Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and San Pedro Sula

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,214 in San Pedro Sula, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro Sula
Learn more

San Pedro Sula Living Index

Jump to prices

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

San Pedro Sula

🇭🇳 Honduras

$1,214

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in San Pedro Sula

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Lima versus $1,214 in San Pedro Sula.

Lima $996
San Pedro Sula $1,214

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Lima versus $1,834 in San Pedro Sula.

Lima $1,594
San Pedro Sula $1,834

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Lima versus $2,453 in San Pedro Sula.

Lima $2,191
San Pedro Sula $2,453

Living in Lima costs roughly 18% less than in San Pedro Sula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 26% lower, San Pedro Sula 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.16

$7.47 HNL 201

-40.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 120

$33.65 HNL 904

4.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.44

$9.48 HNL 255

-27.85%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.22

$2.37 HNL 63.6

37.97%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.78

$1.02 HNL 27.42

7.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.22

$0.83 HNL 22.16

-21.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.85

$1.85 HNL 49.68

39.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.34

$3.56 HNL 95.5

25.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.46

$1.52 HNL 40.86

4.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.86

$1.96 HNL 52.6

31.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.65

$1.54 HNL 41.28

-11.69%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.11

$2.43 HNL 65.3

21.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.19

$8.63 HNL 232

5.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.91

$6.73 HNL 181

-13.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.68

$9.34 HNL 251

5.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.89

$3.52 HNL 94.5

-42.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.69

$1.21 HNL 32.45

-10.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.70

$3.30 HNL 88.8

-58.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.06

$1.64 HNL 44.12

-9.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.30

$2.43 HNL 65.2

-60.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.92

$2.32 HNL 62.3

-63.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.02

$1.43 HNL 38.29

-38.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.97

$1.61 HNL 43.20

-45.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.24

$2.92 HNL 78.4

102.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.21

$13.14 HNL 353

-32.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.57

$0.79 HNL 21.19

143.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 10.98

$1.34 HNL 36.06

138.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.63 HNL 17.00

7.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 91.7

$35.83 HNL 962

-25.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.06

$2.83 HNL 76.1

34.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.00

$1.88 HNL 50.4

8.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.49

$11.29 HNL 303

-36.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.65

$1.01 HNL 27.05

63.37%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

$22.8K HNL 613.4K

-2.90%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

$25.3K HNL 678.9K

1.55%

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

$73.0 PEN 250

$130 HNL 3,497

-43.90%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.7

$11.37 HNL 305

43.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.6

$43.66 HNL 1,173

-36.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 113

$37.58 HNL 1,009

-12.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 66.8

$13.86 HNL 372

40.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.33

$5.59 HNL 150

32.20%

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

$182 PEN 624

$146 HNL 3,932

24.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

$3,243 HNL 87.1K

310.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 180

$75.5 HNL 2,029

-30.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 117

$39.70 HNL 1,066

-13.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 287

$79.7 HNL 2,139

5.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 271

$76.2 HNL 2,045

3.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,479

$560 HNL 15.0K

29.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,166

$422 HNL 11.3K

-19.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,060

$814 HNL 21.9K

45.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,176

$710 HNL 19.1K

-10.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,394

$1,017 HNL 27.3K

140.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,702

$436 HNL 11.7K

214.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,237

$604 HNL 16.2K

7.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

12.33

-27.49%

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 Sula: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

San Pedro Sula

$422 34.5% 24% $81

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

San Pedro Sula

$254 20.8% 12.4% $28

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

San Pedro Sula

$140 11.5% 13.1% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

San Pedro Sula

$185 15.2% 58.5% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

San Pedro Sula

$122 10% 8.6% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

San Pedro Sula

$49 4% 1.9% $0.9

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

San Pedro Sula

$51 4.1% 16.3% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $723 in Lima and $560 in San Pedro Sula. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima 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 $34.00 in San Pedro Sula. Groceries flip the comparison at $226 vs $254, with Lima cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇭🇳 San Pedro Sula

🕒 Local time

05:11 5:11 AM

04:11 4:11 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

719,064

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Honduran Lempira HNL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

100 HNL = 3.72 USD

100 HNL = 3.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HNL, 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).

Honduran Lempira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 26.86 HNL (100 HNL = 3.72 USD). 1 EUR = 30.1 HNL (100 HNL = 3.32 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima San Pedro Sula 3,300 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
San Pedro Sula

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 Sula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and San Pedro Sula differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($996 vs $1,214 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 8% 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 $560 in San Pedro Sula. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $146 in San Pedro Sula. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in San Pedro Sula. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,214 in San Pedro Sula, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in San Pedro Sula. 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.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in San Pedro Sula. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.