 MX$56.8

-13.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$3.93 MX$72.6

12.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.71 MX$31.67

-4.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$2.68 MX$49.51

-4.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.80 MX$33.31

-25.00%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$3.27 MX$60.4

-11.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$7.21 MX$133

22.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$7.58 MX$140

-21.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$10.81 MX$200

-9.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$2.49 MX$46.03

-17.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.38 MX$25.59

-23.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$1.83 MX$33.76

-26.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$1.54 MX$28.42

-2.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.99 MX$36.75

-55.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$2.09 MX$38.60

-55.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.38 MX$25.56

-35.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.70 MX$12.89

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$6.97 MX$129

-15.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$13.63 MX$252

-37.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$2.37 MX$43.71

-20.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$3.61 MX$66.7

-10.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.75 MX$13.93

-9.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

$35.67 MX$659

-24.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$2.77 MX$51.1

37.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$2.72 MX$50.2

-25.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$14.96 MX$276

-52.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.46 MX$26.97

17.81%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$21.2K MX$392.0K

5.17%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$24.2K MX$446.3K

5.59%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$21.60 MX$399

238.29%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$40.70 MX$752

-59.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$58.3 MX$1,077

-52.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$60.7 MX$1,121

-47.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

$34.51 MX$638

-43.76%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$6.47 MX$120

8.96%

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

$182 PEN 627

$183 MX$3,386

-0.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$3,826 MX$70.7K

240.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$56.8 MX$1,049

-5.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$66.0 MX$1,219

-47.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$101 MX$1,868

-18.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$115 MX$2,122

-31.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$524 MX$9,681

37.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$360 MX$6,653

-4.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$761 MX$14.1K

60.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$683 MX$12.6K

-4.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

$532 MX$9,839

21.71%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Leon: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Leon

$360 29.5% 4.8% $17

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Leon

$262 21.5% 16.1% $36

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Leon

$199 16.3% 60.2% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Leon

$121 9.9% 3.2% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Leon

$152 12.5% 35.9% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Leon

$74 6% 60% $28

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Leon

$55 4.5% 26.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Lima versus $524 in Leon. 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 22% higher in Lima, 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 $55.0 in Leon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $262 – making Lima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇲🇽 Leon

🕒 Local time

23:05 11:05 PM

22:05 10:05 PM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

1,579,803

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lima Leon 4,570 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Leon

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 Leon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Leon costs about 21% more than Lima, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,518 per month in Lima and $1,834 in Leon. 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.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Leon, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Lima and $55.0 in Leon. 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 $1,012, than in Leon at $1,223. In Lima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Leon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lima costs $1,012 versus $1,223 in Leon. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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