Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Cristobal de las Casas and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in San Cristobal de las Casas: $925 a month against $1,012 in Lima, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in San Cristobal de las Casas
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San Cristobal de las Casas Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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San Cristobal de las Casas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$925

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Cristobal de las Casas 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 San Cristobal de las Casas and in Lima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $925 in San Cristobal de las Casas versus $1,012 in Lima.

San Cristobal de las Casas $925
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,420 in San Cristobal de las Casas versus $1,589 in Lima.

San Cristobal de las Casas $1,420
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,915 in San Cristobal de las Casas versus $2,167 in Lima.

San Cristobal de las Casas $1,915
Lima $2,167

Living in San Cristobal de las Casas costs roughly 9% less than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: San Cristobal de las Casas 31% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.36 MX$99.0

$4.40 PEN 15.10

21.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.82 MX$514

$35.17 PEN 121

-20.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.07 MX$112

$6.89 PEN 23.65

-11.90%

Cappuccino

$2.48 MX$45.91

$3.26 PEN 11.20

-23.93%

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

$1.62 MX$29.93

$1.12 PEN 3.84

44.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.08

$0.62 PEN 2.11

66.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.80 MX$51.8

$2.65 PEN 9.09

5.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 MX$59.8

$4.41 PEN 15.15

-26.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.10

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-13.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.58 MX$66.1

$2.56 PEN 8.78

39.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 MX$29.62

$1.35 PEN 4.65

18.52%

Eggs

$2.27 MX$41.91

$2.90 PEN 9.96

-21.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.69 MX$124

$8.85 PEN 30.38

-24.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 MX$76.0

$5.98 PEN 20.52

-31.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.40 MX$118

$9.78 PEN 33.59

-34.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 MX$60.9

$2.05 PEN 7.02

60.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 MX$38.81

$1.06 PEN 3.66

98.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.80

$1.35 PEN 4.64

63.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 MX$26.74

$1.50 PEN 5.15

-3.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 MX$29.75

$0.88 PEN 3.03

82.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$0.92 PEN 3.15

92.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 MX$33.56

$0.89 PEN 3.07

104.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 MX$29.68

$0.90 PEN 3.10

78.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.88 MX$34.79

$5.90 PEN 20.27

-68.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.57 MX$195

$8.52 PEN 29.26

24.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 MX$44.35

$1.88 PEN 6.45

27.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.27

$3.22 PEN 11.05

-39.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 MX$10.41

$0.68 PEN 2.33

-17.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$26.86 PEN 92.2

3.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 MX$49.67

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-29.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 MX$51.6

$2.02 PEN 6.93

38.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 MX$25.66

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-19.19%

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

$19.0K MX$351.7K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

-14.70%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

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

$32.74 MX$605

$73.1 PEN 251

-55.19%

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

$14.82 MX$274

$16.35 PEN 56.2

-9.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.42 MX$377

$27.47 PEN 94.3

-25.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.92 MX$423

$31.90 PEN 110

-28.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.54 MX$435

$19.41 PEN 66.7

21.28%

Cinema Ticket

$6.73 MX$124

$7.05 PEN 24.23

-4.54%

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

$208 MX$3,843

$182 PEN 627

13.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,657 MX$49.1K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

-79.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.35 MX$358

$53.8 PEN 185

-64.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.33 MX$505

$34.32 PEN 118

-20.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 MX$1,765

$82.8 PEN 284

15.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.0 MX$999

$78.2 PEN 269

-30.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 MX$8,014

$721 PEN 2,476

-39.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 MX$5,938

$343 PEN 1,179

-6.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$890 MX$16.4K

$1,219 PEN 4,186

-27.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 MX$9,741

$651 PEN 2,235

-19.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$835 MX$15.4K

$2,414 PEN 8,292

-65.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$664 MX$12.3K

$1,357 PEN 4,660

-51.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$403 MX$7,451

$648 PEN 2,226

-37.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.8

8.94

9.62%

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

Last update for San Cristobal de las Casas: 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

San Cristobal de las Casas

$321 34.7%

Lima

$343 33.9% 6.9% $22

Groceries & Markets

San Cristobal de las Casas

$242 26.2%

Lima

$226 22.3% 6.8% $16

Eating Out

San Cristobal de las Casas

$122 13.2%

Lima

$124 12.3% 1.6% $2

Clothing & Footwear

San Cristobal de las Casas

$88 9.6%

Lima

$112 11.1% 27% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Cristobal de las Casas

$68 7.4%

Lima

$117 11.6% 71.9% $49

Getting Around

San Cristobal de las Casas

$47 5.1%

Lima

$43 4.3% 6.9% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

San Cristobal de las Casas

$36 3.9%

Lima

$46 4.6% 26.5% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $434 in San Cristobal de las Casas and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 61% 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: $28.00 in San Cristobal de las Casas vs $35.00 in Lima. Groceries flip the comparison at $242 vs $226, with Lima cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 San Cristobal de las Casas

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

03:30 3:30 AM

04:30 4:30 AM

1 h ahead of San Cristobal de las Casas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

183,509

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 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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Highest

Between locations

San Cristobal de las Casas Lima 3,630 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Cristobal de las Casas
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

San Cristobal de las Casas vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Cristobal de las Casas and Lima differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($925 vs $1,012 including rent). San Cristobal de las Casas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 61% lower in Lima. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $434 in San Cristobal de las Casas versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $208 in San Cristobal de las Casas versus $182 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lima pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $925 in San Cristobal de las Casas versus $1,012 in Lima, a $1,000 budget is realistic in San Cristobal de las Casas but tight or insufficient in Lima. The gap between the two cities makes San Cristobal de las Casas 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, San Cristobal de las Casas 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 San Cristobal de las Casas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Lima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.