Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Rosario

For one person, living is cheaper in Rosario: $947 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $780 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lima outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Rosario
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Rosario Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Rosario

🇦🇷 Argentina

$947

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Rosario

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $947 in Rosario.

Lima $1,012
Rosario $947

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $1,653 in Rosario.

Lima $1,589
Rosario $1,653

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $2,358 in Rosario.

Lima $2,167
Rosario $2,358

Living in Lima is roughly 7% more expensive than in Rosario, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Rosario 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.15

$10.10 ARS 15.3K

-56.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$37.96 ARS 57.6K

-7.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.73

$11.72 ARS 17.8K

-41.21%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.24

$3.06 ARS 4,635

6.54%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.85

$1.76 ARS 2,670

-36.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.12

$1.56 ARS 2,359

-60.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.12

$3.86 ARS 5,857

-31.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.20

$2.19 ARS 3,324

101.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.63

$1.31 ARS 1,993

24.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.81

$1.65 ARS 2,498

55.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.67

$1.59 ARS 2,405

-15.09%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.99

$2.26 ARS 3,420

28.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.48

$8.49 ARS 12.9K

4.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.59

$6.10 ARS 9,257

-1.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.71

$10.58 ARS 16.0K

-7.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.05

$2.00 ARS 3,035

2.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.67

$1.53 ARS 2,316

-30.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.06 ARS 1,605

27.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.17

$2.05 ARS 3,112

-26.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.04

$0.98 ARS 1,493

-10.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.16

$0.65 ARS 984

41.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.08

$1.47 ARS 2,225

-39.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.12

$1.78 ARS 2,692

-49.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.34

$3.36 ARS 5,090

75.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.36

$4.69 ARS 7,113

81.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.47

$1.27 ARS 1,926

48.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.09

$2.72 ARS 4,127

18.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.34

$1.02 ARS 1,545

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.6

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.14

$1.63 ARS 2,468

133.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.96

$1.02 ARS 1,547

98.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.50

$8.07 ARS 12.2K

-11.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.93

$1.09 ARS 1,656

57.80%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.9K

$28.5K ARS 43.2M

-21.63%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.9K

$29.5K ARS 44.8M

-13.67%

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

$73.1 PEN 252

$59.4 ARS 90.1K

23.05%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.3

$20.33 ARS 30.8K

-19.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.7

$27.78 ARS 42.1K

-1.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$29.22 ARS 44.3K

9.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.9

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.31

$4.88 ARS 7,394

44.47%

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

$182 PEN 629

$471 ARS 714.7K

-61.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.9K

$8,757 ARS 13.3M

48.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$90.2 ARS 136.8K

-40.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$60.7 ARS 92.1K

-43.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 285

$116 ARS 175.8K

-28.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 270

$140 ARS 212.7K

-44.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,485

$254 ARS 385.9K

183.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,183

$199 ARS 301.1K

72.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,200

$711 ARS 1.1M

71.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,243

$655 ARS 993.1K

-0.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,321

$2,031 ARS 3.1M

18.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,676

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,233

$702 ARS 1.1M

-7.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

57.25

-84.38%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rosario: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Rosario

$199 21% 42.2% $145

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Rosario

$219 23.1% 3.1% $7

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Rosario

$190 20% 52.9% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Rosario

$107 11.4% 8% $9.4

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Rosario

$183 19.3% 63.4% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Rosario

$39 4.1% 15.3% $7

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Rosario

$11 * 1.1% 75.2% $33

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 $254 in Rosario. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rosario pays 8% 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 $38.00 in Rosario. Groceries flip the comparison at $226 vs $219, with Rosario cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇦🇷 Rosario

🕒 Local time

11:44 11:44 AM

13:44 1:44 PM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

1,029,619

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.91 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.85 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,693 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lima Rosario 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Rosario

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 Rosario: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Rosario differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $947 including rent). Rosario is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Rosario. 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 $254 in Rosario. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% 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 $947 in Rosario – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $947 in Rosario versus $1,012 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rosario but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Rosario 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 Rosario 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 Rosario gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.