Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Penasco and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,216 in Puerto Penasco, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Puerto Penasco
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,216
/mo nomad
Lima
🇵🇪 Peru
$996
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,216 in Puerto Penasco versus $996 in Lima.

  • Puerto Penasco $1,216
  • Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,963 in Puerto Penasco versus $1,594 in Lima.

  • Puerto Penasco $1,963
  • Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,710 in Puerto Penasco versus $2,191 in Lima.

  • Puerto Penasco $2,710
  • Lima $2,191

Living in Puerto Penasco is roughly 22% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Puerto Penasco 9% lower, Lima 26% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Puerto Penasco
Lima
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.20 MX$224
$4.42 PEN 15.16
176.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.66 MX$820
$35.04 PEN 120
27.45%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.56 MX$157
$6.84 PEN 23.44
25.15%
Cappuccino
$4.83 MX$88.7
$3.27 PEN 11.22
47.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.40 MX$25.67
$1.10 PEN 3.78
27.27%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.05 MX$19.32
$0.65 PEN 2.22
61.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.67 MX$49.05
$2.58 PEN 8.85
3.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.95 MX$72.6
$4.47 PEN 15.34
-11.63%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Puerto Penasco
Lima
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.60 MX$29.32
$1.59 PEN 5.46
0.63%
White Bread (500g)
$3.05 MX$55.9
$2.58 PEN 8.86
18.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.68 MX$30.92
$1.36 PEN 4.65
23.53%
Eggs
$2.99 MX$54.8
$2.95 PEN 10.11
1.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.88 MX$89.7
$9.10 PEN 31.19
-46.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.75 MX$197
$5.81 PEN 19.91
85.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.68 MX$178
$9.83 PEN 33.68
-1.53%
Apples (1kg)
$4.47 MX$82.1
$2.01 PEN 6.89
122.39%
Banana (1kg)
$1.91 MX$35.06
$1.08 PEN 3.69
76.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.15 MX$57.8
$1.37 PEN 4.70
129.93%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.11 MX$38.80
$1.48 PEN 5.06
42.57%
Potato (1kg)
$1.95 MX$35.88
$0.96 PEN 3.30
103.13%
Onion (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.14
$0.85 PEN 2.92
137.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 MX$26.85
$0.88 PEN 3.02
65.91%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.19
$0.87 PEN 2.97
82.76%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.48 MX$82.2
$5.90 PEN 20.24
-24.07%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.70 MX$252
$8.81 PEN 30.21
55.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.57 MX$28.91
$1.92 PEN 6.57
-18.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 MX$28.67
$3.20 PEN 10.98
-51.25%
🚌 Getting Around
Puerto Penasco
Lima
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.64 MX$11.71
$0.68 PEN 2.33
-5.88%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.74 PEN 91.7
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.25 MX$41.40
$3.81 PEN 13.06
-40.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.13 MX$57.5
$2.04 PEN 7.00
53.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.22 MX$206
$7.14 PEN 24.49
57.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$25.27
$1.65 PEN 5.65
-16.36%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.3K MX$391.3K
$22.2K PEN 76.0K
-3.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.4K MX$448.1K
$25.7K PEN 88.0K
-4.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Puerto Penasco
Lima
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$71.5 MX$1,314
$73.0 PEN 250
-2.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.60 MX$231
$16.26 PEN 55.7
-22.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.81 MX$804
$27.60 PEN 94.6
58.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Puerto Penasco
Lima
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$33.41 MX$613
$33.07 PEN 113
1.03%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.26 MX$372
$19.49 PEN 66.8
3.95%
Cinema Ticket
$5.43 MX$99.6
$7.39 PEN 25.33
-26.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Puerto Penasco
Lima
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$226 MX$4,143
$182 PEN 624
23.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,696 MX$86.2K
$13.3K PEN 45.7K
-64.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Puerto Penasco
Lima
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.9 MX$1,026
$52.6 PEN 180
6.28%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.12 MX$773
$34.23 PEN 117
23.05%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100 MX$1,839
$83.8 PEN 287
19.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.6 MX$1,664
$79.0 PEN 271
14.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Puerto Penasco
Lima
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$533 MX$9,787
$723 PEN 2,479
-26.30%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$387 MX$7,112
$340 PEN 1,166
13.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$958 MX$17.6K
$1,184 PEN 4,060
-19.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$764 MX$14.0K
$635 PEN 2,176
20.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,873 MX$34.4K
$2,449 PEN 8,394
-23.51%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,168 MX$21.4K
$1,372 PEN 4,702
-14.86%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Puerto Penasco
Lima
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$596 MX$10.9K
$653 PEN 2,237
-8.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.55
8.94
18.01%

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

Last update for Puerto Penasco: 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
Puerto Penasco
$387
Lima
$340 12.2% $47
Groceries & Markets
Puerto Penasco
$293
Lima
$226 22.7% $66
Eating Out
Puerto Penasco
$212
Lima
$124 41.6% $88
Clothing & Footwear
Puerto Penasco
$130
Lima
$112 13.6% $18
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Puerto Penasco
$128
Lima
$117 8.6% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Puerto Penasco
$44
Lima
$48 8.1% $3.6
Getting Around
Puerto Penasco
$20 *
Lima
$43 113% $23

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 $533 in Puerto Penasco and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 10% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Puerto Penasco vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Puerto Penasco
🇵🇪 Lima
🕒 Local time
20:49 8:49 PM
22:49 10:49 PM
2 h ahead of Puerto Penasco
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
56,756
9,989,369 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Puerto Penasco Lima 6,200 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Puerto Penasco
  • 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 Penasco vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Puerto Penasco and in Lima?
Puerto Penasco and Lima differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($1,216 vs $996 including rent). Lima 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 10% lower in Lima. 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 Puerto Penasco and in Lima?
Rent for a central apartment: $533 in Puerto Penasco versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Puerto Penasco. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Puerto Penasco or Lima?
All in, you'll spend $1,216 per month in Puerto Penasco versus $996 in Lima – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $996 in Lima versus $1,216 in Puerto Penasco, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Puerto Penasco. The gap between the two cities makes Lima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Puerto Penasco 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.
Is Puerto Penasco or Lima safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Puerto Penasco 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.
Where should expats move: Puerto Penasco or Lima?
Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Puerto Penasco. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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