Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Piura and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Piura: $701 a month against $1,045 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Piura, Peru
Lima, Peru
Piura
🇵🇪 Peru
$701
/mo nomad
Lima
🇵🇪 Peru
$1,045
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $701 in Piura versus $1,045 in Lima.

  • Piura $701
  • Lima $1,045

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,199 in Piura versus $1,668 in Lima.

  • Piura $1,199
  • Lima $1,668

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,696 in Piura versus $2,292 in Lima.

  • Piura $1,696
  • Lima $2,292

Living in Piura costs roughly 33% less than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Piura 48% lower, Lima 23% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Piura
Lima
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.60 PEN 12.42
$4.25 PEN 14.66
-15.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.96 PEN 82.6
$35.07 PEN 121
-31.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.27 PEN 25.06
$7.04 PEN 24.27
3.27%
Cappuccino
$3.30 PEN 11.38
$3.30 PEN 11.39
-
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.05 PEN 3.62
$1.11 PEN 3.83
-5.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 PEN 2.62
$0.62 PEN 2.13
22.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.35 PEN 8.11
$2.64 PEN 9.11
-10.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.92 PEN 10.08
$4.41 PEN 15.22
-33.79%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Piura
Lima
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 PEN 4.87
$1.62 PEN 5.60
-12.96%
White Bread (500g)
$2.55 PEN 8.80
$2.59 PEN 8.94
-1.54%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.58 PEN 5.46
$1.32 PEN 4.55
19.70%
Eggs
$2.80 PEN 9.66
$2.95 PEN 10.16
-5.08%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.37 PEN 35.75
$9.59 PEN 33.08
8.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.31 PEN 28.67
$5.70 PEN 19.67
45.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.39 PEN 35.83
$9.95 PEN 34.32
4.42%
Apples (1kg)
$1.41 PEN 4.87
$1.94 PEN 6.70
-27.32%
Banana (1kg)
$1.33 PEN 4.58
$1.03 PEN 3.55
29.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.48 PEN 5.10
$1.44 PEN 4.95
2.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.35 PEN 4.64
$1.53 PEN 5.27
-11.76%
Potato (1kg)
$1.23 PEN 4.25
$0.90 PEN 3.10
36.67%
Onion (1kg)
$0.72 PEN 2.47
$0.89 PEN 3.08
-19.10%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.89 PEN 3.08
$0.87 PEN 3.01
2.30%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.33 PEN 4.58
$0.88 PEN 3.03
51.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.92 PEN 27.29
$5.64 PEN 19.46
40.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.13 PEN 38.37
$9.56 PEN 32.97
16.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.81 PEN 6.24
$1.92 PEN 6.63
-5.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.82 PEN 9.74
$3.16 PEN 10.88
-10.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Piura
Lima
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.66 PEN 2.28
$0.72 PEN 2.48
-8.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.22 PEN 69.7
$32.28 PEN 111
-37.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.96 PEN 10.20
$3.56 PEN 12.28
-16.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.31 PEN 7.95
$1.99 PEN 6.87
16.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.21 PEN 24.86
$7.83 PEN 26.99
-7.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 PEN 4.91
$1.65 PEN 5.68
-13.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.0K PEN 76.0K
$21.7K PEN 74.9K
1.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.4K PEN 80.5K
$28.3K PEN 97.4K
-17.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Piura
Lima
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$40.54 PEN 140
$67.7 PEN 233
-40.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.57 PEN 29.54
$15.71 PEN 54.2
-45.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
-
$26.76 PEN 92.3
-
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Piura
Lima
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.76 PEN 99.2
$32.50 PEN 112
-11.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$19.68 PEN 67.9
-
Cinema Ticket
$2.33 PEN 8.04
$7.39 PEN 25.47
-68.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Piura
Lima
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 PEN 686
$309 PEN 1,065
-35.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,280 PEN 7,862
$13.0K PEN 44.9K
-82.48%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Piura
Lima
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.70 PEN 147
$53.9 PEN 186
-20.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$12.94 PEN 44.61
$35.93 PEN 124
-63.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$58.2 PEN 201
$81.5 PEN 281
-28.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.9 PEN 255
$79.5 PEN 274
-7.09%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Piura
Lima
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$229 PEN 790
$734 PEN 2,531
-68.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$131 PEN 453
$373 PEN 1,287
-64.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$397 PEN 1,367
$1,287 PEN 4,436
-69.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$400 PEN 1,378
$764 PEN 2,633
-47.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,803 PEN 13.1K
$2,434 PEN 8,392
56.24%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,359 PEN 4,684
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Piura
Lima
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$538 PEN 1,856
$666 PEN 2,295
-19.14%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
8.78
-

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

Last update for Piura: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Piura
$250
Lima
$229 8.4% $21
Accommodation & Living
Piura
$131
Lima
$373 184% $242
Eating Out
Piura
$115
Lima
$124 7.5% $8.7
Clothing & Footwear
Piura
$84
Lima
$113 33.6% $28
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Piura
$49 *
Lima
$110 124% $61
Getting Around
Piura
$37
Lima
$49 30.3% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Piura
$33
Lima
$47 41.5% $14

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 $229 in Piura and $734 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 24% 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: $24 in Piura vs $35 in Lima. Groceries flip the comparison at $250 vs $229, with Lima cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇵🇪 Piura
🇵🇪 Lima
🕒 Local time
09:11 9:11 AM
09:11 9:11 AM
Same time as Piura
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
158,495
9,989,369 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.261 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Piura Lima 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Piura
  • 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
Piura vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Piura and in Lima?
Piura and Lima differ by about 49% in total monthly costs ($701 vs $1,045 including rent). Piura is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Piura. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Piura and in Lima?
Rent for a central apartment: $229 in Piura versus $734 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Piura and Lima?
Childcare runs $199 in Piura versus $309 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Lima pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
How far does $1,200 go in Piura compared to Lima?
Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Piura gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Piura and Lima?
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.
How do I decide between Piura and Lima?
It comes down to priorities – Piura wins on affordability, Lima on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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