Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Vallarta and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,635 in Puerto Vallarta, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Vallarta
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Puerto Vallarta Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

Puerto Vallarta

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,635

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,635 in Puerto Vallarta versus $996 in Lima.

Puerto Vallarta $1,635
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,465 in Puerto Vallarta versus $1,594 in Lima.

Puerto Vallarta $2,465
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,295 in Puerto Vallarta versus $2,191 in Lima.

Puerto Vallarta $3,295
Lima $2,191

Living in Puerto Vallarta is roughly 64% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Puerto Vallarta is 22% above, Lima is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 MX$256

$4.42 PEN 15.16

215.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.4 MX$1,054

$35.04 PEN 120

63.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$200

$6.84 PEN 23.44

59.36%

Cappuccino

$4.06 MX$74.5

$3.27 PEN 11.22

24.16%

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

$1.95 MX$35.86

$1.10 PEN 3.78

77.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 MX$25.45

$0.65 PEN 2.22

113.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 MX$56.7

$2.58 PEN 8.85

19.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 MX$79.7

$4.47 PEN 15.34

-2.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 MX$34.99

$1.59 PEN 5.46

20.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 MX$64.1

$2.58 PEN 8.86

35.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.07

$1.36 PEN 4.65

48.53%

Eggs

$2.25 MX$41.33

$2.95 PEN 10.11

-23.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 MX$182

$9.10 PEN 31.19

9.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.00 MX$202

$5.81 PEN 19.91

89.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.15 MX$296

$9.83 PEN 33.68

64.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 MX$52.5

$2.01 PEN 6.89

42.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$1.08 PEN 3.69

42.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.50

$1.37 PEN 4.70

40.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$38.99

$1.48 PEN 5.06

43.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.02

$0.96 PEN 3.30

143.75%

Onion (1kg)

$3.19 MX$58.5

$0.85 PEN 2.92

275.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 MX$25.55

$0.88 PEN 3.02

57.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 MX$21.16

$0.87 PEN 2.97

32.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.48 MX$82.3

$5.90 PEN 20.24

-24.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 MX$200

$8.81 PEN 30.21

23.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 MX$34.42

$1.92 PEN 6.57

-2.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 MX$49.77

$3.20 PEN 10.98

-15.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 MX$11.42

$0.68 PEN 2.33

-8.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.37 MX$392

$26.74 PEN 91.7

-20.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 MX$84.4

$3.81 PEN 13.06

20.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.01 MX$55.3

$2.04 PEN 7.00

47.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 MX$82.3

$7.14 PEN 24.49

-37.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.71

$1.65 PEN 5.65

-5.45%

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

$21.4K MX$393.8K

$22.2K PEN 76.0K

-3.28%

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

$24.7K MX$453.5K

$25.7K PEN 88.0K

-3.76%

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

$85.6 MX$1,572

$73.0 PEN 250

17.24%

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

$26.25 MX$482

$16.26 PEN 55.7

61.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.63 MX$599

$27.60 PEN 94.6

18.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.80 MX$676

$33.07 PEN 113

11.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.19 MX$279

$19.49 PEN 66.8

-22.06%

Cinema Ticket

$8.75 MX$161

$7.39 PEN 25.33

18.40%

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

$328 MX$6,021

$182 PEN 624

80.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,190 MX$113.6K

$13.3K PEN 45.7K

-53.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 MX$1,010

$52.6 PEN 180

4.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 MX$641

$34.23 PEN 117

1.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,897

$83.8 PEN 287

23.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.8 MX$1,796

$79.0 PEN 271

23.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,303 MX$23.9K

$723 PEN 2,479

80.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$699 MX$12.8K

$340 PEN 1,166

105.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 MX$37.5K

$1,184 PEN 4,060

72.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 MX$21.0K

$635 PEN 2,176

80.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,090 MX$93.4K

$2,449 PEN 8,394

107.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,598 MX$47.7K

$1,372 PEN 4,702

89.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$948 MX$17.4K

$653 PEN 2,237

45.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.7

8.94

30.87%

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

Last update for Puerto Vallarta: 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 Vallarta

$699 43.2%

Lima

$340 33.6% 51.3% $359

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Vallarta

$316 19.5%

Lima

$226 22.4% 28.3% $89

Eating Out

Puerto Vallarta

$230 14.2%

Lima

$124 12.3% 46.1% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Vallarta

$145 8.9%

Lima

$117 11.6% 19.1% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Vallarta

$131 8.1%

Lima

$112 11.1% 14.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Vallarta

$54 3.4%

Lima

$48 4.7% 11.9% $6.4

Getting Around

Puerto Vallarta

$44 2.7%

Lima

$43 4.3% 0.1% $0

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,303 in Puerto Vallarta and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Puerto Vallarta pays 45% 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: $57.0 in Puerto Vallarta vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Puerto Vallarta

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

21:25 9:25 PM

22:25 10:25 PM

1 h ahead of Puerto Vallarta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

224,166

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 PEN = 0.292 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 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 = 18.36 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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Puerto Vallarta Lima 4,770 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Puerto Vallarta and Lima differ by about 64% in total monthly costs ($1,635 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 45% higher in Puerto Vallarta, 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: $1,303 in Puerto Vallarta versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $328 in Puerto Vallarta 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 39% higher in Puerto Vallarta. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,635 in Puerto Vallarta, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Puerto Vallarta. 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, Puerto Vallarta 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 64% less than in Puerto Vallarta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.