Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and San Juan

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,684 in San Juan, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
84

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

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,684

/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 $1,684 in San Juan.

Lima $1,012
San Juan $1,684

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $2,772 in San Juan.

Lima $1,589
San Juan $2,772

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $3,861 in San Juan.

Lima $2,167
San Juan $3,861

Living in Lima costs roughly 40% less than in San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$12.36 ₡5,541

-64.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-42.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$11.46 ₡5,139

-39.88%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$4.42 ₡1,982

-26.24%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$2.77 ₡1,240

-59.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$1.94 ₡870

-68.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$3.31 ₡1,483

-19.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$4.45 ₡1,996

-0.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$2.34 ₡1,052

-30.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$3.18 ₡1,425

-19.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$2.51 ₡1,125

-46.22%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$3.46 ₡1,551

-16.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$10.66 ₡4,782

-16.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$10.33 ₡4,633

-42.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$13.90 ₡6,233

-29.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$4.97 ₡2,230

-58.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$1.59 ₡714

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$4.64 ₡2,079

-70.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$3.95 ₡1,771

-62.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$3.86 ₡1,731

-77.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$3.75 ₡1,684

-75.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.07 ₡479

-16.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$3.08 ₡1,379

-70.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$6.00 ₡2,691

-1.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$19.72 ₡8,844

-56.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$2.76 ₡1,236

-31.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$3.69 ₡1,654

-12.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$1.37 ₡614

-50.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$2.41 ₡1,079

58.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

$1.54 ₡693

31.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

$8.58 ₡3,849

-17.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.55 ₡695

10.97%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

3.13%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$34.9K ₡15.6M

-26.85%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$96.4 ₡43.2K

-24.18%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$35.06 ₡15.7K

-53.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$59.3 ₡26.6K

-53.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$66.9 ₡30.0K

-52.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$7.50 ₡3,362

-6.00%

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

$182 PEN 627

$1,001 ₡449.1K

-81.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

-22.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$70.9 ₡31.8K

-24.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

$55.3 ₡24.8K

-37.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$126 ₡56.6K

-34.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$134 ₡60.2K

-41.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$717 ₡321.3K

0.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$593 ₡266.1K

-42.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$1,850 ₡829.6K

-34.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$1,386 ₡621.4K

-53.03%

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 Juan: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

San Juan

$593 35.2% 72.7% $250

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

San Juan

$398 23.6% 76.1% $172

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

San Juan

$231 13.7% 85.9% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

San Juan

$191 11.3% 63.2% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

San Juan

$174 10.3% 55.2% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

San Juan

$82 4.9% 78% $36

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

San Juan

$16 * 0.9% 64.1% $28

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 $717 in San Juan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $61.0 in San Juan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $398 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇨🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

09:36 9:36 AM

08:36 8:36 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

27,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima San Juan 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 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 66% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $1,684 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 $2,526 in San Juan 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 $717 in San Juan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 76% higher in San Juan. 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 $1,684 in San Juan – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,684 in San Juan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in San Juan. 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 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 Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in San Juan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.