Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Morelia and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,157 in Morelia, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Morelia despite lower rent and utilities.

57

Cost of Living Index in Morelia
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Morelia Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Morelia

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,157

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,157 in Morelia versus $1,012 in Lima.

Morelia $1,157
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,866 in Morelia versus $1,589 in Lima.

Morelia $1,866
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,576 in Morelia versus $2,167 in Lima.

Morelia $2,576
Lima $2,167

Living in Morelia is roughly 14% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Morelia 14% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.98 MX$129

$4.40 PEN 15.10

58.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.95 MX$701

$35.17 PEN 121

7.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.12 MX$113

$6.89 PEN 23.65

-11.18%

Cappuccino

$3.54 MX$65.5

$3.26 PEN 11.20

8.59%

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

$1.24 MX$22.99

$1.12 PEN 3.84

10.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.36

$0.62 PEN 2.11

95.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.93 MX$54.1

$2.65 PEN 9.09

10.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 MX$72.7

$4.41 PEN 15.15

-10.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 MX$32.95

$1.63 PEN 5.61

9.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 MX$56.5

$2.56 PEN 8.78

19.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.17

$1.35 PEN 4.65

45.19%

Eggs

$2.80 MX$51.8

$2.90 PEN 9.96

-3.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.88 MX$219

$8.85 PEN 30.38

34.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$5.98 PEN 20.52

56.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.95 MX$276

$9.78 PEN 33.59

52.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$2.05 PEN 7.02

48.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.54

$1.06 PEN 3.66

55.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 MX$36.49

$1.35 PEN 4.64

45.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 MX$41.16

$1.50 PEN 5.15

48.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.26

$0.88 PEN 3.03

122.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 MX$33.53

$0.92 PEN 3.15

96.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 MX$27.12

$0.89 PEN 3.07

65.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 MX$24.59

$0.90 PEN 3.10

47.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 MX$71.0

$5.90 PEN 20.27

-34.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.11 MX$279

$8.52 PEN 29.26

77.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.89

$1.88 PEN 6.45

0.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 MX$67.3

$3.22 PEN 11.05

13.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 MX$11.28

$0.68 PEN 2.33

-10.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.38 MX$451

$26.86 PEN 92.2

-9.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.40 MX$25.96

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-63.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-73.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.52 MX$102

$7.11 PEN 24.41

-22.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$27.52

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-13.37%

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

$21.4K MX$394.8K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

-4.24%

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

$23.3K MX$431.0K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

-8.55%

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

$61.6 MX$1,137

$73.1 PEN 251

-15.77%

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

$28.34 MX$524

$16.35 PEN 56.2

73.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.37 MX$635

$27.47 PEN 94.3

25.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 MX$959

$31.90 PEN 110

62.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.22 MX$503

$19.41 PEN 66.7

40.24%

Cinema Ticket

$4.32 MX$79.8

$7.05 PEN 24.23

-38.72%

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

$223 MX$4,117

$182 PEN 627

22.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,837 MX$52.4K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

-78.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 MX$1,027

$53.8 PEN 185

3.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.62 MX$695

$34.32 PEN 118

9.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$1,985

$82.8 PEN 284

29.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.9 MX$1,790

$78.2 PEN 269

23.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$346 MX$6,402

$721 PEN 2,476

-51.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$341 MX$6,296

$343 PEN 1,179

-0.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 MX$17.2K

$1,219 PEN 4,186

-23.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$706 MX$13.0K

$651 PEN 2,235

8.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,651 MX$30.5K

$2,414 PEN 8,292

-31.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$653 MX$12.1K

$1,357 PEN 4,660

-51.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$668 MX$12.3K

$648 PEN 2,226

3.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.53

8.94

17.79%

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

Last update for Morelia: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Morelia

$341 29.5%

Lima

$343 33.9% 0.8% $2.7

Groceries & Markets

Morelia

$317 27.4%

Lima

$226 22.3% 28.8% $91

Eating Out

Morelia

$149 12.9%

Lima

$124 12.3% 16.8% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Morelia

$134 11.6%

Lima

$112 11.1% 16.2% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Morelia

$124 10.7%

Lima

$117 11.6% 5.9% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Morelia

$61 5.2%

Lima

$46 4.6% 24% $15

Getting Around

Morelia

$31 2.7%

Lima

$43 4.3% 40.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $346 in Morelia and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Morelia pays 3% 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: $38.00 in Morelia vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $317 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Morelia

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

21:37 9:37 PM

22:37 10:37 PM

1 h ahead of Morelia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

743,275

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 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 MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Morelia Lima 4,410 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Morelia
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

Morelia vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Morelia and Lima differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($1,157 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 3% higher in Morelia, 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: $346 in Morelia versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $223 in Morelia 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 40% higher in Morelia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,157 in Morelia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Morelia. 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, Morelia 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 14% less than in Morelia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.