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 $1,753 in San Isidro, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
82

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

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,753

/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 $1,753 in San Isidro.

Lima $1,012
San Isidro $1,753

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $2,640 in San Isidro.

Lima $1,589
San Isidro $2,640

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $3,528 in San Isidro.

Lima $2,167
San Isidro $3,528

Living in Lima costs roughly 42% less than in San Isidro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lima is 25% below, San Isidro is 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$13.58 ₡6,092

-67.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$51.7 ₡23.2K

-32.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$12.04 ₡5,400

-42.77%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$3.76 ₡1,684

-13.30%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$2.35 ₡1,053

-52.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$2.06 ₡922

-69.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$3.71 ₡1,665

-28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$4.05 ₡1,815

8.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$2.41 ₡1,082

-32.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$2.42 ₡1,087

5.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$2.78 ₡1,248

-51.44%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$3.88 ₡1,740

-25.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$9.45 ₡4,237

-6.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$9.82 ₡4,403

-39.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$13.80 ₡6,187

-29.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$5.07 ₡2,274

-59.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.71 ₡766

-38.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$3.67 ₡1,647

-63.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$3.46 ₡1,553

-56.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$3.34 ₡1,498

-73.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$3.46 ₡1,550

-73.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.04 ₡468

-14.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$3.03 ₡1,358

-70.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$5.03 ₡2,258

17.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$18.22 ₡8,171

-53.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$2.74 ₡1,230

-31.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$2.59 ₡1,162

24.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$1.24 ₡556

-45.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$2.35 ₡1,054

62.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$1.77 ₡792

14.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$9.42 ₡4,223

-24.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.46 ₡655

17.81%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$24.7K ₡11.1M

-9.55%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$35.2K ₡15.8M

-27.50%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$83.8 ₡37.6K

-12.80%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$31.55 ₡14.1K

-48.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$53.2 ₡23.9K

-48.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$83.9 ₡37.6K

-61.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$6.90 ₡3,094

2.17%

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

$182 PEN 627

$967 ₡433.4K

-81.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$17.9K ₡8.0M

-26.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$66.8 ₡29.9K

-19.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$61.4 ₡27.5K

-44.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$141 ₡63.3K

-41.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$118 ₡52.8K

-33.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$691 ₡310.1K

4.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$688 ₡308.5K

-50.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$1,834 ₡822.6K

-33.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$1,136 ₡509.6K

-42.74%

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

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 Isidro: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

San Isidro

$688 39.2% 100% $345

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

San Isidro

$374 21.4% 65.6% $148

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

San Isidro

$234 13.4% 88.8% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

San Isidro

$169 9.6% 44.2% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

San Isidro

$174 9.9% 55.3% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

San Isidro

$98 5.6% 112% $52

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

San Isidro

$16 * 0.9% 62.9% $27

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 $691 in San Isidro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $52.0 in San Isidro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $374 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇨🇷 San Isidro

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

08:01 8:01 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

17,000

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Lima San Isidro 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 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 73% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $1,753 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 $2,629 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 $691 in San Isidro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 66% higher in San Isidro. 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 $1,753 in San Isidro – a 73% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,753 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 73% less than in San Isidro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.