Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Minas

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,014 a month against $1,069 in Minas, rent and utilities included – about $660 less a year. The total is higher in Minas despite lower rent and utilities.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Minas
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Minas Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,014

/mo nomad

Minas

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,069

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Minas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,014 in Lima versus $1,069 in Minas.

Lima $1,014
Minas $1,069

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,613 in Lima versus $1,734 in Minas.

Lima $1,613
Minas $1,734

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,211 in Lima versus $2,400 in Minas.

Lima $2,211
Minas $2,400

Living in Lima costs roughly 5% less than in Minas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Minas 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.19

$14.86 UYU 597

-70.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.56 PEN 119

$69.7 UYU 2,799

-50.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.80 PEN 23.37

$14.61 UYU 586

-53.46%

Cappuccino

$3.30 PEN 11.34

$4.66 UYU 187

-29.18%

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

$1.06 PEN 3.64

$2.77 UYU 111

-61.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 PEN 2.26

$2.01 UYU 80.7

-67.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 PEN 8.71

$4.87 UYU 196

-47.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 PEN 14.55

$3.84 UYU 154

10.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.43

$1.39 UYU 55.8

13.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 PEN 8.97

$2.90 UYU 116

-10.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 PEN 4.60

$1.72 UYU 69.1

-22.09%

Eggs

$2.93 PEN 10.08

$4.61 UYU 185

-36.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.45 PEN 32.45

$14.12 UYU 567

-33.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.75 PEN 19.75

$11.33 UYU 455

-49.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 PEN 33.29

$12.00 UYU 482

-19.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 PEN 6.95

$2.86 UYU 115

-29.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 PEN 3.66

$2.82 UYU 113

-62.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$1.73 UYU 69.5

-20.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 PEN 5.05

$3.09 UYU 124

-52.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 PEN 3.25

$1.92 UYU 76.9

-50.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 PEN 3.14

$2.15 UYU 86.2

-57.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$1.43 UYU 57.5

-37.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 PEN 3.04

$1.90 UYU 76.3

-53.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 PEN 19.71

$5.34 UYU 214

7.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.21 PEN 31.64

$8.49 UYU 341

8.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 PEN 6.31

$2.26 UYU 90.6

-18.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 PEN 10.67

$2.84 UYU 114

9.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 PEN 2.46

$0.76 UYU 30.54

-5.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.03 PEN 89.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 PEN 12.17

$1.88 UYU 75.5

88.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 PEN 7.12

$0.40 UYU 16.02

417.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.75 PEN 26.62

$10.47 UYU 420

-25.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 PEN 5.86

$2.16 UYU 86.5

-20.83%

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

$21.6K PEN 74.1K

$26.4K UYU 1.1M

-18.33%

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

$28.6K PEN 98.2K

$36.8K UYU 1.5M

-22.39%

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

$68.2 PEN 234

$186 UYU 7,459

-63.33%

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

$15.73 PEN 54.0

$20.60 UYU 827

-23.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.48 PEN 90.9

$45.30 UYU 1,818

-41.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.94 PEN 117

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.10 PEN 69.0

Cinema Ticket

$7.22 PEN 24.80

$12.43 UYU 499

-41.91%

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

$201 PEN 689

$615 UYU 24.7K

-67.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

$11.0K UYU 443.2K

16.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 PEN 184

$104 UYU 4,185

-48.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.88 PEN 123

$56.9 UYU 2,284

-36.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 288

$122 UYU 4,899

-31.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.8 PEN 271

$131 UYU 5,247

-39.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 PEN 2,505

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 PEN 1,197

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 PEN 4,073

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 PEN 2,391

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,360 PEN 8,105

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,356 PEN 4,657

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 PEN 2,278

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

5.74

52.96%

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

Last update for Lima: October 17, 2026

Last update for Minas: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$349 34.4%

Minas

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$227 22.4%

Minas

$329 30.8% 45% $102

Eating Out

Lima

$123 12.2%

Minas

$270 25.2% 119% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$113 11.2%

Minas

$186 17.4% 64.2% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$110 10.9%

Minas

$252 23.6% 128% $141

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.8%

Minas

$25 * 2.3% 48.6% $24

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.2%

Minas

$6.9 * 0.7% 83.8% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $70.0 in Minas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $227 vs $329 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇺🇾 Minas

🕒 Local time

14:49 2:49 PM

16:49 4:49 PM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

38,446

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Minas 3,320 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Minas

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 Minas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Minas differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,014 vs $1,069 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,522 in Lima and $1,604 in Minas 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Minas. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,014 per month in Lima versus $1,069 in Minas – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,014 in Lima versus $1,069 in Minas, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Minas. 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 Minas 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 5% less than in Minas. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.