Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Martin de los Andes and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,257 in San Martin de los Andes, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in San Martin de los Andes
Learn more

San Martin de los Andes Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

San Martin de los Andes

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,257

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Martin de los Andes 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 Martin de los Andes and in Lima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,257 in San Martin de los Andes versus $1,012 in Lima.

San Martin de los Andes $1,257
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,090 in San Martin de los Andes versus $1,589 in Lima.

San Martin de los Andes $2,090
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,922 in San Martin de los Andes versus $2,167 in Lima.

San Martin de los Andes $2,922
Lima $2,167

Living in San Martin de los Andes is roughly 24% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: San Martin de los Andes 7% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.31 ARS 23.2K

$4.40 PEN 15.10

247.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.4 ARS 85.6K

$35.17 PEN 121

60.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.59 ARS 22.1K

$6.89 PEN 23.65

111.76%

Cappuccino

$3.51 ARS 5,334

$3.26 PEN 11.20

7.67%

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

$2.20 ARS 3,335

$1.12 PEN 3.84

96.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ARS 3,312

$0.62 PEN 2.11

251.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 ARS 5,881

$2.65 PEN 9.09

46.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ARS 6,690

$4.41 PEN 15.15

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ARS 2,266

$1.63 PEN 5.61

-8.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.16 ARS 3,282

$2.56 PEN 8.78

-15.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 ARS 2,790

$1.35 PEN 4.65

36.30%

Eggs

$3.08 ARS 4,667

$2.90 PEN 9.96

6.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 ARS 16.2K

$8.85 PEN 30.38

20.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.72 ARS 13.2K

$5.98 PEN 20.52

45.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.02 ARS 15.2K

$9.78 PEN 33.59

2.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ARS 3,646

$2.05 PEN 7.02

17.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 ARS 3,787

$1.06 PEN 3.66

135.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 ARS 2,605

$1.35 PEN 4.64

27.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.79 ARS 4,231

$1.50 PEN 5.15

86.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 ARS 1,466

$0.88 PEN 3.03

10.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 ARS 1,296

$0.92 PEN 3.15

-7.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 ARS 2,886

$0.90 PEN 3.10

111.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.97 ARS 4,501

$5.90 PEN 20.27

-49.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.48 ARS 8,316

$8.52 PEN 29.26

-35.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 ARS 2,882

$1.88 PEN 6.45

1.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ARS 5,362

$3.22 PEN 11.05

9.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 ARS 1,509

$0.68 PEN 2.33

45.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 ARS 1,989

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-65.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 PEN 6.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.11 PEN 24.41

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ARS 1,903

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-27.33%

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

$27.8K ARS 42.2M

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

24.54%

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

$32.1K ARS 48.7M

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

25.86%

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

$141 ARS 214.5K

$73.1 PEN 251

93.46%

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

$19.33 ARS 29.3K

$16.35 PEN 56.2

18.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.49 ARS 37.2K

$27.47 PEN 94.3

-10.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.09 ARS 41.1K

$31.90 PEN 110

-15.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$8.87 ARS 13.5K

$7.05 PEN 24.23

25.82%

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

$255 ARS 386.5K

$182 PEN 627

39.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 ARS 152.3K

$53.8 PEN 185

86.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 PEN 118

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 ARS 190.6K

$82.8 PEN 284

51.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 ARS 207.3K

$78.2 PEN 269

74.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$587 ARS 891.5K

$721 PEN 2,476

-18.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 ARS 515.7K

$343 PEN 1,179

-1.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,086 ARS 1.6M

$1,219 PEN 4,186

-10.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$851 ARS 1.3M

$651 PEN 2,235

30.71%

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)

$648 PEN 2,226

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

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

Last update for San Martin de los Andes: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Martin de los Andes

$340 27%

Lima

$343 33.9% 1.1% $3.6

Groceries & Markets

San Martin de los Andes

$265 * 21.1%

Lima

$226 22.3% 14.6% $39

Eating Out

San Martin de los Andes

$254 20.2%

Lima

$124 12.3% 51.2% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Martin de los Andes

$185 14.7%

Lima

$117 11.6% 36.9% $68

Clothing & Footwear

San Martin de los Andes

$163 * 13%

Lima

$112 11.1% 31.3% $51

Sport & Entertainment

San Martin de los Andes

$45 3.6%

Lima

$46 4.6% 2.7% $1.2

Getting Around

San Martin de los Andes

$5.3 * 0.4%

Lima

$43 4.3% 722% $38

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 $587 in San Martin de los Andes and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56.0 in San Martin de los Andes vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $265 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 San Martin de los Andes

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

10:56 10:56 AM

08:56 8:56 AM

2 h behind San Martin de los Andes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,913

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Martin de los Andes Lima 3,170 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

San Martin de los Andes
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 Martin de los Andes vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Martin de los Andes and Lima differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($1,257 vs $1,012 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,886 in San Martin de los Andes and $1,518 in Lima to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $587 in San Martin de los Andes versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in San Martin de los Andes. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,257 per month in San Martin de los Andes versus $1,012 in Lima – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,257 in San Martin de los Andes, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in San Martin de los Andes. 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, San Martin de los Andes 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 24% less than in San Martin de los Andes. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.