Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Punta Arenas and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,303 in Punta Arenas, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Punta Arenas
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Punta Arenas Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Punta Arenas

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,303

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,303 in Punta Arenas versus $1,012 in Lima.

Punta Arenas $1,303
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,026 in Punta Arenas versus $1,589 in Lima.

Punta Arenas $2,026
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,750 in Punta Arenas versus $2,167 in Lima.

Punta Arenas $2,750
Lima $2,167

Living in Punta Arenas is roughly 29% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Punta Arenas 4% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 CLP 10.6K

$4.40 PEN 15.10

144.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.5 CLP 49.7K

$35.17 PEN 121

43.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.05 CLP 7,927

$6.89 PEN 23.65

16.84%

Cappuccino

$3.87 CLP 3,810

$3.26 PEN 11.20

18.71%

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

$2.05 CLP 2,023

$1.12 PEN 3.84

83.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 CLP 1,334

$0.62 PEN 2.11

119.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.45 CLP 3,397

$2.65 PEN 9.09

30.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.97 CLP 4,892

$4.41 PEN 15.15

12.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 CLP 1,250

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-22.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 CLP 1,514

$2.56 PEN 8.78

-39.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 CLP 1,537

$1.35 PEN 4.65

15.56%

Eggs

$4.05 CLP 3,982

$2.90 PEN 9.96

39.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.23 CLP 14.0K

$8.85 PEN 30.38

60.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.14 CLP 9,002

$5.98 PEN 20.52

52.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 CLP 12.9K

$9.78 PEN 33.59

33.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.47 CLP 2,432

$2.05 PEN 7.02

20.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 CLP 2,143

$1.06 PEN 3.66

105.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 CLP 2,119

$1.35 PEN 4.64

59.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.25 CLP 3,196

$1.50 PEN 5.15

116.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 CLP 1,385

$0.88 PEN 3.03

60.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 CLP 2,231

$0.92 PEN 3.15

146.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 CLP 1,636

$0.89 PEN 3.07

86.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 CLP 1,701

$0.90 PEN 3.10

92.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.06 CLP 4,981

$5.90 PEN 20.27

-14.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.10 CLP 9,947

$8.52 PEN 29.26

18.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 CLP 1,956

$1.88 PEN 6.45

5.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 CLP 2,685

$3.22 PEN 11.05

-15.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 CLP 582

$0.68 PEN 2.33

-13.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.09 CLP 19.8K

$26.86 PEN 92.2

-25.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 CLP 492

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-86.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 CLP 1,953

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-1.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.19 CLP 12.0K

$7.11 PEN 24.41

71.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 CLP 1,369

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-19.19%

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

$17.2K CLP 16.9M

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

-22.88%

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

$23.9K CLP 23.5M

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

-6.44%

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

$150 CLP 147.6K

$73.1 PEN 251

105.15%

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

$10.23 CLP 10.1K

$16.35 PEN 56.2

-37.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.84 CLP 20.5K

$27.47 PEN 94.3

-24.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.49 CLP 45.8K

$31.90 PEN 110

45.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.32 CLP 44.6K

$19.41 PEN 66.7

133.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.52 CLP 6,415

$7.05 PEN 24.23

-7.52%

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

$406 CLP 399.7K

$182 PEN 627

122.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,212 CLP 6.1M

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

-52.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 CLP 57.1K

$53.8 PEN 185

7.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.53 CLP 39.9K

$34.32 PEN 118

18.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 CLP 94.6K

$82.8 PEN 284

16.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 CLP 124.8K

$78.2 PEN 269

62.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 CLP 568.0K

$721 PEN 2,476

-19.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$387 CLP 381.1K

$343 PEN 1,179

12.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$968 CLP 953.2K

$1,219 PEN 4,186

-20.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 CLP 653.3K

$651 PEN 2,235

1.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$384 CLP 378.4K

$2,414 PEN 8,292

-84.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,660

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$803 CLP 790.7K

$648 PEN 2,226

23.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

8.94

-61.97%

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

Last update for Punta Arenas: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Punta Arenas

$387 29.7%

Lima

$343 33.9% 11.3% $44

Groceries & Markets

Punta Arenas

$300 23%

Lima

$226 22.3% 24.7% $74

Eating Out

Punta Arenas

$197 15.2%

Lima

$124 12.3% 37.2% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Punta Arenas

$181 13.9%

Lima

$117 11.6% 35.4% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Punta Arenas

$145 11.1%

Lima

$112 11.1% 22.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Punta Arenas

$60 4.6%

Lima

$46 4.6% 22.7% $14

Getting Around

Punta Arenas

$33 2.5%

Lima

$43 4.3% 32.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $577 in Punta Arenas and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Punta Arenas pays 24% 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: $51.0 in Punta Arenas vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $300 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Punta Arenas

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

09:14 9:14 AM

07:14 7:14 AM

2 h behind Punta Arenas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,403

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 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).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Punta Arenas Lima 4,600 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Punta Arenas
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

Punta Arenas vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Punta Arenas and Lima differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($1,303 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 24% higher in Punta Arenas, 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: $577 in Punta Arenas versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $406 in Punta Arenas 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 33% higher in Punta Arenas. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,303 in Punta Arenas, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Punta Arenas. 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 29% less than in Punta Arenas. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.