Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rosario and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Rosario: $947 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $780 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lima outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

46

Cost of Living Index in Rosario
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Rosario Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Rosario

🇦🇷 Argentina

$947

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $947 in Rosario versus $1,012 in Lima.

Rosario $947
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,653 in Rosario versus $1,589 in Lima.

Rosario $1,653
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,358 in Rosario versus $2,167 in Lima.

Rosario $2,358
Lima $2,167

Living in Rosario costs roughly 6% less than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rosario 30% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.10 ARS 15.3K

$4.40 PEN 15.14

129.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.96 ARS 57.6K

$35.17 PEN 121

7.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.72 ARS 17.8K

$6.89 PEN 23.71

70.10%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ARS 4,635

$3.26 PEN 11.23

-6.13%

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

$1.76 ARS 2,670

$1.12 PEN 3.84

57.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ARS 2,359

$0.62 PEN 2.12

151.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.86 ARS 5,857

$2.65 PEN 9.11

45.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ARS 3,324

$4.41 PEN 15.18

-50.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 ARS 1,993

$1.63 PEN 5.63

-19.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 ARS 2,498

$2.56 PEN 8.80

-35.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 ARS 2,405

$1.35 PEN 4.66

17.78%

Eggs

$2.26 ARS 3,420

$2.90 PEN 9.98

-22.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.49 ARS 12.9K

$8.85 PEN 30.45

-4.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.10 ARS 9,257

$5.98 PEN 20.57

2.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 ARS 16.0K

$9.78 PEN 33.68

8.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ARS 3,035

$2.05 PEN 7.04

-2.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 ARS 2,316

$1.06 PEN 3.67

44.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.06 ARS 1,605

$1.35 PEN 4.65

-21.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ARS 3,112

$1.50 PEN 5.17

36.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 ARS 1,493

$0.88 PEN 3.04

11.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.65 ARS 984

$0.92 PEN 3.16

-29.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 ARS 2,225

$0.89 PEN 3.08

65.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ARS 2,692

$0.90 PEN 3.11

97.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.36 ARS 5,090

$5.90 PEN 20.32

-43.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.69 ARS 7,113

$8.52 PEN 29.33

-44.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ARS 1,926

$1.88 PEN 6.46

-32.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 ARS 4,127

$3.22 PEN 11.07

-15.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ARS 1,545

$0.68 PEN 2.34

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 ARS 2,468

$3.81 PEN 13.13

-57.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ARS 1,547

$2.02 PEN 6.95

-49.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.07 ARS 12.2K

$7.11 PEN 24.48

13.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ARS 1,656

$1.72 PEN 5.92

-36.63%

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

$28.5K ARS 43.2M

$22.3K PEN 76.8K

27.59%

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

$29.5K ARS 44.8M

$25.5K PEN 87.8K

15.83%

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

$59.4 ARS 90.1K

$73.1 PEN 252

-18.74%

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

$20.33 ARS 30.8K

$16.35 PEN 56.3

24.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.78 ARS 42.1K

$27.47 PEN 94.6

1.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.22 ARS 44.3K

$31.90 PEN 110

-8.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.8

Cinema Ticket

$4.88 ARS 7,394

$7.05 PEN 24.29

-30.78%

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

$471 ARS 714.7K

$182 PEN 628

158.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,757 ARS 13.3M

$13.0K PEN 44.9K

-32.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 ARS 136.8K

$53.8 PEN 185

67.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.7 ARS 92.1K

$34.32 PEN 118

76.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 175.8K

$82.8 PEN 285

39.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 212.7K

$78.2 PEN 269

79.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$254 ARS 385.9K

$721 PEN 2,483

-64.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$199 ARS 301.1K

$343 PEN 1,182

-42.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 ARS 1.1M

$1,219 PEN 4,196

-41.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 ARS 993.1K

$651 PEN 2,240

0.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,031 ARS 3.1M

$2,414 PEN 8,313

-15.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,357 PEN 4,672

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$702 ARS 1.1M

$648 PEN 2,231

8.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

8.94

540.38%

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

Last update for Rosario: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Rosario

$219 23.1%

Lima

$226 22.3% 3.2% $7

Accommodation & Living

Rosario

$199 21%

Lima

$343 33.9% 73% $145

Eating Out

Rosario

$190 20%

Lima

$124 12.3% 34.6% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Rosario

$183 19.3%

Lima

$112 11.1% 38.8% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rosario

$107 11.4%

Lima

$117 11.6% 8.7% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Rosario

$39 4.1%

Lima

$46 4.6% 18.1% $7

Getting Around

Rosario

$11 * 1.1%

Lima

$43 4.3% 303% $33

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 $254 in Rosario and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rosario pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $38.00 in Rosario vs $35.00 in Lima. Groceries flip the comparison at $219 vs $226, with Rosario cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Rosario

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

11:36 11:36 AM

09:36 9:36 AM

2 h behind Rosario

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,029,619

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,693 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.26 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rosario Lima 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Rosario
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

Rosario vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rosario and Lima differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($947 vs $1,012 including rent). Rosario is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 8% higher in Rosario, 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: $254 in Rosario versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Lima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $947 per month in Rosario versus $1,012 in Lima – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $947 in Rosario versus $1,012 in Lima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rosario but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes Rosario 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, Rosario 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 Rosario gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.