Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Morelia

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,157 in Morelia, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Morelia despite lower rent and utilities.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Morelia
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Morelia Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Morelia

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,157

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Morelia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $1,157 in Morelia.

Lima $1,012
Morelia $1,157

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $1,866 in Morelia.

Lima $1,589
Morelia $1,866

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $2,576 in Morelia.

Lima $2,167
Morelia $2,576

Living in Lima costs roughly 13% less than in Morelia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Morelia 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$6.98 MX$129

-36.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$37.95 MX$701

-7.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$6.12 MX$113

12.58%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$3.54 MX$65.5

-7.91%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$1.24 MX$22.99

-9.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$1.21 MX$22.36

-48.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$2.93 MX$54.1

-9.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$3.93 MX$72.7

12.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.78 MX$32.95

-8.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$3.06 MX$56.5

-16.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.96 MX$36.17

-31.12%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$2.80 MX$51.8

3.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$11.88 MX$219

-25.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$9.36 MX$173

-36.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$14.95 MX$276

-34.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$3.05 MX$56.4

-32.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.65 MX$30.54

-35.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$1.97 MX$36.49

-31.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$2.23 MX$41.16

-32.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.96 MX$36.26

-55.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$1.81 MX$33.53

-49.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.47 MX$27.12

-39.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$1.33 MX$24.59

-32.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$3.84 MX$71.0

53.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$15.11 MX$279

-43.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$1.89 MX$34.89

-0.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$3.64 MX$67.3

-11.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.61 MX$11.28

11.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

$24.38 MX$451

10.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$1.40 MX$25.96

172.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$0.53 MX$9.86

281.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$5.52 MX$102

28.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.49 MX$27.52

15.44%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$21.4K MX$394.8K

4.42%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$23.3K MX$431.0K

9.34%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$61.6 MX$1,137

18.72%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$28.34 MX$524

-42.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$34.37 MX$635

-20.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$51.9 MX$959

-38.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

$27.22 MX$503

-28.69%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$4.32 MX$79.8

63.19%

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

$182 PEN 627

$223 MX$4,117

-18.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$2,837 MX$52.4K

359.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$55.6 MX$1,027

-3.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$37.62 MX$695

-8.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$107 MX$1,985

-22.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$96.9 MX$1,790

-19.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$346 MX$6,402

108.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$341 MX$6,296

0.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$930 MX$17.2K

31.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$706 MX$13.0K

-7.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

$1,651 MX$30.5K

46.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

$653 MX$12.1K

107.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

$668 MX$12.3K

-2.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

10.53

-15.10%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Morelia: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Morelia

$341 29.5% 0.8% $2.7

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Morelia

$317 27.4% 40.4% $91

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Morelia

$149 12.9% 20.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Morelia

$124 10.7% 6.3% $7.4

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Morelia

$134 11.6% 19.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Morelia

$61 5.2% 31.5% $15

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Morelia

$31 2.7% 29% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Lima and $346 in Morelia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Morelia pays 3% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $38.00 in Morelia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $317 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇲🇽 Morelia

🕒 Local time

23:16 11:16 PM

22:16 10:16 PM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

743,275

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Morelia 4,410 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Morelia

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 Morelia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Morelia differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $1,157 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Morelia. 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: $721 in Lima versus $346 in Morelia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $223 in Morelia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Morelia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,157 in Morelia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Morelia. 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 Morelia 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 14% less than in Morelia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.