Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Matamoros

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,042 a month against $1,202 in Matamoros, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Matamoros
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Matamoros Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Matamoros

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Matamoros

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,042 in Lima versus $1,202 in Matamoros.

Lima $1,042
Matamoros $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,651 in Lima versus $1,867 in Matamoros.

Lima $1,651
Matamoros $1,867

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,259 in Lima versus $2,531 in Matamoros.

Lima $2,259
Matamoros $2,531

Living in Lima costs roughly 13% less than in Matamoros, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 23% lower, Matamoros 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 PEN 15.95

$10.63 MX$200

-56.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.34 PEN 118

$42.71 MX$802

-19.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 PEN 24.12

$8.58 MX$161

-18.30%

Cappuccino

$3.22 PEN 11.09

$3.40 MX$63.8

-5.29%

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

$1.13 PEN 3.90

$1.32 MX$24.79

-14.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 PEN 2.09

$0.99 MX$18.65

-38.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.93 PEN 10.08

$2.48 MX$46.67

18.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 PEN 14.63

$4.04 MX$76.0

5.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.44

$1.55 MX$29.18

1.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 PEN 8.98

$2.49 MX$46.79

4.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 PEN 4.47

$1.68 MX$31.46

-22.62%

Eggs

$2.92 PEN 10.05

$2.49 MX$46.80

17.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 PEN 32.82

$8.12 MX$153

17.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.71 PEN 19.66

$8.18 MX$154

-30.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.47 PEN 32.58

$11.22 MX$211

-15.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.91

$2.77 MX$52.0

-27.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 PEN 3.52

$1.56 MX$29.36

-34.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 PEN 4.99

$1.92 MX$36.01

-24.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 PEN 5.14

$1.82 MX$34.23

-18.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 PEN 3.14

$1.98 MX$37.17

-54.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.86 MX$34.87

-52.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 PEN 2.97

$1.45 MX$27.25

-40.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 PEN 3.06

$1.07 MX$20.06

-16.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.47 PEN 18.83

$4.26 MX$80.0

28.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 PEN 35.00

$10.17 MX$191

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 PEN 6.21

$1.71 MX$32.10

5.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 PEN 10.84

$3.15 MX$59.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 PEN 2.28

$0.66 MX$12.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.89 PEN 110

$30.22 MX$567

5.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 PEN 11.79

$2.60 MX$48.81

31.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 PEN 6.80

$1.93 MX$36.23

2.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.60 PEN 33.04

$10.89 MX$205

-11.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 PEN 5.89

$1.48 MX$27.71

15.54%

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

$21.9K PEN 75.3K

$23.4K MX$440.3K

-6.74%

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

$29.0K PEN 100.0K

$23.1K MX$433.0K

25.96%

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

$65.8 PEN 227

$57.1 MX$1,072

15.35%

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

$15.26 PEN 52.5

$22.41 MX$421

-31.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.87 PEN 92.5

$29.53 MX$555

-9.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.91 PEN 113

$32.71 MX$614

0.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 PEN 69.2

$19.50 MX$366

3.18%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 PEN 24.49

$5.16 MX$96.9

37.98%

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

$309 PEN 1,064

$213 MX$4,009

44.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

$4,462 MX$83.8K

378.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 PEN 179

$53.1 MX$996

-2.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.69 PEN 123

$40.17 MX$754

-11.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.8 PEN 281

$99.9 MX$1,875

-18.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.0 PEN 268

$87.1 MX$1,635

-10.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$727 PEN 2,501

$598 MX$11.2K

21.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 PEN 1,284

$438 MX$8,232

-14.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,249 PEN 4,297

$1,012 MX$19.0K

23.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 PEN 2,544

$747 MX$14.0K

-1.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,380 PEN 8,191

$1,860 MX$34.9K

27.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,365 PEN 4,697

$1,139 MX$21.4K

19.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$650 PEN 2,238

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.38

11.31

-25.91%

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

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Last update for Matamoros: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$373 35.8%

Matamoros

$438 36.5% 17.5% $65

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$228 21.9%

Matamoros

$260 21.6% 13.8% $31

Eating Out

Lima

$127 12.2%

Matamoros

$181 15.1% 42.9% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$111 10.7%

Matamoros

$126 10.5% 13.2% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$108 10.4%

Matamoros

$109 9.1% 1% $1.1

Getting Around

Lima

$48 4.6%

Matamoros

$45 3.8% 5.7% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$47 4.5%

Matamoros

$43 3.6% 8.7% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $727 in Lima and $598 in Matamoros. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $34 in Lima vs $43 in Matamoros for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $228 vs $260 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇲🇽 Matamoros

🕒 Local time

01:53 1:53 AM

00:53 12:53 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

510,739

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.08 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lima Matamoros 4,770 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Matamoros

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 Matamoros: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,042 in Lima and $1,202 in Matamoros, so Lima is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,564 in Lima and $1,804 in Matamoros to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $727 in Lima versus $598 in Matamoros. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $309 in Lima versus $213 in Matamoros. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Matamoros. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.