Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and San Juan

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $890 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇦🇷 Argentina

$890

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $890 in San Juan.

Lima $1,012
San Juan $890

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $1,389 in San Juan.

Lima $1,589
San Juan $1,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $1,888 in San Juan.

Lima $2,167
San Juan $1,888

Living in Lima is roughly 14% more expensive than in San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, San Juan 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$6.76 ARS 10.3K

-34.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$39.31 ARS 59.7K

-10.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$12.08 ARS 18.3K

-42.96%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$2.59 ARS 3,938

25.87%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$2.11 ARS 3,202

-46.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$1.82 ARS 2,761

-65.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$3.91 ARS 5,930

-32.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$4.48 ARS 6,799

-1.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.38 ARS 2,101

18.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$1.45 ARS 2,195

76.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.40 ARS 2,124

-3.57%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$1.44 ARS 2,184

101.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$2.84 ARS 4,305

211.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$6.23 ARS 9,448

-4.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$10.90 ARS 16.5K

-10.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$1.40 ARS 2,129

46.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.39 ARS 2,108

-23.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$1.34 ARS 2,037

0.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$1.45 ARS 2,193

3.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.40 ARS 2,128

-37.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$1.38 ARS 2,098

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.40 ARS 2,129

-36.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$1.44 ARS 2,183

-37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$2.71 ARS 4,117

117.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$4.90 ARS 7,433

73.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$1.41 ARS 2,136

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$1.44 ARS 2,178

123.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.96 ARS 1,460

-29.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$1.98 ARS 3,006

92.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$0.99 ARS 1,495

104.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$4.84 ARS 7,351

46.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.17 ARS 1,782

47.01%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$26.7K ARS 40.6M

-16.54%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$33.6K ARS 51.1M

-24.20%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$144 ARS 218.7K

-49.30%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$10.04 ARS 15.2K

62.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$17.82 ARS 27.0K

54.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$30.42 ARS 46.2K

4.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$6.93 ARS 10.5K

1.73%

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

$182 PEN 627

$172 ARS 260.5K

6.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$4,122 ARS 6.3M

216.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$107 ARS 162.3K

-49.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$42.58 ARS 64.6K

-19.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$58.1 ARS 88.1K

42.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$35.86 ARS 54.4K

118.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$249 ARS 378.2K

189.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$198 ARS 301.1K

73.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$492 ARS 747.1K

147.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$400 ARS 607.2K

62.62%

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

$700 ARS 1.1M

-7.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

-83.44%

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Juan: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

San Juan

$198 22.3% 42.2% $145

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

San Juan

$190 21.3% 16.1% $36

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

San Juan

$166 18.6% 33.6% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

San Juan

$172 19.3% 47.1% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

San Juan

$110 12.3% 2.3% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

San Juan

$44 5% 3.8% $1.7

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

San Juan

$11 * 1.2% 75.3% $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 $249 in San Juan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Juan pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $39.00 in San Juan. Groceries flip the comparison at $226 vs $190, with San Juan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇦🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

13:12 1:12 PM

15:12 3:12 PM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

522,029

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima San Juan 2,330 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
San Juan

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 Juan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and San Juan differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $890 including rent). San Juan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in San Juan. 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 $249 in San Juan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Lima. 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 $890 in San Juan – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $890 in San Juan versus $1,012 in Lima, a $1,000 budget is realistic in San Juan but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes San Juan 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 Juan 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 Juan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.