Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puebla and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,161 in Puebla, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Puebla
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Puebla Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

Puebla

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,161

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,161 in Puebla versus $996 in Lima.

Puebla $1,161
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,853 in Puebla versus $1,594 in Lima.

Puebla $1,853
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,545 in Puebla versus $2,191 in Lima.

Puebla $2,545
Lima $2,191

Living in Puebla 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: Puebla 13% lower, Lima 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.88 MX$180

$4.42 PEN 15.21

123.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.13 MX$876

$35.04 PEN 121

37.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 MX$171

$6.84 PEN 23.52

37.87%

Cappuccino

$3.35 MX$60.9

$3.27 PEN 11.26

2.45%

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

$1.54 MX$28.05

$1.10 PEN 3.80

40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$21.59

$0.65 PEN 2.23

83.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.85 MX$51.9

$2.58 PEN 8.88

10.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 MX$70.1

$4.47 PEN 15.39

-13.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 MX$28.77

$1.59 PEN 5.48

-0.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.10 MX$56.3

$2.58 PEN 8.89

20.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 MX$33.67

$1.36 PEN 4.67

36.03%

Eggs

$3.46 MX$62.9

$2.95 PEN 10.14

17.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.70 MX$122

$9.10 PEN 31.30

-26.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.77 MX$105

$5.81 PEN 19.98

-0.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.22 MX$204

$9.83 PEN 33.80

14.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 MX$49.42

$2.01 PEN 6.92

35.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 MX$31.44

$1.08 PEN 3.70

60.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 MX$35.68

$1.37 PEN 4.71

43.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.30

$1.48 PEN 5.08

38.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 MX$38.22

$0.96 PEN 3.32

118.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 MX$36.81

$0.85 PEN 2.93

137.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$27.89

$0.88 PEN 3.03

73.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$23.91

$0.87 PEN 2.98

50.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$95.0

$5.90 PEN 20.31

-11.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.06 MX$256

$8.81 PEN 30.31

59.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 MX$26.02

$1.92 PEN 6.59

-25.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 MX$46.66

$3.20 PEN 11.02

-19.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 MX$10.25

$0.68 PEN 2.33

-17.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.50 MX$446

$26.74 PEN 92.0

-8.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 MX$99.2

$3.81 PEN 13.10

43.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 MX$36.04

$2.04 PEN 7.02

-2.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.74 MX$286

$7.14 PEN 24.57

120.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$27.45

$1.65 PEN 5.67

-8.48%

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

$21.5K MX$391.6K

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

-2.93%

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

$25.1K MX$456.0K

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

-2.34%

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

$62.1 MX$1,129

$73.0 PEN 251

-15.03%

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

$18.96 MX$345

$16.26 PEN 55.9

16.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.89 MX$434

$27.60 PEN 94.9

-13.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.50 MX$773

$33.07 PEN 114

28.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.53 MX$246

$19.49 PEN 67.1

-30.58%

Cinema Ticket

$5.69 MX$103

$7.39 PEN 25.41

-23.00%

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

$416 MX$7,562

$182 PEN 626

128.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K MX$367.3K

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

51.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 MX$1,062

$52.6 PEN 181

11.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.0 MX$1,128

$34.23 PEN 118

81.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 MX$1,846

$83.8 PEN 288

21.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.8 MX$1,761

$79.0 PEN 272

22.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$639 MX$11.6K

$723 PEN 2,488

-11.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 MX$6,439

$340 PEN 1,170

4.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$882 MX$16.0K

$1,184 PEN 4,074

-25.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.1K

$635 PEN 2,183

4.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,660 MX$30.2K

$2,449 PEN 8,423

-32.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$905 MX$16.5K

$1,372 PEN 4,718

-34.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 MX$12.1K

$653 PEN 2,245

1.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.96

8.94

22.60%

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

Last update for Puebla: October 5, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puebla

$354 31%

Lima

$340 33.6% 3.9% $14

Groceries & Markets

Puebla

$265 23.2%

Lima

$226 22.4% 14.7% $39

Eating Out

Puebla

$180 15.8%

Lima

$124 12.3% 31.2% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Puebla

$143 12.5%

Lima

$112 11.1% 21.7% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puebla

$105 9.2%

Lima

$117 11.6% 11.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Puebla

$54 4.7%

Lima

$48 4.7% 11.2% $6

Getting Around

Puebla

$42 3.7%

Lima

$43 4.3% 3.2% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $639 in Puebla and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Puebla pays 2% 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: $48.00 in Puebla vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $265 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Puebla

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

22:54 10:54 PM

23:54 11:54 PM

1 h ahead of Puebla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,542,232

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 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

Puebla Lima 4,160 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Puebla
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

Puebla vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puebla and Lima differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($1,161 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 2% higher in Puebla, 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: $639 in Puebla versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $416 in Puebla 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 17% higher in Puebla. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,161 in Puebla, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Puebla. 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 17% less than in Puebla. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.