Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pilar and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,188 in Pilar, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Pilar despite lower rent and utilities.

59

Cost of Living Index in Pilar
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Pilar Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Pilar

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,188

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,188 in Pilar versus $1,012 in Lima.

Pilar $1,188
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,031 in Pilar versus $1,589 in Lima.

Pilar $2,031
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,875 in Pilar versus $2,167 in Lima.

Pilar $2,875
Lima $2,167

Living in Pilar is roughly 17% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pilar 12% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$4.40 PEN 15.10

325.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.8 ARS 90.7K

$35.17 PEN 121

70.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.19 ARS 20.0K

$6.89 PEN 23.65

91.44%

Cappuccino

$3.97 ARS 6,027

$3.26 PEN 11.20

21.78%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,021

$1.12 PEN 3.84

77.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ARS 2,383

$0.62 PEN 2.11

153.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.05 ARS 6,149

$2.65 PEN 9.09

52.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.63 ARS 7,031

$4.41 PEN 15.15

4.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,269

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-7.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 ARS 3,800

$2.56 PEN 8.78

-2.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 ARS 2,420

$1.35 PEN 4.65

17.78%

Eggs

$2.28 ARS 3,458

$2.90 PEN 9.96

-21.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.68 ARS 16.2K

$8.85 PEN 30.38

20.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.95 ARS 4,474

$5.98 PEN 20.52

-50.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.19 ARS 15.5K

$9.78 PEN 33.59

4.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 ARS 4,340

$2.05 PEN 7.02

39.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 ARS 3,325

$1.06 PEN 3.66

106.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 ARS 2,192

$1.35 PEN 4.64

6.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 ARS 2,989

$1.50 PEN 5.15

31.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,917

$0.88 PEN 3.03

43.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,831

$0.92 PEN 3.15

31.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 ARS 2,484

$0.89 PEN 3.07

84.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ARS 2,689

$0.90 PEN 3.10

96.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.17 ARS 6,333

$5.90 PEN 20.27

-29.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.81 ARS 8,818

$8.52 PEN 29.26

-31.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 ARS 3,124

$1.88 PEN 6.45

9.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 ARS 4,345

$3.22 PEN 11.05

-11.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 ARS 1,610

$0.68 PEN 2.33

55.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,460

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-57.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ARS 1,551

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-49.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.19 ARS 12.4K

$7.11 PEN 24.41

15.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ARS 1,645

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-37.21%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.4M

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

25.32%

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

$34.8K ARS 52.8M

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

36.44%

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

$64.2 ARS 97.4K

$73.1 PEN 251

-12.19%

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

$9.91 ARS 15.0K

$16.35 PEN 56.2

-39.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.04 ARS 30.4K

$27.47 PEN 94.3

-27.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.61 ARS 48.0K

$31.90 PEN 110

-0.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$10.32 ARS 15.7K

$7.05 PEN 24.23

46.38%

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

$466 ARS 707.0K

$182 PEN 627

155.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,783 ARS 13.3M

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

-32.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$121 ARS 183.6K

$53.8 PEN 185

124.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$93.9 ARS 142.5K

$34.32 PEN 118

173.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ARS 178.6K

$82.8 PEN 284

42.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 ARS 214.0K

$78.2 PEN 269

80.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$521 ARS 790.2K

$721 PEN 2,476

-27.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$299 ARS 453.2K

$343 PEN 1,179

-13.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 ARS 1.5M

$1,219 PEN 4,186

-17.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$757 ARS 1.1M

$651 PEN 2,235

16.35%

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)

$1,011 ARS 1.5M

$648 PEN 2,226

56.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

8.94

540.38%

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

Last update for Pilar: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pilar

$299 25.2%

Lima

$343 33.9% 15% $45

Eating Out

Pilar

$281 23.7%

Lima

$124 12.3% 55.9% $157

Groceries & Markets

Pilar

$238 20%

Lima

$226 22.3% 4.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Pilar

$213 18%

Lima

$112 11.1% 47.4% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pilar

$94 7.9%

Lima

$117 11.6% 24.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Pilar

$52 4.4%

Lima

$46 4.6% 11.9% $6.2

Getting Around

Pilar

$11 * 0.9%

Lima

$43 4.3% 296% $33

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 $521 in Pilar and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pilar pays 56% 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: $60.0 in Pilar vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Pilar

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

12:36 12:36 PM

10:36 10:36 AM

2 h behind Pilar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

81,120

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pilar Lima 3,090 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Pilar
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

Pilar vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pilar and Lima differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($1,188 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 56% higher in Pilar, 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: $521 in Pilar versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Pilar. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,188 per month in Pilar versus $1,012 in Lima – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,188 in Pilar, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Pilar. 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, Pilar 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 17% less than in Pilar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.