Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and San Isidro

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,080 in San Isidro, rent and utilities included – about $820 less a year. The total is higher in San Isidro despite lower rent and utilities.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in San Isidro
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San Isidro Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

San Isidro

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,080

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $1,080 in San Isidro.

Lima $1,012
San Isidro $1,080

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $1,774 in San Isidro.

Lima $1,589
San Isidro $1,774

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $2,469 in San Isidro.

Lima $2,167
San Isidro $2,469

Living in Lima costs roughly 6% less than in San Isidro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, San Isidro 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$9.89 ARS 15.0K

-55.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$37.49 ARS 56.9K

-6.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$11.68 ARS 17.7K

-41.01%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$2.93 ARS 4,444

11.26%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$1.77 ARS 2,681

-36.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$1.63 ARS 2,474

-61.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$3.91 ARS 5,927

-32.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$2.30 ARS 3,492

91.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.25 ARS 1,892

30.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$1.57 ARS 2,383

63.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.60 ARS 2,431

-15.63%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$2.29 ARS 3,472

26.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$8.46 ARS 12.8K

4.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$6.09 ARS 9,242

-1.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$10.33 ARS 15.7K

-5.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$1.93 ARS 2,929

6.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.59 ARS 2,406

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$1.02 ARS 1,555

32.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$2.01 ARS 3,046

-25.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$0.94 ARS 1,424

-6.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$0.69 ARS 1,046

33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.52 ARS 2,311

-41.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$1.69 ARS 2,563

-46.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$3.25 ARS 4,925

81.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$4.87 ARS 7,383

74.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$1.26 ARS 1,915

49.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$2.83 ARS 4,298

13.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.94 ARS 1,430

-27.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$1.64 ARS 2,494

132.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$1.02 ARS 1,549

98.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$7.78 ARS 11.8K

-8.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.09 ARS 1,657

57.80%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$27.6K ARS 41.9M

-19.19%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$29.5K ARS 44.7M

-13.41%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$59.0 ARS 89.6K

23.83%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$19.65 ARS 29.8K

-16.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$27.03 ARS 41.0K

1.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$33.47 ARS 50.8K

-4.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$4.78 ARS 7,246

47.49%

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

$182 PEN 627

$470 ARS 713.2K

-61.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$8,938 ARS 13.6M

45.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$91.2 ARS 138.3K

-41.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$59.1 ARS 89.7K

-41.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$114 ARS 173.7K

-27.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$141 ARS 214.2K

-44.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$514 ARS 779.4K

40.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$335 ARS 507.9K

2.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$1,063 ARS 1.6M

14.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$777 ARS 1.2M

-16.28%

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

57.25

-84.38%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Isidro: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

San Isidro

$335 31% 2.5% $8.7

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

San Isidro

$216 20% 4.4% $9.8

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

San Isidro

$187 17.3% 50.8% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

San Isidro

$106 9.8% 9.6% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

San Isidro

$183 16.9% 62.9% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

San Isidro

$43 4% 6.5% $3

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

San Isidro

$11 * 1% 75.8% $33

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 $514 in San Isidro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $37.00 in San Isidro. Groceries flip the comparison at $226 vs $216, with San Isidro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇦🇷 San Isidro

🕒 Local time

04:34 4:34 AM

06:34 6:34 AM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

45,190

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, 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).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lima San Isidro 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
San Isidro

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 Isidro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and San Isidro differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $1,080 including rent). Lima 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 $1,619 in San Isidro 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: $721 in Lima versus $514 in San Isidro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in San Isidro pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,012 per month in Lima versus $1,080 in San Isidro – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,080 in San Isidro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in San Isidro. 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 Isidro 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 7% less than in San Isidro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.