Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Puebla

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,161 in Puebla, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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 Puebla
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Puebla Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Puebla

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,161

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Puebla

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Lima versus $1,161 in Puebla.

Lima $996
Puebla $1,161

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Lima versus $1,853 in Puebla.

Lima $1,594
Puebla $1,853

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Lima versus $2,545 in Puebla.

Lima $2,191
Puebla $2,545

Living in Lima costs roughly 14% less than in Puebla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 26% lower, Puebla 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.16

$9.88 MX$181

-55.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 120

$48.13 MX$884

-27.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.44

$9.43 MX$173

-27.47%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.22

$3.35 MX$61.4

-2.39%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.78

$1.54 MX$28.32

-28.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.22

$1.19 MX$21.79

-45.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.85

$2.85 MX$52.4

-9.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.34

$3.85 MX$70.7

16.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.46

$1.58 MX$29.04

0.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.86

$3.10 MX$56.9

-16.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.65

$1.85 MX$33.99

-26.49%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.11

$3.46 MX$63.5

-14.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.19

$6.70 MX$123

35.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.91

$5.77 MX$106

0.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.68

$11.22 MX$206

-12.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.89

$2.72 MX$49.88

-26.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.69

$1.73 MX$31.73

-37.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$1.96 MX$36.01

-30.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.06

$2.05 MX$37.65

-27.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.30

$2.10 MX$38.58

-54.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.92

$2.02 MX$37.16

-57.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.02

$1.53 MX$28.15

-42.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.97

$1.31 MX$24.13

-33.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.24

$5.22 MX$95.9

13.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.21

$14.06 MX$258

-37.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.57

$1.43 MX$26.26

34.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 10.98

$2.57 MX$47.10

24.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.56 MX$10.35

21.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 91.7

$24.50 MX$450

9.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.06

$5.46 MX$100

-30.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.00

$1.98 MX$36.38

3.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.49

$15.74 MX$289

-54.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.65

$1.51 MX$27.70

9.27%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

$21.5K MX$395.2K

3.02%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

$25.1K MX$460.2K

2.39%

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

$73.0 PEN 250

$62.1 MX$1,139

17.69%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.7

$18.96 MX$348

-14.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.6

$23.89 MX$439

15.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 113

$42.50 MX$780

-22.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 66.8

$13.53 MX$248

44.05%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.33

$5.69 MX$104

29.88%

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

$182 PEN 624

$416 MX$7,632

-56.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

$20.2K MX$370.8K

-34.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 180

$58.4 MX$1,072

-9.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 117

$62.0 MX$1,139

-44.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 287

$102 MX$1,864

-17.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 271

$96.8 MX$1,778

-18.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,479

$639 MX$11.7K

13.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,166

$354 MX$6,499

-3.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,060

$882 MX$16.2K

34.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,176

$664 MX$12.2K

-4.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,394

$1,660 MX$30.5K

47.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,702

$905 MX$16.6K

51.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,237

$663 MX$12.2K

-1.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

10.96

-18.43%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for Puebla: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

Puebla

$354 31% 4.1% $14

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

Puebla

$265 23.2% 17.2% $39

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Puebla

$180 15.8% 45.4% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Puebla

$105 9.2% 10.3% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Puebla

$143 12.5% 27.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

Puebla

$54 4.7% 12.6% $6

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Puebla

$42 3.7% 3.1% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $723 in Lima and $639 in Puebla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Puebla pays 2% 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 $48.00 in Puebla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $265 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇲🇽 Puebla

🕒 Local time

01:16 1:16 AM

00:16 12:16 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

1,542,232

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Puebla 4,160 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Puebla

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 Puebla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Puebla differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($996 vs $1,161 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 2% lower in Puebla. 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: $723 in Lima versus $639 in Puebla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $416 in Puebla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Puebla. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,161 in Puebla, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Puebla. 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 17% less than in Puebla. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.