Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maldonado and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,371 in Maldonado, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Maldonado
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Maldonado Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Maldonado

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,371

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Maldonado and in Lima

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Maldonado and in Lima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in Maldonado versus $1,012 in Lima.

Maldonado $1,371
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,178 in Maldonado versus $1,589 in Lima.

Maldonado $2,178
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,985 in Maldonado versus $2,167 in Lima.

Maldonado $2,985
Lima $2,167

Living in Maldonado is roughly 36% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Maldonado is 2% above, Lima is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.94 UYU 600

$4.40 PEN 15.10

239.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.8 UYU 2,198

$35.17 PEN 121

55.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 UYU 545

$6.89 PEN 23.65

97.10%

Cappuccino

$4.61 UYU 185

$3.26 PEN 11.20

41.41%

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

$2.64 UYU 106

$1.12 PEN 3.84

135.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.3

$0.62 PEN 2.11

222.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 UYU 119

$2.65 PEN 9.09

11.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 UYU 145

$4.41 PEN 15.15

-18.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 UYU 46.70

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-28.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 UYU 110

$2.56 PEN 8.78

7.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 68.0

$1.35 PEN 4.65

25.19%

Eggs

$4.14 UYU 166

$2.90 PEN 9.96

42.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.00 UYU 562

$8.85 PEN 30.38

58.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.83 UYU 475

$5.98 PEN 20.52

97.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.89 UYU 477

$9.78 PEN 33.59

21.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 112

$2.05 PEN 7.02

35.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 UYU 86.4

$1.06 PEN 3.66

102.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.1

$1.35 PEN 4.64

31.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 UYU 129

$1.50 PEN 5.15

113.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 UYU 81.0

$0.88 PEN 3.03

129.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 UYU 84.1

$0.92 PEN 3.15

127.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 UYU 57.8

$0.89 PEN 3.07

61.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 UYU 75.2

$0.90 PEN 3.10

107.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.56 UYU 223

$5.90 PEN 20.27

-5.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 UYU 320

$8.52 PEN 29.26

-6.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 UYU 93.1

$1.88 PEN 6.45

23.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 UYU 109

$3.22 PEN 11.05

-15.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 UYU 57.0

$0.68 PEN 2.33

108.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 UYU 2,011

$26.86 PEN 92.2

86.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.39 UYU 136

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-11.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 UYU 16.27

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-79.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.89 UYU 397

$7.11 PEN 24.41

39.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 UYU 85.8

$1.72 PEN 5.91

24.42%

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

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

20.33%

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

$37.3K UYU 1.5M

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

46.06%

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

$113 UYU 4,548

$73.1 PEN 251

55.08%

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

$19.05 UYU 765

$16.35 PEN 56.2

16.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.11 UYU 1,770

$27.47 PEN 94.3

60.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.11 UYU 1,931

$31.90 PEN 110

50.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.02 UYU 1,205

$19.41 PEN 66.7

54.66%

Cinema Ticket

$12.36 UYU 496

$7.05 PEN 24.23

75.32%

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

$488 UYU 19.6K

$182 PEN 627

167.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,539 UYU 262.4K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

-49.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.5 UYU 3,632

$53.8 PEN 185

68.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.90 UYU 1,481

$34.32 PEN 118

7.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 UYU 4,931

$82.8 PEN 284

48.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 UYU 4,796

$78.2 PEN 269

52.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$423 UYU 17.0K

$721 PEN 2,476

-41.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 UYU 12.8K

$343 PEN 1,179

-7.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$920 UYU 36.9K

$1,219 PEN 4,186

-24.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 UYU 23.7K

$651 PEN 2,235

-9.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,838 UYU 113.9K

$2,414 PEN 8,292

17.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,546 UYU 62.0K

$1,357 PEN 4,660

13.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,005 UYU 40.4K

$648 PEN 2,226

55.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

-44.07%

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

Last update for Maldonado: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Maldonado

$321 23.4%

Lima

$226 22.3% 29.5% $95

Accommodation & Living

Maldonado

$318 23.2%

Lima

$343 33.9% 8.1% $26

Eating Out

Maldonado

$256 18.7%

Lima

$124 12.3% 51.6% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maldonado

$176 12.9%

Lima

$117 11.6% 33.8% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Maldonado

$166 12.1%

Lima

$112 11.1% 32.6% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Maldonado

$73 5.3%

Lima

$46 4.6% 36.8% $27

Getting Around

Maldonado

$61 4.5%

Lima

$43 4.3% 29% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $423 in Maldonado and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Maldonado pays 55% 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: $55.0 in Maldonado vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $321 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Maldonado

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

23:34 11:34 PM

21:34 9:34 PM

2 h behind Maldonado

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,592

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

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).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Maldonado Lima 3,380 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Maldonado
Lima

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

Maldonado vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maldonado and Lima differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($1,371 vs $1,012 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 55% higher in Maldonado, 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: $423 in Maldonado versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $488 in Maldonado versus $182 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Maldonado. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,371 in Maldonado, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Maldonado. 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, Maldonado and Lima 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 36% less than in Maldonado. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.