Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Villa María

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,245 in Villa María, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Villa María
Learn more

Villa María Living Index

Jump to prices

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Villa María

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,245

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Villa María

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,012 in Lima versus $1,245 in Villa María.

Lima $1,012
Villa María $1,245

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Lima versus $2,044 in Villa María.

Lima $1,589
Villa María $2,044

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,167 in Lima versus $2,842 in Villa María.

Lima $2,167
Villa María $2,842

Living in Lima costs roughly 19% less than in Villa María, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 25% lower, Villa María 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 PEN 15.10

$14.53 ARS 22.1K

-69.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.17 PEN 121

$57.4 ARS 87.2K

-38.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 PEN 23.65

$14.75 ARS 22.4K

-53.29%

Cappuccino

$3.26 PEN 11.20

$4.29 ARS 6,517

-24.01%

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

$1.12 PEN 3.84

$2.03 ARS 3,079

-44.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.11

$1.62 ARS 2,462

-61.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 PEN 9.09

$4.09 ARS 6,212

-35.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 PEN 15.15

$4.42 ARS 6,712

-0.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$1.17 ARS 1,770

39.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PEN 8.78

$1.92 ARS 2,917

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.65

$1.71 ARS 2,596

-21.05%

Eggs

$2.90 PEN 9.96

$2.80 ARS 4,251

3.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 PEN 30.38

$10.42 ARS 15.8K

-15.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 PEN 20.52

$7.56 ARS 11.5K

-20.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.78 PEN 33.59

$13.07 ARS 19.8K

-25.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 PEN 7.02

$2.17 ARS 3,296

-5.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 PEN 3.66

$2.52 ARS 3,819

-57.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 PEN 4.64

$1.46 ARS 2,213

-7.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 PEN 5.15

$2.35 ARS 3,572

-36.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.10 ARS 1,666

-20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 PEN 3.15

$0.90 ARS 1,360

2.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 PEN 3.10

$1.52 ARS 2,308

-40.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.27

$3.42 ARS 5,188

72.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 PEN 29.26

$4.70 ARS 7,139

81.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 PEN 6.45

$1.76 ARS 2,672

6.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 PEN 11.05

$3.64 ARS 5,516

-11.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$0.93 ARS 1,407

-26.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.09

$1.41 ARS 2,145

170.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.17 ARS 1,779

47.01%

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

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

$28.4K ARS 43.1M

-21.49%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

$29.1K ARS 44.1M

-12.27%

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

$73.1 PEN 251

$121 ARS 183.0K

-39.40%

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

$16.35 PEN 56.2

$16.55 ARS 25.1K

-1.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.47 PEN 94.3

$23.71 ARS 36.0K

15.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 PEN 110

$27.73 ARS 42.1K

15.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$7.05 PEN 24.23

$10.42 ARS 15.8K

-32.34%

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

$182 PEN 627

$297 ARS 450.7K

-38.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 PEN 185

$91.4 ARS 138.7K

-41.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 PEN 284

$132 ARS 200.5K

-37.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 PEN 269

$132 ARS 199.9K

-40.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 PEN 2,476

$452 ARS 686.0K

59.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,179

$365 ARS 553.7K

-5.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 PEN 4,186

$933 ARS 1.4M

30.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 PEN 2,235

$819 ARS 1.2M

-20.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 PEN 2,226

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

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

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Villa María: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$343 33.9%

Villa María

$365 29.3% 6.2% $21

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.3%

Villa María

$250 * 20.1% 10.5% $24

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Villa María

$256 20.6% 107% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Villa María

$161 12.9% 37.6% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Villa María

$160 * 12.8% 42.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$46 4.6%

Villa María

$49 3.9% 5.6% $2.6

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Villa María

$5.1 * 0.4% 88.2% $38

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 $721 in Lima and $452 in Villa María. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $57.0 in Villa María for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $250 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇦🇷 Villa María

🕒 Local time

21:06 9:06 PM

23:06 11:06 PM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

80,006

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lima Villa María 2,660 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Villa María

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 Villa María: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Villa María differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,012 vs $1,245 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,518 in Lima and $1,867 in Villa María 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: $721 in Lima versus $452 in Villa María. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Villa María. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,012 per month in Lima versus $1,245 in Villa María – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,245 in Villa María, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Villa María. 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 Villa María 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 23% less than in Villa María. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.