Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Queretaro and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,458 in Queretaro, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Queretaro
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Queretaro Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Queretaro

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,458

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,458 in Queretaro versus $996 in Lima.

Queretaro $1,458
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,209 in Queretaro versus $1,594 in Lima.

Queretaro $2,209
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,960 in Queretaro versus $2,191 in Lima.

Queretaro $2,960
Lima $2,191

Living in Queretaro is roughly 46% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Queretaro is 9% above, Lima is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.24 MX$204

$4.42 PEN 15.21

154.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.3 MX$1,169

$35.04 PEN 121

83.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.59 MX$174

$6.84 PEN 23.52

40.20%

Cappuccino

$3.59 MX$65.3

$3.27 PEN 11.26

9.79%

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

$1.61 MX$29.27

$1.10 PEN 3.80

46.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 MX$20.01

$0.65 PEN 2.23

69.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 MX$59.2

$2.58 PEN 8.88

26.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 MX$101

$4.47 PEN 15.39

24.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 MX$35.64

$1.59 PEN 5.48

23.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 MX$50.4

$2.58 PEN 8.89

7.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.03

$1.36 PEN 4.67

50.00%

Eggs

$2.70 MX$49.12

$2.95 PEN 10.14

-8.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.21 MX$168

$9.10 PEN 31.30

1.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 MX$161

$5.81 PEN 19.98

52.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.80 MX$251

$9.83 PEN 33.80

40.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 MX$61.8

$2.01 PEN 6.92

69.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 MX$30.49

$1.08 PEN 3.70

55.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.28

$1.37 PEN 4.71

57.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.00

$1.48 PEN 5.08

29.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$33.75

$0.96 PEN 3.32

93.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.12

$0.85 PEN 2.93

114.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 MX$28.11

$0.88 PEN 3.03

76.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$22.78

$0.87 PEN 2.98

43.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.64 MX$84.5

$5.90 PEN 20.31

-21.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.28 MX$332

$8.81 PEN 30.31

107.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 MX$39.85

$1.92 PEN 6.59

14.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 MX$71.2

$3.20 PEN 11.02

22.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 MX$10.90

$0.68 PEN 2.33

-11.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.03 MX$473

$26.74 PEN 92.0

-2.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 MX$59.0

$3.81 PEN 13.10

-14.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.57 MX$46.67

$2.04 PEN 7.02

25.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.88 MX$198

$7.14 PEN 24.57

52.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 MX$28.80

$1.65 PEN 5.67

-4.24%

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

$21.5K MX$391.3K

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

-3.00%

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

$24.4K MX$443.3K

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

-5.05%

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

$58.0 MX$1,055

$73.0 PEN 251

-20.62%

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

$27.03 MX$492

$16.26 PEN 55.9

66.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.66 MX$449

$27.60 PEN 94.9

-10.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,039

$33.07 PEN 114

72.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.02 MX$455

$19.49 PEN 67.1

28.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 MX$137

$7.39 PEN 25.41

2.03%

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

$269 MX$4,888

$182 PEN 626

47.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,127 MX$93.3K

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

-61.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 MX$960

$52.6 PEN 181

0.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.39 MX$807

$34.23 PEN 118

29.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 MX$1,853

$83.8 PEN 288

21.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 MX$1,828

$79.0 PEN 272

27.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$850 MX$15.5K

$723 PEN 2,488

17.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 MX$10.4K

$340 PEN 1,170

68.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 MX$26.6K

$1,184 PEN 4,074

23.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$849 MX$15.4K

$635 PEN 2,183

33.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,208 MX$40.2K

$2,449 PEN 8,423

-9.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,244 MX$22.6K

$1,372 PEN 4,718

-9.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$943 MX$17.2K

$653 PEN 2,245

44.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.99

8.94

34.12%

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

Last update for Queretaro: 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

Queretaro

$574 39.7%

Lima

$340 33.6% 40.7% $233

Groceries & Markets

Queretaro

$311 21.5%

Lima

$226 22.4% 27.1% $84

Eating Out

Queretaro

$200 13.8%

Lima

$124 12.3% 38% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Queretaro

$135 9.3%

Lima

$112 11.1% 16.7% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Queretaro

$110 7.6%

Lima

$117 11.6% 6.6% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Queretaro

$72 5%

Lima

$48 4.7% 33.7% $24

Getting Around

Queretaro

$45 3.1%

Lima

$43 4.3% 2.3% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $850 in Queretaro and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Queretaro 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: $64.0 in Queretaro vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $311 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Queretaro

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

21:41 9:41 PM

22:41 10:41 PM

1 h ahead of Queretaro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

804,663

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 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 = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Queretaro Lima 4,440 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Queretaro
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

Queretaro vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Queretaro and Lima differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($1,458 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 Queretaro, 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: $850 in Queretaro versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $269 in Queretaro 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 37% higher in Queretaro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,458 in Queretaro, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Queretaro. 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, Queretaro 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 46% less than in Queretaro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.