Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan del Sur and Lima

For one person, living costs are similar in San Juan del Sur and in Lima: $1,058 and $1,012 a month, rent and utilities included.

51

Cost of Living Index in San Juan del Sur
Learn more

San Juan del Sur Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

San Juan del Sur

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$1,058

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,058 in San Juan del Sur versus $1,012 in Lima.

San Juan del Sur $1,058
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,682 in San Juan del Sur versus $1,589 in Lima.

San Juan del Sur $1,682
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,307 in San Juan del Sur versus $2,167 in Lima.

San Juan del Sur $2,307
Lima $2,167

Living in San Juan del Sur is roughly 5% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: San Juan del Sur 22% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.17 NIO 153

$4.40 PEN 15.10

-5.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.08 NIO 1,248

$35.17 PEN 121

-3.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 NIO 204

$6.89 PEN 23.65

-19.16%

Cappuccino

$2.56 NIO 93.7

$3.26 PEN 11.20

-21.47%

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

$0.86 NIO 31.37

$1.12 PEN 3.84

-23.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 NIO 25.02

$0.62 PEN 2.11

9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 NIO 53.8

$2.65 PEN 9.09

-44.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 NIO 81.8

$4.41 PEN 15.15

-49.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 NIO 45.36

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-23.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 NIO 55.9

$2.56 PEN 8.78

-40.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 NIO 43.56

$1.35 PEN 4.65

-11.85%

Eggs

$2.44 NIO 89.2

$2.90 PEN 9.96

-15.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.71 NIO 283

$8.85 PEN 30.38

-12.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.15 NIO 225

$5.98 PEN 20.52

2.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.84 NIO 287

$9.78 PEN 33.59

-19.84%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 NIO 150

$2.05 PEN 7.02

100.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 NIO 22.71

$1.06 PEN 3.66

-41.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 NIO 67.3

$1.35 PEN 4.64

36.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 NIO 89.9

$1.50 PEN 5.15

63.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.11 NIO 114

$0.88 PEN 3.03

253.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 NIO 79.9

$0.92 PEN 3.15

136.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 NIO 38.54

$0.89 PEN 3.07

17.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 NIO 38.52

$0.90 PEN 3.10

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.76 NIO 101

$5.90 PEN 20.27

-53.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.76 NIO 357

$8.52 PEN 29.26

14.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 NIO 51.9

$1.88 PEN 6.45

-24.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NIO 79.7

$3.22 PEN 11.05

-32.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 NIO 58.0

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-58.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 NIO 60.3

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-18.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.87 NIO 252

$7.11 PEN 24.41

-3.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 NIO 49.13

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-22.09%

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

$22.8K NIO 836.8K

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

2.41%

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

$26.7K NIO 977.1K

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

4.61%

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

$60.8 NIO 2,225

$73.1 PEN 251

-16.85%

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

$10.32 NIO 378

$16.35 PEN 56.2

-36.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.01 NIO 1,209

$27.47 PEN 94.3

20.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.51 NIO 1,118

$31.90 PEN 110

-4.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$9.23 NIO 338

$7.05 PEN 24.23

30.92%

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

$233 NIO 8,530

$182 PEN 627

27.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,128 NIO 224.4K

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

-53.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.1 NIO 2,237

$53.8 PEN 185

13.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.1 NIO 2,421

$34.32 PEN 118

92.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 NIO 4,500

$82.8 PEN 284

48.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 NIO 5,331

$78.2 PEN 269

86.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$423 NIO 15.5K

$721 PEN 2,476

-41.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 NIO 14.4K

$343 PEN 1,179

14.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 NIO 34.1K

$1,219 PEN 4,186

-23.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$797 NIO 29.2K

$651 PEN 2,235

22.54%

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)

$346 NIO 12.7K

$648 PEN 2,226

-46.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.92

8.94

33.33%

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

Last update for San Juan del Sur: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan del Sur

$393 37.2%

Lima

$343 33.9% 12.7% $50

Groceries & Markets

San Juan del Sur

$225 21.3%

Lima

$226 22.3% 0.5% $1.1

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan del Sur

$178 16.8%

Lima

$112 11.1% 37% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan del Sur

$104 9.8%

Lima

$117 11.6% 12.3% $13

Eating Out

San Juan del Sur

$99 9.3%

Lima

$124 12.3% 25.6% $25

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan del Sur

$49 4.6%

Lima

$46 4.6% 6% $3

Getting Around

San Juan del Sur

$9.8 * 0.9%

Lima

$43 4.3% 343% $34

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 $423 in San Juan del Sur and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima pays 87% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $34.00 in San Juan del Sur vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $226 per month, with San Juan del Sur cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇮 San Juan del Sur

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

10:01 10:01 AM

1 h ahead of San Juan del Sur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,741

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.43 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to NIO – Nicaraguan Córdoba Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇮 Nicaraguan Córdoba (C$)

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 41.17 NIO (100 NIO = 2.43 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 NIO in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Juan del Sur Lima 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

San Juan del Sur
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 Juan del Sur vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Juan del Sur and Lima differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,058 vs $1,012 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 87% 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: $423 in San Juan del Sur versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in San Juan del Sur pay roughly 0% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,058 per month in San Juan del Sur versus $1,012 in Lima – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,058 in San Juan del Sur, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in San Juan del Sur. 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 5% less than in San Juan del Sur. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.