Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Nicaragua

For one person, living is cheaper in Nicaragua: $946 a month against $996 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lima outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Lima
🇵🇪 Peru
$996
/mo nomad
🇳🇮 Nicaragua
$946
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Lima is 2.6% cheaper than Nicaragua without rent, and 5.3% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Lima is 5.2% cheaper than Nicaragua without rent, and 7.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lima
Nicaragua
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.42 PEN 15.16
$4.95 NIO 181
-10.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.04 PEN 120
$30.88 NIO 1,131
13.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.84 PEN 23.44
$7.80 NIO 286
-12.31%
Cappuccino
$3.27 PEN 11.22
$2.36 NIO 86.5
38.56%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.10 PEN 3.78
$0.89 NIO 32.75
23.60%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.65 PEN 2.22
$0.66 NIO 24.09
-1.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.58 PEN 8.85
$1.34 NIO 48.91
92.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 PEN 15.34
$1.96 NIO 71.6
128.06%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lima
Nicaragua
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.59 PEN 5.46
$1.21 NIO 44.22
31.40%
White Bread (500g)
$2.58 PEN 8.86
$2.08 NIO 76.0
24.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.36 PEN 4.65
$1.66 NIO 60.7
-18.07%
Eggs
$2.95 PEN 10.11
$2.25 NIO 82.5
31.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.10 PEN 31.19
$9.34 NIO 342
-2.57%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.81 PEN 19.91
$5.96 NIO 218
-2.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.83 PEN 33.68
$8.06 NIO 295
21.96%
Apples (1kg)
$2.01 PEN 6.89
$4.73 NIO 173
-57.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.08 PEN 3.69
$0.81 NIO 29.68
33.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.37 PEN 4.70
$1.95 NIO 71.6
-29.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.48 PEN 5.06
$2.34 NIO 85.7
-36.75%
Potato (1kg)
$0.96 PEN 3.30
$3.80 NIO 139
-74.74%
Onion (1kg)
$0.85 PEN 2.92
$2.29 NIO 83.9
-62.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.88 PEN 3.02
$1.08 NIO 39.44
-18.52%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.87 PEN 2.97
$1.04 NIO 37.95
-16.35%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.90 PEN 20.24
$3.61 NIO 132
63.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.81 PEN 30.21
$13.20 NIO 483
-33.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.92 PEN 6.57
$1.47 NIO 53.8
30.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.20 PEN 10.98
$2.16 NIO 79.2
48.15%
🚌 Getting Around
Lima
Nicaragua
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.68 PEN 2.33
$0.15 NIO 5.36
353.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.74 PEN 91.7
$6.02 NIO 221
344.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.81 PEN 13.06
$1.54 NIO 56.5
147.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.04 PEN 7.00
$1.48 NIO 54.1
37.84%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.14 PEN 24.49
$6.64 NIO 243
7.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.65 PEN 5.65
$1.31 NIO 48.15
25.95%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.2K PEN 76.0K
$23.1K NIO 845.1K
-3.89%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.7K PEN 88.0K
$25.9K NIO 947.3K
-0.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lima
Nicaragua
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$73.0 PEN 250
$113 NIO 4,138
-35.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.26 PEN 55.7
$17.92 NIO 656
-9.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.60 PEN 94.6
$36.87 NIO 1,350
-25.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lima
Nicaragua
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$33.07 PEN 113
$34.42 NIO 1,260
-3.92%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.49 PEN 66.8
$15.17 NIO 556
28.48%
Cinema Ticket
$7.39 PEN 25.33
$9.29 NIO 340
-20.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lima
Nicaragua
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$182 PEN 624
$234 NIO 8,583
-22.35%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.3K PEN 45.7K
$6,687 NIO 244.9K
99.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lima
Nicaragua
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.6 PEN 180
$54.1 NIO 1,981
-2.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.23 PEN 117
$44.45 NIO 1,628
-22.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.8 PEN 287
$113 NIO 4,155
-26.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.0 PEN 271
$123 NIO 4,514
-35.88%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lima
Nicaragua
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$723 PEN 2,479
$359 NIO 13.1K
101.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$340 PEN 1,166
$212 NIO 7,768
60.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 PEN 4,060
$612 NIO 22.4K
93.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$635 PEN 2,176
$463 NIO 17.0K
37.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,449 PEN 8,394
$1,205 NIO 44.1K
103.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,372 PEN 4,702
$671 NIO 24.6K
104.32%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lima
Nicaragua
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$653 PEN 2,237
$353 NIO 12.9K
84.71%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.94
11.94
-25.13%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nicaragua: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lima
$340
Nicaragua
$212 37.6% $128
Groceries & Markets
Lima
$226
Nicaragua
$249 10.1% $23
Eating Out
Lima
$124
Nicaragua
$108 12.8% $16
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lima
$117
Nicaragua
$168 43.5% $51
Clothing & Footwear
Lima
$112
Nicaragua
$151 34.3% $39
Sport & Entertainment
Lima
$48
Nicaragua
$53 10.8% $5.1
Getting Around
Lima
$43
Nicaragua
$16 64.3% $28
Good to know
🇵🇪 Lima
🇳🇮 Nicaragua
🕒 Local time
00:14 12:14 AM
23:14 11:14 PM
1 h behind Lima
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,989,369 Capital
6,676,948
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NIO, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

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).

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 41.08 NIO (100 NIO = 2.43 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lima Nicaragua 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lima
  • Nicaragua

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

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