Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and San José

For one person, living is cheaper in San José: $913 a month against $1,014 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lima outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in San José
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San José Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,014

/mo nomad

San José

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,014 in Lima versus $913 in San José.

Lima $1,014
San José $913

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,613 in Lima versus $1,449 in San José.

Lima $1,613
San José $1,449

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,211 in Lima versus $1,985 in San José.

Lima $2,211
San José $1,985

Living in Lima is roughly 11% more expensive than in San José, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, San José 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.19

$12.95 UYU 520

-65.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.56 PEN 119

$43.87 UYU 1,761

-21.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.80 PEN 23.37

$13.82 UYU 555

-50.80%

Cappuccino

$3.30 PEN 11.34

$4.88 UYU 196

-32.38%

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

$1.06 PEN 3.64

$2.38 UYU 95.6

-55.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 PEN 2.26

$2.19 UYU 87.9

-69.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 PEN 8.71

$2.92 UYU 117

-13.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 PEN 14.55

$3.48 UYU 140

21.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.43

$0.99 UYU 39.77

59.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 PEN 8.97

$2.01 UYU 80.7

29.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 PEN 4.60

$1.47 UYU 59.0

-8.84%

Eggs

$2.93 PEN 10.08

$2.62 UYU 105

11.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.45 PEN 32.45

$12.01 UYU 482

-21.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.75 PEN 19.75

$7.26 UYU 291

-20.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 PEN 33.29

$12.07 UYU 484

-19.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 PEN 6.95

$1.22 UYU 48.77

65.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 PEN 3.66

$1.54 UYU 61.8

-30.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$1.21 UYU 48.71

13.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 PEN 5.05

$1.54 UYU 61.7

-4.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 PEN 3.25

$0.98 UYU 39.49

-3.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 PEN 3.14

$1.28 UYU 51.5

-28.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$1.49 UYU 59.7

-39.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 PEN 3.04

$1.99 UYU 79.9

-55.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 PEN 19.71

$9.82 UYU 394

-41.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.21 PEN 31.64

$8.17 UYU 328

12.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 PEN 6.31

$3.05 UYU 123

-39.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 PEN 10.67

$3.35 UYU 135

-7.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 PEN 2.46

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.03 PEN 89.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 PEN 12.17

$3.50 UYU 141

1.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 PEN 7.12

$3.45 UYU 139

-40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.75 PEN 26.62

$9.95 UYU 399

-22.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 PEN 5.86

$2.15 UYU 86.3

-20.47%

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

$21.6K PEN 74.1K

$36.4K UYU 1.5M

-40.70%

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

$28.6K PEN 98.2K

$40.1K UYU 1.6M

-28.63%

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

$68.2 PEN 234

$113 UYU 4,547

-39.85%

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

$15.73 PEN 54.0

$23.78 UYU 955

-33.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.48 PEN 90.9

$47.11 UYU 1,891

-43.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.94 PEN 117

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.10 PEN 69.0

Cinema Ticket

$7.22 PEN 24.80

$12.35 UYU 496

-41.54%

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

$201 PEN 689

$494 UYU 19.8K

-59.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

$6,691 UYU 268.6K

92.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 PEN 184

$88.3 UYU 3,542

-39.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.88 PEN 123

$37.57 UYU 1,508

-4.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 288

$164 UYU 6,601

-49.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.8 PEN 271

$117 UYU 4,699

-32.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 PEN 2,505

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 PEN 1,197

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 PEN 4,073

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 PEN 2,391

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,360 PEN 8,105

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,356 PEN 4,657

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 PEN 2,278

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

75.60%

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

Last update for Lima: October 17, 2026

Last update for San José: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$349 34.4%

San José

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$227 22.4%

San José

$256 28.1% 12.8% $29

Eating Out

Lima

$123 12.2%

San José

$243 26.7% 97.1% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$113 11.2%

San José

$183 20.1% 61.6% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$110 10.9%

San José

$184 20.2% 66.9% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.8%

San José

$25 * 2.7% 48.9% $24

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.2%

San José

$21 * 2.3% 51.5% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $44.00 in San José for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $227 vs $256 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇺🇾 San José

🕒 Local time

17:04 5:04 PM

19:04 7:04 PM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

36,747

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima San José 3,220 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
San José

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 José: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and San José differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($1,014 vs $913 including rent). San José 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 $1,369 in San José 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.

Shoppers in Lima pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,014 per month in Lima versus $913 in San José – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $913 in San José versus $1,014 in Lima, a $1,000 budget is realistic in San José but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes San José 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 José 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 San José gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.