Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Resistencia

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,180 in Resistencia, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. The total is higher in Resistencia despite lower rent and utilities.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Resistencia
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Resistencia Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Resistencia

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,180

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Resistencia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Lima versus $1,180 in Resistencia.

Lima $996
Resistencia $1,180

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Lima versus $1,915 in Resistencia.

Lima $1,594
Resistencia $1,915

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Lima versus $2,650 in Resistencia.

Lima $2,191
Resistencia $2,650

Living in Lima costs roughly 16% less than in Resistencia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 26% lower, Resistencia 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.21

$16.49 ARS 25.0K

-73.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 121

$57.6 ARS 87.4K

-39.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.52

$13.25 ARS 20.1K

-48.38%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.26

$3.67 ARS 5,568

-10.90%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.80

$2.47 ARS 3,752

-55.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.23

$2.13 ARS 3,222

-69.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.88

$4.38 ARS 6,640

-41.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.39

$3.73 ARS 5,658

19.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.48

$1.35 ARS 2,041

17.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.89

$2.46 ARS 3,731

4.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.67

$2.00 ARS 3,027

-32.00%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.14

$2.71 ARS 4,104

8.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.30

$9.29 ARS 14.1K

-2.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.98

$7.17 ARS 10.9K

-18.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.80

$11.05 ARS 16.8K

-11.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.92

$2.57 ARS 3,902

-21.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.70

$2.02 ARS 3,061

-46.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.71

$1.35 ARS 2,052

1.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.08

$2.40 ARS 3,641

-38.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.32

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.93

$0.97 ARS 1,473

-12.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.98

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.31

$3.69 ARS 5,588

59.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.31

$4.55 ARS 6,896

93.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.59

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 11.02

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$1.05 ARS 1,588

-35.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 92.0

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.10

$1.57 ARS 2,382

142.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.02

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.57

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.67

$1.07 ARS 1,620

54.21%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

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

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

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

$73.0 PEN 251

$115 ARS 173.6K

-36.21%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.9

$17.55 ARS 26.6K

-7.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.9

$29.12 ARS 44.1K

-5.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 114

$31.15 ARS 47.2K

6.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 67.1

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.41

$9.21 ARS 14.0K

-19.76%

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

$182 PEN 626

$272 ARS 411.6K

-32.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 181

$105 ARS 159.9K

-50.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 118

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 288

$128 ARS 194.4K

-34.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 272

$116 ARS 176.3K

-32.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,488

$514 ARS 779.5K

40.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,170

$330 ARS 500.5K

3.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,074

$987 ARS 1.5M

20.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,183

$741 ARS 1.1M

-14.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,423

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,718

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,245

$565 ARS 856.2K

15.55%

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 4, 2026

Last update for Resistencia: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

Resistencia

$330 28.1% 2.9% $9.9

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

Resistencia

$207 * 17.6% 8.4% $19

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Resistencia

$264 22.4% 112% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Resistencia

$161 13.7% 37.9% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Resistencia

$158 * 13.4% 40.2% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

Resistencia

$50 4.2% 3.6% $1.7

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Resistencia

$5.8 * 0.5% 86.8% $38

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 $723 in Lima and $514 in Resistencia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 16% 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 $58.0 in Resistencia. Groceries flip the comparison at $226 vs $207, with Resistencia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇦🇷 Resistencia

🕒 Local time

06:14 6:14 AM

08:14 8:14 AM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

290,793

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.89 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.85 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.89 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lima Resistencia 2,540 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Resistencia

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 Resistencia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Resistencia differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($996 vs $1,180 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 16% higher in Lima, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $723 in Lima versus $514 in Resistencia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Resistencia pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $996 per month in Lima versus $1,180 in Resistencia – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,180 in Resistencia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Resistencia. 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 Resistencia 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 18% less than in Resistencia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.