Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Puerto Vallarta

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,635 in Puerto Vallarta, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Vallarta
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Puerto Vallarta Living Index

Jump to prices

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Puerto Vallarta

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Lima versus $1,635 in Puerto Vallarta.

Lima $996
Puerto Vallarta $1,635

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Lima versus $2,465 in Puerto Vallarta.

Lima $1,594
Puerto Vallarta $2,465

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Lima versus $3,295 in Puerto Vallarta.

Lima $2,191
Puerto Vallarta $3,295

Living in Lima costs roughly 39% less than in Puerto Vallarta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lima is 26% below, Puerto Vallarta is 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.16

$13.94 MX$256

-68.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 120

$57.4 MX$1,054

-38.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.44

$10.90 MX$200

-37.25%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.22

$4.06 MX$74.5

-19.46%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.78

$1.95 MX$35.86

-43.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.22

$1.39 MX$25.45

-53.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.85

$3.09 MX$56.7

-16.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.34

$4.34 MX$79.7

3.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.46

$1.91 MX$34.99

-16.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.86

$3.49 MX$64.1

-26.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.65

$2.02 MX$37.07

-32.67%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.11

$2.25 MX$41.33

31.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.19

$9.93 MX$182

-8.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.91

$11.00 MX$202

-47.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.68

$16.15 MX$296

-39.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.89

$2.86 MX$52.5

-29.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.69

$1.54 MX$28.23

-29.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$1.93 MX$35.50

-29.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.06

$2.12 MX$38.99

-30.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.30

$2.34 MX$43.02

-58.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.92

$3.19 MX$58.5

-73.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.02

$1.39 MX$25.55

-36.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.97

$1.15 MX$21.16

-24.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.24

$4.48 MX$82.3

31.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.21

$10.88 MX$200

-19.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.57

$1.87 MX$34.42

2.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 10.98

$2.71 MX$49.77

18.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.62 MX$11.42

9.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 91.7

$21.37 MX$392

25.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.06

$4.60 MX$84.4

-17.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.00

$3.01 MX$55.3

-32.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.49

$4.48 MX$82.3

59.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.65

$1.56 MX$28.71

5.77%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

$21.4K MX$393.8K

3.39%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

$24.7K MX$453.5K

3.91%

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

$73.0 PEN 250

$85.6 MX$1,572

-14.70%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.7

$26.25 MX$482

-38.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.6

$32.63 MX$599

-15.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 113

$36.80 MX$676

-10.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 66.8

$15.19 MX$279

28.31%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.33

$8.75 MX$161

-15.54%

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

$182 PEN 624

$328 MX$6,021

-44.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

$6,190 MX$113.6K

115.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 180

$55.0 MX$1,010

-4.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 117

$34.89 MX$641

-1.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 287

$103 MX$1,897

-18.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 271

$97.8 MX$1,796

-19.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,479

$1,303 MX$23.9K

-44.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,166

$699 MX$12.8K

-51.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,060

$2,040 MX$37.5K

-41.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,176

$1,145 MX$21.0K

-44.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,394

$5,090 MX$93.4K

-51.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,702

$2,598 MX$47.7K

-47.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,237

$948 MX$17.4K

-31.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

11.7

-23.59%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for Puerto Vallarta: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

Puerto Vallarta

$699 43.2% 106% $359

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

Puerto Vallarta

$316 19.5% 39.4% $89

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Puerto Vallarta

$230 14.2% 85.7% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Puerto Vallarta

$145 8.9% 23.6% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Puerto Vallarta

$131 8.1% 16.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

Puerto Vallarta

$54 3.4% 13.5% $6.4

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Puerto Vallarta

$44 2.7% 0.1% $0

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $723 in Lima and $1,303 in Puerto Vallarta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Puerto Vallarta pays 45% 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 $57.0 in Puerto Vallarta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $316 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇲🇽 Puerto Vallarta

🕒 Local time

02:16 2:16 AM

01:16 1:16 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

224,166

💱 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 Puerto Vallarta 4,770 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Puerto Vallarta

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 Vallarta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Puerto Vallarta differ by about 64% in total monthly costs ($996 vs $1,635 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Puerto Vallarta. 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 $1,303 in Puerto Vallarta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $328 in Puerto Vallarta. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Puerto Vallarta. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,635 in Puerto Vallarta, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Puerto Vallarta. 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.

Safety-wise, Lima and Puerto Vallarta 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 Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Puerto Vallarta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.