Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Punta Arenas

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,303 in Punta Arenas, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Punta Arenas
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Punta Arenas Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Punta Arenas

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Punta Arenas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $1,303 in Punta Arenas.

Lima $1,012
Punta Arenas $1,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $2,026 in Punta Arenas.

Lima $1,589
Punta Arenas $2,026

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $2,750 in Punta Arenas.

Lima $2,167
Punta Arenas $2,750

Living in Lima costs roughly 22% less than in Punta Arenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Punta Arenas 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$10.75 CLP 10.6K

-59.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$50.5 CLP 49.7K

-30.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$8.05 CLP 7,927

-14.41%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$3.87 CLP 3,810

-15.76%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$2.05 CLP 2,023

-45.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$1.36 CLP 1,334

-54.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$3.45 CLP 3,397

-23.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$4.97 CLP 4,892

-11.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.27 CLP 1,250

28.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$1.54 CLP 1,514

66.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.56 CLP 1,537

-13.46%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$4.05 CLP 3,982

-28.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$14.23 CLP 14.0K

-37.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$9.14 CLP 9,002

-34.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$13.07 CLP 12.9K

-25.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$2.47 CLP 2,432

-17.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$2.18 CLP 2,143

-51.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$2.15 CLP 2,119

-37.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$3.25 CLP 3,196

-53.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.41 CLP 1,385

-37.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$2.27 CLP 2,231

-59.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.66 CLP 1,636

-46.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$1.73 CLP 1,701

-47.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$5.06 CLP 4,981

16.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$10.10 CLP 9,947

-15.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$1.99 CLP 1,956

-5.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$2.73 CLP 2,685

17.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.59 CLP 582

15.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

$20.09 CLP 19.8K

33.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$0.50 CLP 492

662.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$1.98 CLP 1,953

2.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$12.19 CLP 12.0K

-41.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.39 CLP 1,369

23.74%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$17.2K CLP 16.9M

29.67%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$23.9K CLP 23.5M

6.88%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$150 CLP 147.6K

-51.25%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$10.23 CLP 10.1K

59.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$20.84 CLP 20.5K

31.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$46.49 CLP 45.8K

-31.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

$45.32 CLP 44.6K

-57.17%

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$6.52 CLP 6,415

8.13%

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

$182 PEN 627

$406 CLP 399.7K

-55.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$6,212 CLP 6.1M

109.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$58.0 CLP 57.1K

-7.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$40.53 CLP 39.9K

-15.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$96.1 CLP 94.6K

-13.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$127 CLP 124.8K

-38.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$577 CLP 568.0K

24.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$387 CLP 381.1K

-11.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$968 CLP 953.2K

25.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$664 CLP 653.3K

-1.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

$384 CLP 378.4K

528.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

$803 CLP 790.7K

-19.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

3.4

162.94%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Punta Arenas: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Punta Arenas

$387 29.7% 12.7% $44

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Punta Arenas

$300 23% 32.8% $74

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Punta Arenas

$197 15.2% 59.3% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Punta Arenas

$181 13.9% 54.8% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Punta Arenas

$145 11.1% 29% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Punta Arenas

$60 4.6% 29.4% $14

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Punta Arenas

$33 2.5% 24.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Lima and $577 in Punta Arenas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Punta Arenas pays 24% 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 $51.0 in Punta Arenas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $300 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇨🇱 Punta Arenas

🕒 Local time

07:14 7:14 AM

09:14 9:14 AM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

123,403

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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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Highest

Between locations

Lima Punta Arenas 4,600 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Punta Arenas

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 Punta Arenas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Punta Arenas differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $1,303 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Punta Arenas. 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 $577 in Punta Arenas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $406 in Punta Arenas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Punta Arenas. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,303 in Punta Arenas, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Punta Arenas. 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 29% less than in Punta Arenas. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.