Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and San Pedro de Atacama

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,088 in San Pedro de Atacama, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in San Pedro de Atacama outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro de Atacama
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San Pedro de Atacama Living Index

Jump to prices

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

San Pedro de Atacama

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,088

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in San Pedro de Atacama

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 Pedro de Atacama actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Lima versus $1,088 in San Pedro de Atacama.

Lima $996
San Pedro de Atacama $1,088

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Lima versus $1,654 in San Pedro de Atacama.

Lima $1,594
San Pedro de Atacama $1,654

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Lima versus $2,220 in San Pedro de Atacama.

Lima $2,191
San Pedro de Atacama $2,220

Living in Lima costs roughly 8% less than in San Pedro de Atacama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 26% lower, San Pedro de Atacama 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.23

$7.18 CLP 6,998

-38.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 121

$44.01 CLP 42.9K

-20.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.54

$7.79 CLP 7,597

-12.20%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.27

$2.83 CLP 2,756

15.55%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.80

$1.57 CLP 1,528

-29.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.23

$1.17 CLP 1,140

-44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.89

$3.57 CLP 3,483

-27.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.40

$3.84 CLP 3,747

16.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.49

$1.19 CLP 1,162

33.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.90

$1.51 CLP 1,470

70.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.67

$1.63 CLP 1,589

-16.56%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.15

$3.69 CLP 3,603

-20.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.33

$10.05 CLP 9,796

-9.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 20.00

$6.58 CLP 6,417

-11.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.83

$11.43 CLP 11.1K

-14.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.92

$1.96 CLP 1,915

2.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.70

$1.58 CLP 1,540

-31.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.72

$1.77 CLP 1,728

-22.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.08

$1.72 CLP 1,682

-13.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.32

$1.65 CLP 1,612

-41.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.94

$1.48 CLP 1,441

-42.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.34 CLP 1,306

-34.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.99

$1.23 CLP 1,196

-29.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.33

$5.35 CLP 5,218

10.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.34

$5.17 CLP 5,043

70.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.60

$1.62 CLP 1,584

18.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 11.03

$2.21 CLP 2,151

44.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.34

$0.58 CLP 561

17.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 92.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.12

$0.71 CLP 689

436.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.03

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.60

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.67

$1.42 CLP 1,386

16.20%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

$17.9K CLP 17.4M

24.04%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.4K

$19.6K CLP 19.2M

30.64%

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

$73.0 PEN 251

$134 CLP 130.7K

-45.53%

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

$16.26 PEN 56.0

$13.34 CLP 13.0K

21.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 95.0

$21.93 CLP 21.4K

25.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 114

$37.95 CLP 37.0K

-12.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 67.1

$22.81 CLP 22.2K

-14.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.44

$5.25 CLP 5,122

40.76%

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

$182 PEN 627

$385 CLP 375.7K

-52.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.9K

$8,507 CLP 8.3M

56.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 181

$46.52 CLP 45.4K

12.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 118

$25.15 CLP 24.5K

36.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 288

$61.2 CLP 59.6K

36.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 272

$81.3 CLP 79.2K

-2.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,490

$482 CLP 469.6K

50.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,171

$376 CLP 366.6K

-9.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,078

$876 CLP 854.3K

35.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,185

$597 CLP 581.9K

6.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,430

$2,318 CLP 2.3M

5.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,722

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,247

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

5.01

78.44%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for San Pedro de Atacama: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

San Pedro de Atacama

$376 35% 10.6% $36

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

San Pedro de Atacama

$232 21.5% 2.3% $5.2

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

San Pedro de Atacama

$151 14.1% 21.9% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

San Pedro de Atacama

$169 15.7% 44.9% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

San Pedro de Atacama

$96 9% 14.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

San Pedro de Atacama

$48 4.5% 1.3% $0.6

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

San Pedro de Atacama

$3 * 0.3% 93.1% $40

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 $723 in Lima and $482 in San Pedro de Atacama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $44.00 in San Pedro de Atacama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $232 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇨🇱 San Pedro de Atacama

🕒 Local time

04:49 4:49 AM

06:49 6:49 AM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

5,347

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.26 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 975 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 1,088 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.19 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lima San Pedro de Atacama 1,530 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
San Pedro de Atacama

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 Pedro de Atacama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and San Pedro de Atacama differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($996 vs $1,088 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,494 in Lima and $1,631 in San Pedro de Atacama 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: $723 in Lima versus $482 in San Pedro de Atacama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in San Pedro de Atacama. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $996 per month in Lima versus $1,088 in San Pedro de Atacama – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,088 in San Pedro de Atacama, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in San Pedro de Atacama. 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 Pedro de Atacama 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 9% less than in San Pedro de Atacama. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.