Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Nandaime

For one person, living is cheaper in Nandaime: $824 a month against $1,014 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lima outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Nandaime
Learn more

Nandaime Living Index

Jump to prices

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,014

/mo nomad

Nandaime

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$824

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Nandaime

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,014 in Lima versus $824 in Nandaime.

Lima $1,014
Nandaime $824

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,613 in Lima versus $1,289 in Nandaime.

Lima $1,613
Nandaime $1,289

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,211 in Lima versus $1,754 in Nandaime.

Lima $2,211
Nandaime $1,754

Living in Lima is roughly 23% more expensive than in Nandaime, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Nandaime 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.19

$9.99 NIO 366

-55.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.56 PEN 119

$35.29 NIO 1,292

-2.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.80 PEN 23.37

$7.65 NIO 280

-11.11%

Cappuccino

$3.30 PEN 11.34

$2.58 NIO 94.6

27.91%

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

$1.06 PEN 3.64

$0.84 NIO 30.94

26.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 PEN 2.26

$0.72 NIO 26.40

-8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 PEN 8.71

$1.53 NIO 56.1

66.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 PEN 14.55

$2.24 NIO 82.0

89.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.43

$1.21 NIO 44.48

30.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 PEN 8.97

$2.41 NIO 88.2

8.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 PEN 4.60

$1.87 NIO 68.4

-28.34%

Eggs

$2.93 PEN 10.08

$2.41 NIO 88.5

21.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.45 PEN 32.45

$11.52 NIO 422

-17.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.75 PEN 19.75

$6.32 NIO 231

-9.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 PEN 33.29

$7.74 NIO 283

25.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 PEN 6.95

$4.03 NIO 147

-49.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 PEN 3.66

$0.58 NIO 21.23

84.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$1.84 NIO 67.4

-25.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 PEN 5.05

$2.41 NIO 88.3

-39.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 PEN 3.25

$3.99 NIO 146

-76.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 PEN 3.14

$2.16 NIO 79.1

-57.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$1.08 NIO 39.73

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 PEN 3.04

$1.06 NIO 38.67

-16.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 PEN 19.71

$2.72 NIO 99.6

111.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.21 PEN 31.64

$14.88 NIO 545

-38.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 PEN 6.31

$1.43 NIO 52.2

28.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 PEN 10.67

$2.28 NIO 83.3

36.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 PEN 2.46

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.03 PEN 89.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 PEN 12.17

$1.65 NIO 60.3

114.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 PEN 7.12

$1.61 NIO 58.9

28.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.75 PEN 26.62

$6.96 NIO 255

11.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 PEN 5.86

$1.37 NIO 50.3

24.82%

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

$21.6K PEN 74.1K

$22.6K NIO 829.4K

-4.66%

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

$28.6K PEN 98.2K

$26.0K NIO 951.2K

10.06%

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

$68.2 PEN 234

$152 NIO 5,558

-55.09%

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

$15.73 PEN 54.0

$19.30 NIO 707

-18.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.48 PEN 90.9

$33.12 NIO 1,213

-20.05%

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

$9.21 NIO 337

-21.61%

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

$201 PEN 689

$233 NIO 8,527

-13.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

$5,956 NIO 218.1K

116.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 PEN 184

$60.2 NIO 2,206

-10.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.88 PEN 123

$65.7 NIO 2,407

-45.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 288

$125 NIO 4,565

-32.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.8 PEN 271

$148 NIO 5,405

-46.59%

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

11.92

-26.34%

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

Last update for Lima: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nandaime: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$349 34.4%

Nandaime

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$227 22.4%

Nandaime

$260 31.6% 14.6% $33

Eating Out

Lima

$123 12.2%

Nandaime

$152 18.5% 23.3% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$113 11.2%

Nandaime

$179 21.7% 57.9% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$110 10.9%

Nandaime

$204 24.8% 85% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.8%

Nandaime

$18 * 2.2% 61.9% $30

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.2%

Nandaime

$9.7 * 1.2% 77.4% $33

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 $35.00 in Nandaime for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $227 vs $260 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇳🇮 Nandaime

🕒 Local time

17:36 5:36 PM

16:36 4:36 PM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

34,288

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NIO, 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).

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 41.17 NIO (100 NIO = 2.43 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Nandaime 2,830 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Nandaime

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 Nandaime: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Nandaime differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,014 vs $824 including rent). Nandaime 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 $1,236 in Nandaime 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.

Shoppers in Lima pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,014 per month in Lima versus $824 in Nandaime – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $824 in Nandaime versus $1,014 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nandaime but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Nandaime 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 Nandaime 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 Nandaime gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.