Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Puerto Ayora

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Ayora: $751 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Ayora
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Puerto Ayora Living Index

Jump to prices

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Puerto Ayora

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$751

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Puerto Ayora

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $751 in Puerto Ayora.

Lima $1,012
Puerto Ayora $751

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $1,204 in Puerto Ayora.

Lima $1,589
Puerto Ayora $1,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $1,656 in Puerto Ayora.

Lima $2,167
Puerto Ayora $1,656

Living in Lima is roughly 35% more expensive than in Puerto Ayora, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Puerto Ayora 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$3.42 $3.42

28.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$30.23 $30.23

16.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$4.68 $4.68

47.22%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$2.68 $2.68

21.64%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$0.78 $0.78

43.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$0.71 $0.71

-12.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$2.05 $2.05

29.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$3.70 $3.70

19.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.04 $1.04

56.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$1.59 $1.59

61.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.57 $1.57

-14.01%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$2.12 $2.12

36.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$6.45 $6.45

37.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$5.05 $5.05

18.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$7.18 $7.18

36.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$1.70 $1.70

20.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.05 $1.05

0.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$1.15 $1.15

17.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$1.08 $1.08

38.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.25 $1.25

-29.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$1.02 $1.02

-9.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$0.71 $0.71

25.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$1.06 $1.06

-15.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$5.31 $5.31

11.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$8.58 $8.58

-0.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$1.47 $1.47

27.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$3.09 $3.09

4.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.37 $0.37

83.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

$19.86 $19.86

35.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$1.37 $1.37

178.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$1.12 $1.12

80.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$10.06 $10.06

-29.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$0.87 $0.87

97.70%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$18.4K $18.4K

21.32%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$30.8K $30.8K

-17.16%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$39.92 $39.92

83.04%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$14.84 $14.84

10.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$27.10 $27.10

1.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$27.95 $27.95

14.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

$16.54 $16.54

17.35%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$5.57 $5.57

26.57%

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

$182 PEN 627

$223 $223

-18.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$5,708 $5,708

128.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$61.4 $61.4

-12.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$47.37 $47.37

-27.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$112 $112

-26.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$80.1 $80.1

-2.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$292 $292

147.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$185 $185

85.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$638 $638

91.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$351 $351

85.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

$1,349 $1,349

78.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

$668 $668

103.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

$813 $813

-20.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

10.05

-11.04%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Puerto Ayora: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Puerto Ayora

$185 24.7% 46.1% $158

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Puerto Ayora

$184 24.5% 18.6% $42

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Puerto Ayora

$97 12.9% 21.6% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Puerto Ayora

$82 10.9% 30% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Puerto Ayora

$135 18% 20.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Puerto Ayora

$39 5.2% 15% $6.9

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Puerto Ayora

$28 3.8% 35% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Lima and $292 in Puerto Ayora. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Puerto Ayora pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $30.00 in Puerto Ayora for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $184 per month, with Puerto Ayora cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇪🇨 Puerto Ayora

🕒 Local time

01:01 1:01 AM

00:01 12:01 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

12,696

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lima Puerto Ayora 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Puerto Ayora

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 Puerto Ayora: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Puerto Ayora differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $751 including rent). Puerto Ayora is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Puerto Ayora. 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: $721 in Lima versus $292 in Puerto Ayora. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $223 in Puerto Ayora. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $751 in Puerto Ayora versus $1,012 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Puerto Ayora but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Puerto Ayora 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 Puerto Ayora 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 Puerto Ayora gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.