Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Trujillo

For one person, living is cheaper in Trujillo: $865 a month against $1,042 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Trujillo
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Trujillo Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,042

/mo nomad

Trujillo

🇵🇪 Peru

$865

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Trujillo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,042 in Lima versus $865 in Trujillo.

Lima $1,042
Trujillo $865

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,651 in Lima versus $1,332 in Trujillo.

Lima $1,651
Trujillo $1,332

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,259 in Lima versus $1,799 in Trujillo.

Lima $2,259
Trujillo $1,799

Living in Lima is roughly 20% more expensive than in Trujillo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 23% lower, Trujillo 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 PEN 15.96

$3.42 PEN 11.76

35.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.34 PEN 118

$22.82 PEN 78.5

50.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 PEN 24.13

$7.05 PEN 24.26

-0.57%

Cappuccino

$3.22 PEN 11.09

$3.36 PEN 11.57

-4.17%

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

$1.13 PEN 3.90

$0.95 PEN 3.28

18.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 PEN 2.09

$0.65 PEN 2.23

-6.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.93 PEN 10.08

$2.00 PEN 6.88

46.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 PEN 14.64

$3.47 PEN 11.96

22.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 PEN 5.44

$1.36 PEN 4.70

16.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 PEN 8.98

$1.98 PEN 6.83

31.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 PEN 4.47

$1.18 PEN 4.05

10.17%

Eggs

$2.92 PEN 10.05

$4.09 PEN 14.08

-28.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 PEN 32.83

$7.75 PEN 26.68

23.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.71 PEN 19.66

$6.60 PEN 22.72

-13.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.47 PEN 32.59

$9.26 PEN 31.88

2.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.91

$1.66 PEN 5.72

21.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 PEN 3.52

$0.61 PEN 2.09

67.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 PEN 4.99

$0.59 PEN 2.05

145.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 PEN 5.14

$0.85 PEN 2.94

75.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 PEN 3.14

$0.92 PEN 3.16

-1.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.18 PEN 4.06

-24.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 PEN 2.97

$1.21 PEN 4.17

-28.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 PEN 3.06

$1.13 PEN 3.89

-21.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.47 PEN 18.84

$4.34 PEN 14.95

26.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 PEN 35.01

$5.81 PEN 19.99

75.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 PEN 6.22

$1.77 PEN 6.09

2.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 PEN 10.84

$1.54 PEN 5.31

104.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 PEN 2.28

$0.60 PEN 2.05

10.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.89 PEN 110

$16.98 PEN 58.5

87.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 PEN 11.80

$2.47 PEN 8.50

38.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 PEN 6.80

$2.12 PEN 7.29

-6.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.60 PEN 33.05

$5.64 PEN 19.41

70.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 PEN 5.89

$1.62 PEN 5.59

5.56%

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

$21.9K PEN 75.3K

$17.2K PEN 59.2K

27.18%

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

$29.0K PEN 100.0K

$27.1K PEN 93.4K

7.07%

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

$65.8 PEN 227

$96.7 PEN 333

-31.89%

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

$15.26 PEN 52.5

$13.12 PEN 45.16

16.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.87 PEN 92.5

$26.57 PEN 91.5

1.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.91 PEN 113

$38.73 PEN 133

-15.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 PEN 69.3

$5.90 PEN 20.32

241.02%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 PEN 24.50

$4.42 PEN 15.20

61.09%

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

$309 PEN 1,064

$108 PEN 373

185.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.4K PEN 73.5K

$2,074 PEN 7,139

929.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 PEN 179

$70.7 PEN 243

-26.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.69 PEN 123

$14.28 PEN 49.16

149.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.8 PEN 282

$45.39 PEN 156

80.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.0 PEN 268

$43.88 PEN 151

77.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$727 PEN 2,502

$376 PEN 1,295

93.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 PEN 1,284

$254 PEN 875

46.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,249 PEN 4,298

$747 PEN 2,572

67.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 PEN 2,544

$505 PEN 1,740

46.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,380 PEN 8,193

$1,143 PEN 3,933

108.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,365 PEN 4,698

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$650 PEN 2,238

$548 PEN 1,888

18.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.38

11.7

-28.38%

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

Last update for Lima: October 31, 2026

Last update for Trujillo: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$373 35.8%

Trujillo

$254 29.4% 31.9% $119

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$228 21.9%

Trujillo

$204 23.6% 10.5% $24

Eating Out

Lima

$127 12.2%

Trujillo

$112 13% 11.6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$111 10.7%

Trujillo

$78 9.1% 29.6% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$108 10.4%

Trujillo

$136 15.8% 26.3% $28

Getting Around

Lima

$48 4.6%

Trujillo

$32 3.8% 32.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$47 4.5%

Trujillo

$48 5.5% 0.9% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $727 in Lima and $376 in Trujillo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 19% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $34 in Lima vs $23 in Trujillo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $228 vs $204 per month, with Trujillo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇵🇪 Trujillo

🕒 Local time

15:13 3:13 PM

Same time as Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

314,939

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lima Trujillo 490 km

From you

Lima
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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 Trujillo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,042 in Lima and $865 in Trujillo, so Trujillo is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 19% 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: $727 in Lima versus $376 in Trujillo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $309 in Lima versus $108 in Trujillo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $865 in Trujillo versus $1,042 in Lima, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Trujillo but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Trujillo 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 Trujillo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.