Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and San Fernando

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,014 a month against $1,130 in San Fernando, 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
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Lima Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in San Fernando
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San Fernando Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,014

/mo nomad

San Fernando

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,014 in Lima versus $1,130 in San Fernando.

Lima $1,014
San Fernando $1,130

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,613 in Lima versus $1,832 in San Fernando.

Lima $1,613
San Fernando $1,832

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,211 in Lima versus $2,534 in San Fernando.

Lima $2,211
San Fernando $2,534

Living in Lima costs roughly 10% less than in San Fernando, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, San Fernando 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.19

$10.75 MX$199

-58.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.56 PEN 119

$43.30 MX$800

-20.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.80 PEN 23.37

$8.42 MX$156

-19.24%

Cappuccino

$3.30 PEN 11.34

$3.63 MX$67.0

-9.09%

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

$1.06 PEN 3.64

$1.42 MX$26.21

-25.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 PEN 2.26

$1.06 MX$19.52

-37.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 PEN 8.71

$2.42 MX$44.65

4.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 PEN 14.55

$4.15 MX$76.7

2.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.43

$1.60 MX$29.59

-1.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 PEN 8.97

$2.68 MX$49.57

-2.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 PEN 4.60

$1.71 MX$31.53

-21.64%

Eggs

$2.93 PEN 10.08

$2.53 MX$46.78

15.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.45 PEN 32.45

$8.19 MX$151

15.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.75 PEN 19.75

$8.27 MX$153

-30.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 PEN 33.29

$11.60 MX$214

-16.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 PEN 6.95

$2.67 MX$49.25

-24.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 PEN 3.66

$1.60 MX$29.50

-33.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$1.97 MX$36.32

-30.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 PEN 5.05

$1.84 MX$33.96

-20.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 PEN 3.25

$1.97 MX$36.36

-51.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 PEN 3.14

$1.82 MX$33.57

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$1.43 MX$26.41

-37.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 PEN 3.04

$1.14 MX$21.00

-21.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 PEN 19.71

$4.32 MX$79.9

32.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.21 PEN 31.64

$10.48 MX$194

-12.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 PEN 6.31

$1.79 MX$33.11

2.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 PEN 10.67

$3.20 MX$59.2

-2.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 PEN 2.46

$0.64 MX$11.85

12.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.03 PEN 89.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 PEN 12.17

$2.56 MX$47.39

38.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 PEN 7.12

$2.01 MX$37.15

2.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.75 PEN 26.62

$10.82 MX$200

-28.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 PEN 5.86

$1.49 MX$27.45

14.77%

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

$21.6K PEN 74.1K

$21.0K MX$387.5K

2.95%

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

$28.6K PEN 98.2K

$23.7K MX$438.6K

20.43%

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

$68.2 PEN 234

$57.0 MX$1,054

19.52%

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

$15.73 PEN 54.0

$22.91 MX$423

-31.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.48 PEN 90.9

$29.54 MX$546

-10.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.94 PEN 117

$33.60 MX$621

1.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.10 PEN 69.0

$20.12 MX$372

-0.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.22 PEN 24.80

$5.23 MX$96.6

38.05%

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

$201 PEN 689

$220 MX$4,060

-8.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

$4,534 MX$83.8K

184.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 PEN 184

$54.3 MX$1,003

-1.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.88 PEN 123

$40.69 MX$752

-11.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 288

$98.8 MX$1,825

-15.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.8 PEN 271

$90.3 MX$1,669

-12.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 PEN 2,505

$612 MX$11.3K

19.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 PEN 1,197

$383 MX$7,076

-8.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 PEN 4,073

$1,030 MX$19.0K

15.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 PEN 2,391

$779 MX$14.4K

-10.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,360 PEN 8,105

$1,910 MX$35.3K

23.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,356 PEN 4,657

$1,160 MX$21.4K

16.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 PEN 2,278

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

11.3

-22.30%

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

Last update for Lima: October 17, 2026

Last update for San Fernando: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$349 34.4%

San Fernando

$383 33.9% 9.8% $34

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$227 22.4%

San Fernando

$266 23.5% 16.9% $38

Eating Out

Lima

$123 12.2%

San Fernando

$185 16.4% 49.9% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$113 11.2%

San Fernando

$128 11.3% 12.6% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$110 10.9%

San Fernando

$109 9.7% 0.8% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.8%

San Fernando

$44 3.9% 8.9% $4.3

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.2%

San Fernando

$15 * 1.3% 64.5% $28

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 $729 in Lima and $612 in San Fernando. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $43.00 in San Fernando for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $227 vs $266 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇲🇽 San Fernando

🕒 Local time

09:47 9:47 AM

08:47 8:47 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

11,867

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lima San Fernando 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
San Fernando

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 Fernando: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and San Fernando differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($1,014 vs $1,130 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,522 in Lima and $1,695 in San Fernando 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Lima versus $612 in San Fernando. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in San Fernando. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,014 per month in Lima versus $1,130 in San Fernando – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,014 in Lima versus $1,130 in San Fernando, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in San Fernando. 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.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in San Fernando. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.