Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Quilmes

For one person, living costs are similar in Lima and in Quilmes: $1,012 and $965 a month, rent and utilities included.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Quilmes
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Quilmes Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Quilmes

🇦🇷 Argentina

$965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Quilmes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $965 in Quilmes.

Lima $1,012
Quilmes $965

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $1,611 in Quilmes.

Lima $1,589
Quilmes $1,611

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $2,257 in Quilmes.

Lima $2,167
Quilmes $2,257

Living in Lima is roughly 5% more expensive than in Quilmes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Quilmes 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$5.63 ARS 8,548

-21.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$34.37 ARS 52.2K

2.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$8.93 ARS 13.5K

-22.84%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$2.95 ARS 4,476

10.51%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$1.69 ARS 2,565

-33.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$1.72 ARS 2,608

-63.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$4.10 ARS 6,222

-35.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$2.19 ARS 3,329

101.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$0.98 ARS 1,488

66.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$1.56 ARS 2,373

64.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.63 ARS 2,478

-17.18%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$2.25 ARS 3,408

28.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$13.26 ARS 20.1K

-33.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$5.86 ARS 8,899

2.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$10.18 ARS 15.4K

-3.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$1.93 ARS 2,928

6.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.58 ARS 2,398

-32.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$1.01 ARS 1,531

33.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$3.08 ARS 4,673

-51.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$0.99 ARS 1,499

-11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$0.65 ARS 986

41.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$0.73 ARS 1,105

21.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.69 ARS 1,041

30.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$5.15 ARS 7,815

14.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$4.16 ARS 6,319

104.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$1.24 ARS 1,877

51.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$1.87 ARS 2,833

72.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.98 ARS 1,494

-30.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$2.77 ARS 4,196

37.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$0.97 ARS 1,473

108.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.09 ARS 1,654

57.80%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$50.1K ARS 76.1M

-55.49%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$39.2K ARS 59.4M

-34.87%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$59.9 ARS 90.9K

21.95%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$14.26 ARS 21.6K

14.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$22.15 ARS 33.6K

24.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$27.18 ARS 41.2K

17.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$9.98 ARS 15.1K

-29.36%

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

$182 PEN 627

$315 ARS 477.4K

-42.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$97.6 ARS 148.1K

-44.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$34.71 ARS 52.7K

-1.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$63.0 ARS 95.7K

31.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$69.9 ARS 106.0K

12.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$519 ARS 787.3K

39.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$332 ARS 504.4K

3.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$999 ARS 1.5M

22.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$812 ARS 1.2M

-19.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

$2,324 ARS 3.5M

3.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

$1,818 ARS 2.8M

-25.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

$1,114 ARS 1.7M

-41.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

100

-91.06%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Quilmes: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Quilmes

$332 34.4% 3.2% $11

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Quilmes

$213 22.1% 5.8% $13

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Quilmes

$146 15.1% 17.6% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Quilmes

$96 10% 17.6% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Quilmes

$119 12.4% 6.4% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Quilmes

$47 4.9% 2.5% $1.1

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Quilmes

$12 * 1.2% 73.4% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Lima and $519 in Quilmes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Quilmes pays 72% 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 $34.00 in Quilmes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $213 per month, with Quilmes cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇦🇷 Quilmes

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

15:51 3:51 PM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

230,810

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, 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).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lima Quilmes 3,150 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Quilmes

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 Quilmes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Quilmes differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $965 including rent). Quilmes is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 72% lower in Quilmes. 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 $519 in Quilmes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% 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 $965 in Quilmes – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $965 in Quilmes versus $1,012 in Lima, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Quilmes but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Quilmes 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 Quilmes 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 Quilmes gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.