Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Merida

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,334 in Merida, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Merida
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Merida Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Merida

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,334

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Merida

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Lima versus $1,334 in Merida.

Lima $996
Merida $1,334

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Lima versus $2,174 in Merida.

Lima $1,594
Merida $2,174

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Lima versus $3,014 in Merida.

Lima $2,191
Merida $3,014

Living in Lima costs roughly 25% less than in Merida, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lima is 26% below, Merida is 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.16

$13.90 MX$255

-68.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 120

$55.7 MX$1,022

-37.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.44

$8.11 MX$149

-15.66%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.22

$3.97 MX$73.0

-17.63%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.78

$1.14 MX$21.00

-3.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.22

$1.18 MX$21.67

-44.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.85

$3.07 MX$56.4

-15.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.34

$3.87 MX$71.1

15.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.46

$1.60 MX$29.30

-0.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.86

$2.64 MX$48.41

-2.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.65

$1.73 MX$31.83

-21.39%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.11

$1.97 MX$36.18

49.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.19

$10.31 MX$189

-11.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.91

$7.70 MX$141

-24.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.68

$12.54 MX$230

-21.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.89

$2.77 MX$50.9

-27.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.69

$1.41 MX$25.89

-23.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$2.14 MX$39.21

-35.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.06

$2.08 MX$38.10

-28.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.30

$2.36 MX$43.25

-59.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.92

$1.83 MX$33.53

-53.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.02

$1.43 MX$26.27

-38.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.97

$1.13 MX$20.80

-23.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.24

$4.44 MX$81.4

32.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.21

$10.90 MX$200

-19.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.57

$1.47 MX$27.06

30.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 10.98

$2.51 MX$46.08

27.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.67 MX$12.36

1.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 91.7

$19.76 MX$363

35.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.06

$2.73 MX$50.1

39.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.00

$3.76 MX$69.1

-45.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.49

$8.82 MX$162

-19.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.65

$1.58 MX$29.04

4.43%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

$21.5K MX$393.9K

3.36%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

$24.4K MX$447.1K

5.41%

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

$73.0 PEN 250

$113 MX$2,076

-35.39%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.7

$21.35 MX$392

-23.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.6

$35.42 MX$650

-22.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 113

$30.12 MX$553

9.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 66.8

$11.83 MX$217

64.75%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.33

$7.57 MX$139

-2.38%

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

$182 PEN 624

$266 MX$4,880

-31.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

$3,584 MX$65.8K

271.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 180

$55.6 MX$1,020

-5.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 117

$54.2 MX$995

-36.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 287

$102 MX$1,869

-17.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 271

$87.2 MX$1,602

-9.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,479

$634 MX$11.6K

14.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,166

$468 MX$8,585

-27.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,060

$1,243 MX$22.8K

-4.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,176

$967 MX$17.8K

-34.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,394

$2,252 MX$41.4K

8.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,702

$1,234 MX$22.7K

11.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,237

$604 MX$11.1K

8.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

11.64

-23.20%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for Merida: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

Merida

$468 34.7% 37.5% $127

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

Merida

$270 20% 19.1% $43

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Merida

$216 16% 73.8% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Merida

$170 12.6% 45.3% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Merida

$134 10% 19.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

Merida

$45 3.4% 5.4% $2.6

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Merida

$44 3.3% 1.2% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $723 in Lima and $634 in Merida. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $56.0 in Merida for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $270 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇲🇽 Merida

🕒 Local time

01:12 1:12 AM

00:12 12:12 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

975,000

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lima Merida 3,920 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Merida

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 Merida: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Merida differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($996 vs $1,334 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 8% 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: $723 in Lima versus $634 in Merida. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $266 in Merida. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Merida. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,334 in Merida, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Merida. The gap between the two cities makes Lima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Lima and Merida are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Merida. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.