Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,596 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon
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Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon Living Index
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Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,596

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon 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 Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon and in Lima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,596 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon versus $1,012 in Lima.

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $1,596
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,398 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon versus $1,589 in Lima.

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $2,398
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,200 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon versus $2,167 in Lima.

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $3,200
Lima $2,167

Living in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon is roughly 58% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon is 18% above, Lima is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.94 ₡5,353

$4.40 PEN 15.10

171.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.58 ₡20.0K

$35.17 PEN 121

26.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 ₡4,855

$6.89 PEN 23.65

57.04%

Cappuccino

$4.03 ₡1,808

$3.26 PEN 11.20

23.62%

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

$2.38 ₡1,067

$1.12 PEN 3.84

112.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ₡819

$0.62 PEN 2.11

195.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 ₡1,510

$2.65 PEN 9.09

27.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 ₡1,800

$4.41 PEN 15.15

-9.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 ₡931

$1.63 PEN 5.61

27.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,418

$2.56 PEN 8.78

23.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 ₡1,089

$1.35 PEN 4.65

80.00%

Eggs

$3.07 ₡1,378

$2.90 PEN 9.96

5.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.56 ₡2,942

$8.85 PEN 30.38

-25.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.76 ₡3,479

$5.98 PEN 20.52

29.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.16 ₡6,350

$9.78 PEN 33.59

44.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 ₡1,161

$2.05 PEN 7.02

26.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.06 PEN 3.66

5.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.29 ₡576

$1.35 PEN 4.64

-4.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 ₡781

$1.50 PEN 5.15

16.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 ₡1,165

$0.88 PEN 3.03

195.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 ₡881

$0.92 PEN 3.15

114.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ₡311

$0.89 PEN 3.07

-22.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 ₡898

$0.90 PEN 3.10

122.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.12 ₡1,398

$5.90 PEN 20.27

-47.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.10 ₡6,773

$8.52 PEN 29.26

77.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 ₡1,284

$1.88 PEN 6.45

52.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ₡1,663

$3.22 PEN 11.05

15.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡582

$0.68 PEN 2.33

91.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.11 ₡19.3K

$26.86 PEN 92.2

60.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ₡825

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-51.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡693

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-23.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,814

$7.11 PEN 24.41

19.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡674

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-12.79%

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

$22.3K ₡10.0M

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

-0.20%

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

$35.0K ₡15.7M

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

37.43%

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

$95.5 ₡42.8K

$73.1 PEN 251

30.75%

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

$35.40 ₡15.9K

$16.35 PEN 56.2

116.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.86 ₡14.7K

$27.47 PEN 94.3

19.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.5 ₡33.0K

$31.90 PEN 110

130.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$7.71 ₡3,458

$7.05 PEN 24.23

9.36%

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

$972 ₡435.8K

$182 PEN 627

432.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

30.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.6 ₡29.0K

$53.8 PEN 185

20.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.92 ₡11.6K

$34.32 PEN 118

-24.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.0 ₡43.5K

$82.8 PEN 284

17.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.5 ₡24.4K

$78.2 PEN 269

-30.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 ₡309.3K

$721 PEN 2,476

-4.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₡295.6K

$343 PEN 1,179

91.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,981 ₡888.2K

$1,219 PEN 4,186

62.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,135 ₡508.8K

$651 PEN 2,235

74.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 PEN 8,292

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$976 ₡437.6K

$648 PEN 2,226

50.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

8.94

-3.58%

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

Last update for Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon: 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 Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$659 41.3%

Lima

$343 33.9% 47.9% $316

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$299 18.8%

Lima

$226 22.3% 24.5% $73

Eating Out

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$218 13.7%

Lima

$124 12.3% 43.1% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$164 10.3%

Lima

$117 11.6% 28.6% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$109 6.8%

Lima

$112 11.1% 2.9% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$89 5.6%

Lima

$46 4.6% 48.3% $43

Getting Around

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$58 3.6%

Lima

$43 4.3% 24.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $690 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon pays 51% 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: $45.00 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

15:31 3:31 PM

16:31 4:31 PM

1 h ahead of Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon Lima 2,680 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon
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 Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon and Lima differ by about 58% in total monthly costs ($1,596 vs $1,012 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 51% higher in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, 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: $690 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $972 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon 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 32% higher in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,596 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. 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 58% less than in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.