Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Nogales

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,138 in Nogales, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Nogales
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Nogales Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Nogales

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Nogales

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Lima versus $1,138 in Nogales.

Lima $996
Nogales $1,138

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Lima versus $1,854 in Nogales.

Lima $1,594
Nogales $1,854

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Lima versus $2,570 in Nogales.

Lima $2,191
Nogales $2,570

Living in Lima costs roughly 12% less than in Nogales, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 26% lower, Nogales 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.21

$10.96 MX$199

-59.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 121

$45.05 MX$820

-22.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.52

$8.37 MX$152

-18.28%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.26

$3.62 MX$65.8

-9.67%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.80

$1.35 MX$24.56

-18.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.23

$1.04 MX$18.83

-37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.88

$2.58 MX$46.86

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.39

$4.10 MX$74.6

9.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.48

$1.58 MX$28.83

0.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.89

$2.63 MX$47.77

-1.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.67

$1.73 MX$31.56

-21.39%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.14

$2.55 MX$46.34

15.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.30

$8.49 MX$154

7.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.98

$8.51 MX$155

-31.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.80

$11.84 MX$215

-16.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.92

$2.73 MX$49.58

-26.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.70

$1.59 MX$28.89

-32.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.71

$1.91 MX$34.83

-28.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.08

$1.85 MX$33.73

-20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.32

$1.96 MX$35.68

-51.02%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.93

$1.92 MX$34.86

-55.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.45 MX$26.30

-39.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.98

$1.11 MX$20.12

-21.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.31

$4.33 MX$78.7

36.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.31

$10.64 MX$194

-17.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.59

$1.84 MX$33.40

4.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 11.02

$3.25 MX$59.2

-1.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.69 MX$12.54

-1.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 92.0

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.10

$2.58 MX$47.00

47.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.02

$2.06 MX$37.44

-0.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.57

$11.28 MX$205

-36.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.67

$1.48 MX$26.89

11.49%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

$21.2K MX$385.8K

4.56%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

$24.9K MX$452.4K

3.21%

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

$73.0 PEN 251

$62.4 MX$1,136

16.98%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.9

$22.44 MX$408

-27.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.9

$30.41 MX$553

-9.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 114

$34.79 MX$633

-4.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 67.1

$20.65 MX$376

-5.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.41

$5.22 MX$94.9

41.57%

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

$182 PEN 626

$224 MX$4,067

-18.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

$4,654 MX$84.7K

186.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 181

$55.1 MX$1,002

-4.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 118

$42.38 MX$771

-19.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 288

$103 MX$1,874

-18.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 272

$92.4 MX$1,681

-14.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,488

$614 MX$11.2K

17.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,170

$400 MX$7,273

-14.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,074

$1,072 MX$19.5K

10.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,183

$786 MX$14.3K

-19.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,423

$1,927 MX$35.1K

27.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,718

$1,151 MX$20.9K

19.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,245

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

11.3

-20.88%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nogales: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

Nogales

$400 34.4% 17.6% $60

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

Nogales

$269 23.1% 18.7% $42

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Nogales

$187 16.1% 50.6% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Nogales

$115 9.9% 1.4% $1.6

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Nogales

$132 11.3% 17.4% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

Nogales

$45 3.9% 5.5% $2.6

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Nogales

$16 * 1.3% 64.1% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $723 in Lima and $614 in Nogales. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $45.00 in Nogales for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $269 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇲🇽 Nogales

🕒 Local time

05:25 5:25 AM

03:25 3:25 AM

2 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

261,137

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.91 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 = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.85 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.38 MXN (100 MXN = 4.91 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lima Nogales 6,030 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Nogales

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 Nogales: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Nogales differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($996 vs $1,138 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,494 in Lima and $1,707 in Nogales 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $723 in Lima versus $614 in Nogales. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Nogales. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $996 per month in Lima versus $1,138 in Nogales – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,138 in Nogales, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Nogales. 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.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Nogales. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.