Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and San Salvador

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,666 in San Salvador, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
80

Cost of Living Index in San Salvador
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San Salvador Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

San Salvador

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,666

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Lima versus $1,666 in San Salvador.

Lima $996
San Salvador $1,666

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Lima versus $2,465 in San Salvador.

Lima $1,594
San Salvador $2,465

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Lima versus $3,263 in San Salvador.

Lima $2,191
San Salvador $3,263

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Lima is 26% below, San Salvador is 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.21

$6.72 $6.72

-34.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 121

$45.39 $45.39

-22.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.52

$7.07 $7.07

-3.25%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.26

$3.53 $3.53

-7.37%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.80

$1.13 $1.13

-2.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.23

$0.85 $0.85

-23.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.88

$2.04 $2.04

26.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.39

$3.51 $3.51

27.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.48

$1.87 $1.87

-14.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.89

$2.89 $2.89

-10.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.67

$1.40 $1.40

-2.86%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.14

$3.09 $3.09

-4.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.30

$7.88 $7.88

15.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.98

$6.93 $6.93

-16.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.80

$10.05 $10.05

-2.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.92

$5.08 $5.08

-60.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.70

$1.39 $1.39

-22.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.71

$2.53 $2.53

-45.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.08

$3.40 $3.40

-56.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.32

$2.87 $2.87

-66.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.93

$3.28 $3.28

-74.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$0.97 $0.97

-9.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.98

$0.97 $0.97

-10.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.31

$4.07 $4.07

44.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.31

$12.21 $12.21

-27.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.59

$2.19 $2.19

-12.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 11.02

$2.86 $2.86

11.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.34 $0.34

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 92.0

$37.66 $37.66

-29.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.10

$6.04 $6.04

-36.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.02

$3.03 $3.03

-32.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.57

$20.11 $20.11

-64.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.67

$1.29 $1.29

27.91%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

$24.8K $24.8K

-10.41%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

$27.0K $27.0K

-4.84%

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

$73.0 PEN 251

$130 $130

-44.02%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.9

$21.57 $21.57

-24.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.9

$43.03 $43.03

-35.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 114

$31.99 $31.99

3.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 67.1

$21.57 $21.57

-9.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.41

$5.06 $5.06

46.05%

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

$182 PEN 626

$165 $165

10.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

$4,640 $4,640

187.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 181

$68.2 $68.2

-22.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 118

$46.79 $46.79

-26.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 288

$120 $120

-30.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 272

$117 $117

-32.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,488

$906 $906

-20.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,170

$755 $755

-54.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,074

$1,804 $1,804

-34.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,183

$1,343 $1,343

-52.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,423

$2,813 $2,813

-12.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,718

$1,845 $1,845

-25.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,245

$372 $372

75.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

8.5

5.18%

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

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for San Salvador: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

San Salvador

$755 46.1% 122% $415

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

San Salvador

$287 17.5% 26.6% $60

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

San Salvador

$142 8.7% 14.8% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

San Salvador

$195 11.9% 66.9% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

San Salvador

$158 9.7% 40.9% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

San Salvador

$42 2.6% 12% $5.7

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

San Salvador

$60 3.7% 38.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $723 in Lima and $906 in San Salvador. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 75% 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 $45.00 in San Salvador for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $287 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇸🇻 San Salvador

🕒 Local time

01:36 1:36 AM

00:36 12:36 AM

1 h behind Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

316,090 Capital

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lima San Salvador 3,160 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
San Salvador

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 Salvador: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and San Salvador differ by about 67% in total monthly costs ($996 vs $1,666 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 75% 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 $906 in San Salvador. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $165 in San Salvador. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in San Salvador. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,666 in San Salvador, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in San Salvador. 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 67% less than in San Salvador. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.