Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Mexicali

For one person, living costs are similar in Lima and in Mexicali: $996 and $949 a month, rent and utilities included.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Mexicali
Learn more

Mexicali Living Index

Jump to prices

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Mexicali

🇲🇽 Mexico

$949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Mexicali

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Lima versus $949 in Mexicali.

Lima $996
Mexicali $949

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Lima versus $1,525 in Mexicali.

Lima $1,594
Mexicali $1,525

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Lima versus $2,101 in Mexicali.

Lima $2,191
Mexicali $2,101

Living in Lima is roughly 5% more expensive than in Mexicali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 26% lower, Mexicali 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.16

$12.10 MX$222

-63.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 120

$34.24 MX$629

2.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.44

$6.69 MX$123

2.24%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.22

$3.43 MX$62.9

-4.66%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.78

$1.34 MX$24.60

-17.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.22

$1.12 MX$20.65

-41.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.85

$3.23 MX$59.2

-20.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.34

$4.26 MX$78.2

4.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.46

$1.20 MX$22.10

32.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.86

$2.39 MX$43.96

7.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.65

$1.54 MX$28.33

-11.69%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.11

$2.76 MX$50.7

6.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.19

$2.42 MX$44.48

276.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.91

$6.00 MX$110

-3.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.68

$6.66 MX$122

47.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.89

$1.63 MX$29.85

23.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.69

$1.40 MX$25.74

-22.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$1.40 MX$25.78

-2.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.06

$1.63 MX$29.98

-9.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.30

$1.41 MX$25.91

-31.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.92

$1.42 MX$26.03

-40.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.02

$1.35 MX$24.70

-34.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.97

$0.85 MX$15.66

2.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.24

$4.01 MX$73.7

47.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.21

$8.06 MX$148

9.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.57

$1.94 MX$35.61

-1.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 10.98

$3.90 MX$71.6

-17.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$1.05 MX$19.20

-35.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 91.7

$35.15 MX$645

-23.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.06

$2.84 MX$52.1

34.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.00

$2.26 MX$41.57

-9.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.49

$19.06 MX$350

-62.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.65

$1.34 MX$24.60

23.13%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

$21.7K MX$399.3K

1.96%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

$24.4K MX$447.3K

5.36%

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

$73.0 PEN 250

$47.14 MX$866

54.94%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.7

$22.65 MX$416

-28.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.6

$30.19 MX$554

-8.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 113

$39.21 MX$720

-15.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 66.8

$16.63 MX$305

17.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.33

$4.08 MX$75.0

81.13%

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

$182 PEN 624

$210 MX$3,860

-13.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

$4,724 MX$86.7K

182.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 180

$34.95 MX$642

50.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 117

$32.98 MX$605

3.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 287

$77.4 MX$1,420

8.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 271

$38.03 MX$698

107.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,479

$998 MX$18.3K

-27.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,166

$276 MX$5,059

23.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,060

$1,357 MX$24.9K

-12.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,176

$556 MX$10.2K

14.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,394

$2,638 MX$48.4K

-7.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,702

$1,474 MX$27.1K

-6.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,237

$860 MX$15.8K

-24.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

12.07

-25.93%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for Mexicali: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

Mexicali

$276 29.1% 19% $65

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

Mexicali

$197 20.8% 12.9% $29

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Mexicali

$192 20.3% 55.2% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Mexicali

$100 10.5% 14.5% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Mexicali

$83 8.7% 26.5% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

Mexicali

$47 5% 1% $0.5

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Mexicali

$53 5.6% 23% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $723 in Lima and $998 in Mexicali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexicali pays 32% 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 $34.00 in Mexicali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $197 per month, with Mexicali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇲🇽 Mexicali

🕒 Local time

01:15 1:15 AM

23:15 11:15 PM

2 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

854,186

💱 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 Mexicali 6,430 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Mexicali

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 Mexicali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Mexicali differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($996 vs $949 including rent). Mexicali is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Mexicali. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $723 in Lima versus $998 in Mexicali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $210 in Mexicali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $949 in Mexicali versus $996 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexicali but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Mexicali 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 Mexicali 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 Mexicali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.