Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Pedro de Atacama and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,088 in San Pedro de Atacama, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in San Pedro de Atacama outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

52

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro de Atacama
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San Pedro de Atacama Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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San Pedro de Atacama

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,088

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,088 in San Pedro de Atacama versus $996 in Lima.

San Pedro de Atacama $1,088
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,654 in San Pedro de Atacama versus $1,594 in Lima.

San Pedro de Atacama $1,654
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,220 in San Pedro de Atacama versus $2,191 in Lima.

San Pedro de Atacama $2,220
Lima $2,191

Living in San Pedro de Atacama is roughly 9% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: San Pedro de Atacama 19% lower, Lima 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.18 CLP 6,998

$4.42 PEN 15.21

62.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.01 CLP 42.9K

$35.04 PEN 121

25.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.79 CLP 7,597

$6.84 PEN 23.53

13.89%

Cappuccino

$2.83 CLP 2,756

$3.27 PEN 11.26

-13.46%

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

$1.57 CLP 1,528

$1.10 PEN 3.80

42.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 CLP 1,140

$0.65 PEN 2.23

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.57 CLP 3,483

$2.58 PEN 8.88

38.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 CLP 3,747

$4.47 PEN 15.39

-14.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 CLP 1,162

$1.59 PEN 5.48

-25.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 CLP 1,470

$2.58 PEN 8.89

-41.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 CLP 1,589

$1.36 PEN 4.67

19.85%

Eggs

$3.69 CLP 3,603

$2.95 PEN 10.15

25.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.05 CLP 9,796

$9.10 PEN 31.30

10.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.58 CLP 6,417

$5.81 PEN 19.99

13.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.43 CLP 11.1K

$9.83 PEN 33.81

16.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 CLP 1,915

$2.01 PEN 6.92

-2.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 CLP 1,540

$1.08 PEN 3.70

46.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 CLP 1,728

$1.37 PEN 4.72

29.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 CLP 1,682

$1.48 PEN 5.08

16.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 CLP 1,612

$0.96 PEN 3.32

71.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 CLP 1,441

$0.85 PEN 2.93

74.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 CLP 1,306

$0.88 PEN 3.03

52.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 CLP 1,196

$0.87 PEN 2.98

41.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 CLP 5,218

$5.90 PEN 20.31

-9.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.17 CLP 5,043

$8.81 PEN 30.31

-41.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 CLP 1,584

$1.92 PEN 6.59

-15.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 CLP 2,151

$3.20 PEN 11.02

-30.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 CLP 561

$0.68 PEN 2.33

-14.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 92.0

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.71 CLP 689

$3.81 PEN 13.11

-81.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.03

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.58

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 CLP 1,386

$1.65 PEN 5.67

-13.94%

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

$17.9K CLP 17.4M

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

-19.38%

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

$19.6K CLP 19.2M

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

-23.45%

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

$134 CLP 130.7K

$73.0 PEN 251

83.58%

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

$13.34 CLP 13.0K

$16.26 PEN 56.0

-17.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.93 CLP 21.4K

$27.60 PEN 95.0

-20.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.95 CLP 37.0K

$33.07 PEN 114

14.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.81 CLP 22.2K

$19.49 PEN 67.1

17.03%

Cinema Ticket

$5.25 CLP 5,122

$7.39 PEN 25.42

-28.96%

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

$385 CLP 375.7K

$182 PEN 626

111.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,507 CLP 8.3M

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

-36.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.52 CLP 45.4K

$52.6 PEN 181

-11.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.15 CLP 24.5K

$34.23 PEN 118

-26.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.2 CLP 59.6K

$83.8 PEN 288

-26.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.3 CLP 79.2K

$79.0 PEN 272

2.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 CLP 469.6K

$723 PEN 2,488

-33.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 CLP 366.6K

$340 PEN 1,170

10.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$876 CLP 854.3K

$1,184 PEN 4,075

-26.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 CLP 581.9K

$635 PEN 2,184

-5.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,318 CLP 2.3M

$2,449 PEN 8,424

-5.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,719

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,245

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.01

8.94

-43.96%

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

Last update for San Pedro de Atacama: 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

San Pedro de Atacama

$376 35%

Lima

$340 33.6% 9.5% $36

Groceries & Markets

San Pedro de Atacama

$232 21.5%

Lima

$226 22.4% 2.2% $5.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Pedro de Atacama

$169 15.7%

Lima

$117 11.6% 31% $52

Eating Out

San Pedro de Atacama

$151 14.1%

Lima

$124 12.3% 18% $27

Clothing & Footwear

San Pedro de Atacama

$96 9%

Lima

$112 11.1% 16.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

San Pedro de Atacama

$48 4.5%

Lima

$48 4.7% 1.2% $0.6

Getting Around

San Pedro de Atacama

$3 * 0.3%

Lima

$43 4.3% 1345% $40

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 $482 in San Pedro de Atacama and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44.00 in San Pedro de Atacama vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $232 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 San Pedro de Atacama

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

03:42 3:42 AM

2 h behind San Pedro de Atacama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,347

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.26 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.15 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 975 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 1,093 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.15 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Pedro de Atacama Lima 1,530 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

San Pedro de Atacama
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 Pedro de Atacama vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Pedro de Atacama and Lima differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($1,088 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,631 in San Pedro de Atacama and $1,494 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: $482 in San Pedro de Atacama versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in San Pedro de Atacama. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,088 per month in San Pedro de Atacama versus $996 in Lima – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,088 in San Pedro de Atacama, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in San Pedro de Atacama. 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 Pedro de Atacama 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 9% less than in San Pedro de Atacama. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.