Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and San Bernardo

For one person, living is cheaper in San Bernardo: $897 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in San Bernardo
Learn more

San Bernardo Living Index

Jump to prices

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

San Bernardo

🇨🇱 Chile

$897

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $897 in San Bernardo.

Lima $1,012
San Bernardo $897

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $1,414 in San Bernardo.

Lima $1,589
San Bernardo $1,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $1,932 in San Bernardo.

Lima $2,167
San Bernardo $1,932

Living in Lima is roughly 13% more expensive than in San Bernardo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, San Bernardo 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$7.85 CLP 7,727

-43.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$25.41 CLP 25.0K

38.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$6.51 CLP 6,407

5.84%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$2.52 CLP 2,481

29.37%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$0.94 CLP 922

19.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$1.01 CLP 991

-38.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$4.05 CLP 3,985

-34.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$4.49 CLP 4,421

-1.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.15 CLP 1,132

41.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$1.29 CLP 1,272

98.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.66 CLP 1,632

-18.67%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$3.91 CLP 3,848

-25.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$11.24 CLP 11.1K

-21.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$4.36 CLP 4,289

37.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$10.73 CLP 10.6K

-8.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$1.88 CLP 1,855

9.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.51 CLP 1,489

-29.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$1.42 CLP 1,396

-4.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$1.75 CLP 1,721

-14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$0.85 CLP 839

3.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$0.84 CLP 822

9.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.21 CLP 1,194

-26.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$1.08 CLP 1,065

-16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$3.31 CLP 3,259

78.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$6.05 CLP 5,959

40.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$1.57 CLP 1,541

19.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$2.30 CLP 2,261

40.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.79 CLP 781

-13.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$0.40 CLP 391

852.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$0.84 CLP 830

140.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$11.45 CLP 11.3K

-37.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.31 CLP 1,293

31.30%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$17.5K CLP 17.3M

27.29%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$21.7K CLP 21.4M

17.38%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$123 CLP 120.7K

-40.43%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$12.05 CLP 11.9K

35.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$16.63 CLP 16.4K

65.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$19.89 CLP 19.6K

60.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$7.43 CLP 7,312

-5.11%

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

$182 PEN 627

$434 CLP 427.0K

-57.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

21.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$36.88 CLP 36.3K

45.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$26.73 CLP 26.3K

28.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$65.3 CLP 64.3K

26.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$80.5 CLP 79.3K

-2.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$279 CLP 274.4K

158.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$245 CLP 241.6K

39.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$703 CLP 691.9K

73.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$552 CLP 543.3K

17.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

$1,856 CLP 1.8M

30.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

$1,357 CLP 1.3M

-0.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

$1,335 CLP 1.3M

-51.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

5.39

65.86%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Bernardo: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

San Bernardo

$245 27.4% 28.5% $98

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

San Bernardo

$214 23.9% 5.3% $12

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

San Bernardo

$150 16.7% 20.6% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

San Bernardo

$151 16.9% 29.5% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

San Bernardo

$94 10.5% 16% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

San Bernardo

$35 3.9% 24.5% $11

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

San Bernardo

$7.8 * 0.9% 82.1% $36

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 $279 in San Bernardo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Bernardo pays 106% 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 $25.00 in San Bernardo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $214 per month, with San Bernardo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇨🇱 San Bernardo

🕒 Local time

11:26 11:26 AM

13:26 1:26 PM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

290,912

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, 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).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima San Bernardo 2,480 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
San Bernardo

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 Bernardo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and San Bernardo differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $897 including rent). San Bernardo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 106% lower in San Bernardo. 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 $279 in San Bernardo. 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 $897 in San Bernardo – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $897 in San Bernardo versus $1,012 in Lima, a $1,000 budget is realistic in San Bernardo but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes San Bernardo 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 Bernardo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.