Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nogales and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,138 in Nogales, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Nogales
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Nogales Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Nogales

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,138

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,138 in Nogales versus $996 in Lima.

Nogales $1,138
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,854 in Nogales versus $1,594 in Lima.

Nogales $1,854
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,570 in Nogales versus $2,191 in Lima.

Nogales $2,570
Lima $2,191

Living in Nogales is roughly 14% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nogales 15% lower, Lima 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.96 MX$201

$4.42 PEN 15.16

147.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.05 MX$827

$35.04 PEN 120

28.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.37 MX$154

$6.84 PEN 23.44

22.37%

Cappuccino

$3.62 MX$66.4

$3.27 PEN 11.22

10.70%

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

$1.35 MX$24.79

$1.10 PEN 3.78

22.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$19.01

$0.65 PEN 2.22

60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 MX$47.30

$2.58 PEN 8.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 MX$75.3

$4.47 PEN 15.34

-8.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 MX$29.09

$1.59 PEN 5.46

-0.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 MX$48.22

$2.58 PEN 8.86

1.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MX$31.85

$1.36 PEN 4.65

27.21%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$46.77

$2.95 PEN 10.11

-13.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.49 MX$156

$9.10 PEN 31.19

-6.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.51 MX$156

$5.81 PEN 19.91

46.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.84 MX$217

$9.83 PEN 33.68

20.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.0

$2.01 PEN 6.89

35.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.16

$1.08 PEN 3.69

47.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 MX$35.16

$1.37 PEN 4.70

39.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.85 MX$34.05

$1.48 PEN 5.06

25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.01

$0.96 PEN 3.30

104.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.19

$0.85 PEN 2.92

125.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$26.54

$0.88 PEN 3.02

64.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 MX$20.31

$0.87 PEN 2.97

27.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 MX$79.5

$5.90 PEN 20.24

-26.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.64 MX$195

$8.81 PEN 30.21

20.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 MX$33.71

$1.92 PEN 6.57

-4.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 MX$59.8

$3.20 PEN 10.98

1.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 MX$12.66

$0.68 PEN 2.33

1.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 91.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 MX$47.44

$3.81 PEN 13.06

-32.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.06 MX$37.79

$2.04 PEN 7.00

0.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.28 MX$207

$7.14 PEN 24.49

57.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.14

$1.65 PEN 5.65

-10.30%

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

$21.2K MX$389.4K

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

-4.36%

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

$24.9K MX$456.6K

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

-3.11%

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

$62.4 MX$1,146

$73.0 PEN 250

-14.51%

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

$22.44 MX$412

$16.26 PEN 55.7

38.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.41 MX$558

$27.60 PEN 94.6

10.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.79 MX$639

$33.07 PEN 113

5.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.65 MX$379

$19.49 PEN 66.8

5.95%

Cinema Ticket

$5.22 MX$95.8

$7.39 PEN 25.33

-29.36%

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

$224 MX$4,105

$182 PEN 624

22.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,654 MX$85.5K

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

-65.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 MX$1,012

$52.6 PEN 180

4.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.38 MX$778

$34.23 PEN 117

23.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,891

$83.8 PEN 287

22.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.4 MX$1,697

$79.0 PEN 271

16.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 MX$11.3K

$723 PEN 2,479

-15.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 MX$7,341

$340 PEN 1,166

17.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,072 MX$19.7K

$1,184 PEN 4,060

-9.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$786 MX$14.4K

$635 PEN 2,176

23.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,927 MX$35.4K

$2,449 PEN 8,394

-21.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,151 MX$21.1K

$1,372 PEN 4,702

-16.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,237

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

8.94

26.40%

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

Last update for Nogales: October 3, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nogales

$400 34.4%

Lima

$340 33.6% 14.9% $60

Groceries & Markets

Nogales

$269 23.1%

Lima

$226 22.4% 15.7% $42

Eating Out

Nogales

$187 16.1%

Lima

$124 12.3% 33.6% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Nogales

$132 11.3%

Lima

$112 11.1% 14.8% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nogales

$115 9.9%

Lima

$117 11.6% 1.4% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Nogales

$45 3.9%

Lima

$48 4.7% 5.8% $2.6

Getting Around

Nogales

$16 * 1.3%

Lima

$43 4.3% 178% $28

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 $614 in Nogales and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Nogales vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Nogales

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

23:18 11:18 PM

01:18 1:18 AM

2 h ahead of Nogales

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

261,137

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.292 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nogales Lima 6,030 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nogales
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

Nogales vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nogales and Lima differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($1,138 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,707 in Nogales and $1,494 in Lima 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: $614 in Nogales versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Nogales. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,138 per month in Nogales versus $996 in Lima – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,138 in Nogales, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Nogales. 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.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Nogales. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.