Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Ayora and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Ayora: $751 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Ayora
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Puerto Ayora Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

Puerto Ayora

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$751

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $751 in Puerto Ayora versus $1,012 in Lima.

Puerto Ayora $751
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,204 in Puerto Ayora versus $1,589 in Lima.

Puerto Ayora $1,204
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,656 in Puerto Ayora versus $2,167 in Lima.

Puerto Ayora $1,656
Lima $2,167

Living in Puerto Ayora costs roughly 26% less than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Puerto Ayora 44% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.42 $3.42

$4.40 PEN 15.10

-22.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.23 $30.23

$35.17 PEN 121

-14.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 $4.68

$6.89 PEN 23.65

-32.08%

Cappuccino

$2.68 $2.68

$3.26 PEN 11.20

-17.79%

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

$0.78 $0.78

$1.12 PEN 3.84

-30.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 $0.71

$0.62 PEN 2.11

14.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.65 PEN 9.09

-22.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 $3.70

$4.41 PEN 15.15

-16.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-36.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 $1.59

$2.56 PEN 8.78

-37.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.35 PEN 4.65

16.30%

Eggs

$2.12 $2.12

$2.90 PEN 9.96

-26.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.45 $6.45

$8.85 PEN 30.38

-27.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.05 $5.05

$5.98 PEN 20.52

-15.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.18 $7.18

$9.78 PEN 33.59

-26.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.05 PEN 7.02

-17.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.06 PEN 3.66

-0.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.35 PEN 4.64

-14.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.50 PEN 5.15

-28.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 $1.25

$0.88 PEN 3.03

42.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.92 PEN 3.15

10.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 $0.71

$0.89 PEN 3.07

-20.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 $1.06

$0.90 PEN 3.10

17.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.31 $5.31

$5.90 PEN 20.27

-10.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.58 $8.58

$8.52 PEN 29.26

0.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.88 PEN 6.45

-21.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$3.22 PEN 11.05

-4.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 $0.37

$0.68 PEN 2.33

-45.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.86 $19.86

$26.86 PEN 92.2

-26.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.37 $1.37

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-64.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-44.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.06 $10.06

$7.11 PEN 24.41

41.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-49.42%

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

$18.4K $18.4K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

-17.58%

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

$30.8K $30.8K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

20.72%

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

$39.92 $39.92

$73.1 PEN 251

-45.37%

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

$14.84 $14.84

$16.35 PEN 56.2

-9.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.10 $27.10

$27.47 PEN 94.3

-1.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.95 $27.95

$31.90 PEN 110

-12.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.54 $16.54

$19.41 PEN 66.7

-14.79%

Cinema Ticket

$5.57 $5.57

$7.05 PEN 24.23

-20.99%

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

$223 $223

$182 PEN 627

22.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,708 $5,708

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

-56.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.4 $61.4

$53.8 PEN 185

14.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.37 $47.37

$34.32 PEN 118

38.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$82.8 PEN 284

35.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.1 $80.1

$78.2 PEN 269

2.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$292 $292

$721 PEN 2,476

-59.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 $185

$343 PEN 1,179

-46.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$638 $638

$1,219 PEN 4,186

-47.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$351 $351

$651 PEN 2,235

-46.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,349 $1,349

$2,414 PEN 8,292

-44.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$668 $668

$1,357 PEN 4,660

-50.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$813 $813

$648 PEN 2,226

25.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

8.94

12.42%

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

Last update for Puerto Ayora: 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

Puerto Ayora

$185 24.7%

Lima

$343 33.9% 85.5% $158

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Ayora

$184 24.5%

Lima

$226 22.3% 22.8% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Ayora

$135 18%

Lima

$112 11.1% 17.2% $23

Eating Out

Puerto Ayora

$97 12.9%

Lima

$124 12.3% 27.6% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Ayora

$82 10.9%

Lima

$117 11.6% 42.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Ayora

$39 5.2%

Lima

$46 4.6% 17.7% $6.9

Getting Around

Puerto Ayora

$28 3.8%

Lima

$43 4.3% 53.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $292 in Puerto Ayora and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Puerto Ayora pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30.00 in Puerto Ayora vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $226 per month, with Puerto Ayora cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Puerto Ayora

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

22:29 10:29 PM

23:29 11:29 PM

1 h ahead of Puerto Ayora

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,696

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

PEN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Puerto Ayora Lima 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Puerto Ayora
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

Puerto Ayora vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto Ayora and Lima differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($751 vs $1,012 including rent). Puerto Ayora is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 25% higher in Puerto Ayora, 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: $292 in Puerto Ayora versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $223 in Puerto Ayora 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 23% higher in Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $751 in Puerto Ayora versus $1,012 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Puerto Ayora but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Puerto Ayora 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, Puerto Ayora 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 Puerto Ayora gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.