Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and San Antonio

For one person, living is cheaper in San Antonio: $612 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in San Antonio
Learn more

San Antonio Living Index

Jump to prices

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

San Antonio

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$612

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in San Antonio

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $612 in San Antonio.

Lima $1,012
San Antonio $612

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $1,039 in San Antonio.

Lima $1,589
San Antonio $1,039

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $1,467 in San Antonio.

Lima $2,167
San Antonio $1,467

Living in Lima is roughly 65% more expensive than in San Antonio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, San Antonio 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$6.96 ₲39.6K

-36.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$43.13 ₲245.2K

-18.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$7.07 ₲40.2K

-2.55%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$3.45 ₲19.6K

-5.51%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$1.06 ₲6,023

5.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$0.57 ₲3,268

8.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$1.92 ₲10.9K

38.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$1.75 ₲9,951

152.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.27 ₲7,231

28.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$1.48 ₲8,425

72.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.41 ₲7,997

-4.26%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$2.51 ₲14.3K

15.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$9.70 ₲55.1K

-8.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$5.47 ₲31.1K

9.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$10.38 ₲59.0K

-5.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$3.13 ₲17.8K

-34.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.25 ₲7,134

-15.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$1.20 ₲6,851

12.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$2.56 ₲14.5K

-41.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.40 ₲7,952

-37.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$1.36 ₲7,747

-32.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$0.94 ₲5,372

-5.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$0.74 ₲4,191

21.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$2.38 ₲13.6K

147.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$9.28 ₲52.8K

-8.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$1.42 ₲8,066

32.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$1.72 ₲9,805

87.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$1.55 ₲8,831

145.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$1.60 ₲9,086

26.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$10.59 ₲60.2K

-32.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.23 ₲7,016

39.84%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$17.4K ₲99.2M

27.93%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$35.7K ₲203.1M

-28.61%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$50.6 ₲287.9K

44.32%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$17.77 ₲101.0K

-7.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$22.45 ₲127.7K

22.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$8.66 ₲49.2K

-18.59%

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

$182 PEN 627

$191 ₲1.1M

-4.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$5,832 ₲33.2M

123.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$66.1 ₲375.6K

-18.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$57.9 ₲329.3K

-40.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$107 ₲606.3K

-22.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$72.6 ₲412.6K

7.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

10.5

-14.86%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Antonio: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

San Antonio

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

San Antonio

$220 36% 2.5% $5.7

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

San Antonio

$138 22.5% 11.3% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

San Antonio

$91 14.8% 22.3% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

San Antonio

$136 22.3% 21.7% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

San Antonio

$17 * 2.8% 62.4% $29

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

San Antonio

$9.5 * 1.6% 78.1% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $43.00 in San Antonio. Groceries flip the comparison at $226 vs $220, with San Antonio cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇵🇾 San Antonio

🕒 Local time

00:48 12:48 AM

02:48 2:48 AM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

68,127

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PYG, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5,686 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,393 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima San Antonio 2,520 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
San Antonio

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 San Antonio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and San Antonio differ by about 65% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $612 including rent). San Antonio is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,518 in Lima and $918 in San Antonio to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

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 $612 in San Antonio – a 65% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $612 in San Antonio versus $1,012 in Lima, a $1,500 budget is realistic in San Antonio but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes San Antonio 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 San Antonio gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.