Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,045 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,045

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City 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 Mexico City and in Lima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,045 in Lima.

Mexico City $1,608
Lima $1,045

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,668 in Lima.

Mexico City $2,549
Lima $1,668

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,292 in Lima.

Mexico City $3,490
Lima $2,292

Living in Mexico City is roughly 54% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Lima is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$4.25 PEN 14.72

149.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$35.07 PEN 121

37.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$7.04 PEN 24.37

47.02%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$3.30 PEN 11.44

11.82%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$1.11 PEN 3.84

50.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.62 PEN 2.14

104.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$2.64 PEN 9.15

20.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$4.41 PEN 15.28

20.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.62 PEN 5.62

6.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$2.59 PEN 8.97

17.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.32 PEN 4.57

46.97%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$2.95 PEN 10.20

-2.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$9.59 PEN 33.21

14.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$5.70 PEN 19.75

62.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$9.95 PEN 34.46

52.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$1.94 PEN 6.73

57.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.03 PEN 3.56

88.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$1.44 PEN 4.97

40.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$1.53 PEN 5.29

50.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$0.90 PEN 3.11

126.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$0.89 PEN 3.09

102.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$0.87 PEN 3.02

70.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.88 PEN 3.04

44.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$5.64 PEN 19.54

-6.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$9.56 PEN 33.11

68.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.92 PEN 6.66

3.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$3.16 PEN 10.92

34.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.72 PEN 2.49

-56.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$32.28 PEN 112

-38.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$3.56 PEN 12.33

-48.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$1.99 PEN 6.89

-73.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$7.83 PEN 27.10

-32.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.65 PEN 5.71

-8.48%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$21.7K PEN 75.2K

0.14%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$28.3K PEN 97.8K

-15.10%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$67.7 PEN 234

-6.96%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$15.71 PEN 54.4

74.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$26.76 PEN 92.7

33.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$32.50 PEN 113

81.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$19.68 PEN 68.1

20.12%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$7.39 PEN 25.58

-13.40%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$309 PEN 1,069

39.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$13.0K PEN 45.1K

-12.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$53.9 PEN 187

26.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$35.93 PEN 124

47.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$81.5 PEN 282

32.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$79.5 PEN 275

47.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$734 PEN 2,541

51.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$373 PEN 1,292

90.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$1,287 PEN 4,455

101.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$764 PEN 2,644

84.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$2,434 PEN 8,427

49.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$1,359 PEN 4,703

57.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$666 PEN 2,305

42.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

8.78

29.27%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Lima

$373 35.7% 47.5% $337

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Lima

$229 21.9% 28.3% $90

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Lima

$124 11.8% 37.7% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Lima

$113 10.8% 27.6% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Lima

$110 10.5% 12.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Lima

$47 4.5% 34.1% $24

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Lima

$49 4.7% 91.2% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $734 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 42% 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: $48 in Mexico City vs $35 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $229 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

22:46 10:46 PM

23:46 11:46 PM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 PEN = 0.289 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.46 PEN (1 PEN = 0.289 USD). 1 EUR = 3.87 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Lima 4,260 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
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

Mexico City vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,045 in Lima, so Lima is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 42% higher in Mexico City, 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $734 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $309 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Lima gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Lima wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.