Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Puente Alto

For one person, living is cheaper in Puente Alto: $146 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Puente Alto
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Puente Alto Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Puente Alto

🇨🇱 Chile

$146

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Puente Alto

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $146 in Puente Alto.

Lima $1,012
Puente Alto $146

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $248 in Puente Alto.

Lima $1,589
Puente Alto $248

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $350 in Puente Alto.

Lima $2,167
Puente Alto $350

Living in Lima is roughly 592% more expensive than in Puente Alto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Puente Alto 89% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.20 CLP 1,186

35.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.36 CLP 1,343

-0.74%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$6.27 CLP 6,175

-53.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$5.02 CLP 4,945

19.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$2.08 CLP 2,045

-1.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.49 CLP 1,462

-28.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$0.99 CLP 976

36.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$2.49 CLP 2,453

-39.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$3.10 CLP 3,048

-70.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$0.96 CLP 941

-7.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$1.64 CLP 1,617

-45.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$3.03 CLP 2,986

94.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$1.99 CLP 1,956

328.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$0.99 CLP 974

89.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$2.06 CLP 2,026

56.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

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

$73.1 PEN 251

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

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

$182 PEN 627

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Puente Alto: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Puente Alto

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Puente Alto

$146 * 100% 35.3% $80

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Puente Alto

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Puente Alto

- * 0% 100%

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Puente Alto

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Puente Alto

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Puente Alto

- * 0% 100%

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

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇨🇱 Puente Alto

🕒 Local time

09:53 9:53 AM

11:53 11:53 AM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

568,106

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lima Puente Alto 2,480 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Puente Alto

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 Puente Alto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Puente Alto differ by about 592% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $146 including rent). Puente Alto is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,518 in Lima and $219 in Puente Alto 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,012 per month in Lima versus $146 in Puente Alto – a 592% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $146 in Puente Alto versus $1,012 in Lima, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Puente Alto but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Puente Alto 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 Puente Alto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 592% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.