Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Saltillo

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,331 in Saltillo, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
64

Cost of Living Index in Saltillo
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Saltillo Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Saltillo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,331

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Saltillo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Lima versus $1,331 in Saltillo.

Lima $996
Saltillo $1,331

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Lima versus $2,128 in Saltillo.

Lima $1,594
Saltillo $2,128

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Lima versus $2,924 in Saltillo.

Lima $2,191
Saltillo $2,924

Living in Lima costs roughly 25% less than in Saltillo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 26% lower, Saltillo 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.16

$11.07 MX$203

-60.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 120

$50.2 MX$922

-30.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.44

$6.67 MX$123

2.55%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.22

$3.61 MX$66.3

-9.42%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.78

$1.32 MX$24.32

-16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.22

$1.03 MX$18.92

-36.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.85

$2.22 MX$40.84

16.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.34

$3.94 MX$72.3

13.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.46

$1.52 MX$27.84

4.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.86

$3.59 MX$65.9

-28.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.65

$1.90 MX$34.95

-28.42%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.11

$2.37 MX$43.43

24.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.19

$10.86 MX$199

-16.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.91

$8.43 MX$155

-31.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.68

$10.17 MX$187

-3.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.89

$2.80 MX$51.4

-28.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.69

$1.23 MX$22.57

-12.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$1.76 MX$32.32

-22.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.06

$2.07 MX$37.93

-28.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.30

$2.15 MX$39.48

-55.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.92

$2.60 MX$47.77

-67.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.02

$1.25 MX$22.96

-29.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.97

$1.13 MX$20.70

-23.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.24

$4.30 MX$79.0

37.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.21

$10.30 MX$189

-14.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.57

$2.39 MX$43.84

-19.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 10.98

$1.46 MX$26.84

119.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.87 MX$15.89

-21.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 91.7

$16.66 MX$306

60.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.06

$2.61 MX$47.87

45.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.00

$2.02 MX$37.12

0.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.49

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.65

$1.51 MX$27.70

9.27%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

$19.0K MX$349.3K

16.55%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

$24.0K MX$440.6K

6.95%

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

$73.0 PEN 250

$49.27 MX$905

48.24%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.7

$34.53 MX$634

-52.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.6

$30.93 MX$568

-10.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 113

$57.5 MX$1,056

-42.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 66.8

$14.01 MX$257

39.11%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.33

$5.91 MX$108

25.04%

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

$182 PEN 624

$248 MX$4,551

-26.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

$2,653 MX$48.7K

402.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 180

$58.3 MX$1,069

-9.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 117

$58.2 MX$1,068

-41.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 287

$87.9 MX$1,613

-4.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 271

$128 MX$2,343

-38.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,479

$579 MX$10.6K

24.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,166

$509 MX$9,339

-33.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,060

$952 MX$17.5K

24.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,176

$959 MX$17.6K

-33.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,394

$558 MX$10.3K

338.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,702

$883 MX$16.2K

55.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,237

$813 MX$14.9K

-19.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

10.53

-15.10%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for Saltillo: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

Saltillo

$509 38.2% 49.6% $169

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

Saltillo

$278 20.8% 22.7% $51

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Saltillo

$180 13.5% 45.4% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Saltillo

$115 8.6% 1.9% $2.2

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Saltillo

$149 11.2% 33% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

Saltillo

$69 5.2% 44.9% $21

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Saltillo

$33 2.5% 24.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $723 in Lima and $579 in Saltillo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saltillo pays 25% 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 $50.0 in Saltillo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $278 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇲🇽 Saltillo

🕒 Local time

02:27 2:27 AM

01:27 1:27 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

864,431

💱 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 Saltillo 4,910 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Saltillo

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 Saltillo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Saltillo differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($996 vs $1,331 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Saltillo. 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 $579 in Saltillo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $248 in Saltillo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Saltillo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,331 in Saltillo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Saltillo. 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 Saltillo 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 34% less than in Saltillo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.