Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and San Miguel de Allende

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,641 in San Miguel de Allende, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in San Miguel de Allende
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San Miguel de Allende Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

San Miguel de Allende

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in San Miguel de Allende

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 Miguel de Allende actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Lima versus $1,641 in San Miguel de Allende.

Lima $996
San Miguel de Allende $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Lima versus $2,591 in San Miguel de Allende.

Lima $1,594
San Miguel de Allende $2,591

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Lima versus $3,541 in San Miguel de Allende.

Lima $2,191
San Miguel de Allende $3,541

Living in Lima costs roughly 39% less than in San Miguel de Allende, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lima is 26% below, San Miguel de Allende is 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.16

$15.45 MX$284

-71.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 120

$42.79 MX$786

-18.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.44

$10.55 MX$194

-35.17%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.22

$3.83 MX$70.3

-14.62%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.78

$1.68 MX$30.81

-34.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.22

$1.07 MX$19.65

-39.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.85

$3.71 MX$68.1

-30.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.34

$5.99 MX$110

-25.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.46

$1.50 MX$27.59

6.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.86

$3.32 MX$60.9

-22.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.65

$1.79 MX$32.86

-24.02%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.11

$2.94 MX$53.9

0.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.19

$8.38 MX$154

8.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.91

$12.46 MX$229

-53.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.68

$18.77 MX$345

-47.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.89

$3.99 MX$73.2

-49.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.69

$1.67 MX$30.67

-35.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$2.87 MX$52.8

-52.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.06

$2.86 MX$52.6

-48.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.30

$2.56 MX$47.06

-62.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.92

$3.15 MX$57.8

-73.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.02

$1.15 MX$21.18

-23.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.97

$1.31 MX$24.05

-33.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.24

$4.32 MX$79.2

36.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.21

$16.72 MX$307

-47.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.57

$2.45 MX$44.97

-21.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 10.98

$3.95 MX$72.5

-18.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.57 MX$10.47

19.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 91.7

$6.61 MX$121

304.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.06

$4.42 MX$81.1

-13.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.00

$4.51 MX$82.7

-54.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.49

$11.13 MX$204

-35.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.65

$1.49 MX$27.31

10.74%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

$21.3K MX$390.3K

4.30%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

$24.6K MX$451.4K

4.40%

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

$73.0 PEN 250

$41.27 MX$758

76.98%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.7

$16.18 MX$297

0.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.6

$41.42 MX$761

-33.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 113

$37.16 MX$682

-11.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 66.8

$42.82 MX$786

-54.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.33

$6.55 MX$120

12.82%

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

$182 PEN 624

$361 MX$6,631

-49.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

$4,936 MX$90.6K

169.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 180

$65.4 MX$1,201

-19.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 117

$61.9 MX$1,136

-44.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 287

$115 MX$2,106

-26.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 271

$150 MX$2,755

-47.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,479

$1,097 MX$20.1K

-34.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,166

$663 MX$12.2K

-48.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,060

$2,393 MX$43.9K

-50.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,176

$1,375 MX$25.2K

-53.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,394

$2,740 MX$50.3K

-10.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,702

$1,636 MX$30.0K

-16.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,237

$627 MX$11.5K

4.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

12.05

-25.81%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for San Miguel de Allende: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

San Miguel de Allende

$663 40.9% 95% $323

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

San Miguel de Allende

$355 21.9% 56.7% $128

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

San Miguel de Allende

$243 15% 95.6% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

San Miguel de Allende

$99 6.1% 15.4% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

San Miguel de Allende

$176 10.9% 57.1% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

San Miguel de Allende

$50 3.1% 5.1% $2.4

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

San Miguel de Allende

$36 2.2% 17.6% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $723 in Lima and $1,097 in San Miguel de Allende. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 4% 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 $43.00 in San Miguel de Allende for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $355 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇲🇽 San Miguel de Allende

🕒 Local time

05:43 5:43 AM

04:43 4:43 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

72,452

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lima San Miguel de Allende 4,490 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima
San Miguel de Allende

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 Miguel de Allende: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and San Miguel de Allende differ by about 65% in total monthly costs ($996 vs $1,641 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Lima, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $723 in Lima versus $1,097 in San Miguel de Allende. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $361 in San Miguel de Allende. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in San Miguel de Allende. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,641 in San Miguel de Allende, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in San Miguel de Allende. 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 Miguel de Allende 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 65% less than in San Miguel de Allende. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.