Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and San Francisco

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,672 in San Francisco, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
81

Cost of Living Index in San Francisco
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San Francisco Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

San Francisco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,672

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $1,672 in San Francisco.

Lima $1,012
San Francisco $1,672

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $2,668 in San Francisco.

Lima $1,589
San Francisco $2,668

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $3,664 in San Francisco.

Lima $2,167
San Francisco $3,664

Living in Lima costs roughly 39% less than in San Francisco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lima is 25% below, San Francisco is 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$10.08 ₡4,520

-56.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$61.8 ₡27.7K

-43.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$11.03 ₡4,947

-37.53%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$4.33 ₡1,941

-24.71%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$1.30 ₡582

-13.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$1.81 ₡810

-65.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$3.35 ₡1,504

-20.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$4.31 ₡1,932

2.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$2.32 ₡1,039

-29.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$3.03 ₡1,360

-15.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$2.44 ₡1,095

-44.67%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$3.51 ₡1,575

-17.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$10.83 ₡4,859

-18.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$10.43 ₡4,677

-42.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$13.81 ₡6,192

-29.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$5.00 ₡2,241

-59.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.64 ₡735

-35.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$4.85 ₡2,177

-72.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$3.96 ₡1,777

-62.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$3.75 ₡1,683

-76.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$3.59 ₡1,609

-74.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.08 ₡483

-17.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$3.20 ₡1,435

-71.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$5.80 ₡2,601

1.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$20.33 ₡9,119

-58.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$2.81 ₡1,262

-33.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$3.66 ₡1,642

-12.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$1.34 ₡602

-49.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-58.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$1.78 ₡800

114.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$1.63 ₡732

23.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$8.91 ₡3,994

-20.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.49 ₡667

15.44%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$22.0K ₡9.9M

1.51%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$35.0K ₡15.7M

-27.19%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$76.3 ₡34.2K

-4.23%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$33.48 ₡15.0K

-51.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$48.18 ₡21.6K

-42.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$74.2 ₡33.3K

-57.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$7.52 ₡3,373

-6.25%

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

$182 PEN 627

$973 ₡436.4K

-81.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$16.8K ₡7.5M

-22.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$71.1 ₡31.9K

-24.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$55.2 ₡24.8K

-37.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$66.7 ₡29.9K

24.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$53.8 ₡24.1K

45.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$808 ₡362.4K

-10.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$629 ₡282.0K

-45.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$1,914 ₡858.5K

-36.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$1,267 ₡568.0K

-48.62%

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

$892 ₡400.1K

-27.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

8.62

3.71%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Francisco: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

San Francisco

$629 37.6% 83.1% $285

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

San Francisco

$401 24% 77.3% $175

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

San Francisco

$203 12.2% 64.1% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

San Francisco

$158 9.5% 35.1% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

San Francisco

$111 6.6% 0.9% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

San Francisco

$89 5.3% 94% $43

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

San Francisco

$81 4.8% 85.3% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Lima and $808 in San Francisco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Francisco pays 38% 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 $62.0 in San Francisco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $401 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇨🇷 San Francisco

🕒 Local time

08:18 8:18 AM

07:18 7:18 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

55,923

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima San Francisco 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
San Francisco

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 Francisco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and San Francisco differ by about 65% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $1,672 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in San Francisco. 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 $808 in San Francisco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $973 in San Francisco. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 77% higher in San Francisco. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,672 in San Francisco, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in San Francisco. 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 San Francisco 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 65% less than in San Francisco. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.