Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tapachula and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,014 a month against $1,164 in Tapachula, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Tapachula
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Tapachula Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Tapachula

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,164

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,014

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,164 in Tapachula versus $1,014 in Lima.

Tapachula $1,164
Lima $1,014

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,828 in Tapachula versus $1,613 in Lima.

Tapachula $1,828
Lima $1,613

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,493 in Tapachula versus $2,211 in Lima.

Tapachula $2,493
Lima $2,211

Living in Tapachula is roughly 15% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tapachula 14% lower, Lima 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.44 MX$193

$4.42 PEN 15.19

136.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.58 MX$750

$34.56 PEN 119

17.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.90 MX$146

$6.80 PEN 23.37

16.18%

Cappuccino

$3.71 MX$68.6

$3.30 PEN 11.34

12.42%

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

$1.27 MX$23.45

$1.06 PEN 3.64

19.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 MX$21.35

$0.66 PEN 2.26

75.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$44.58

$2.54 PEN 8.71

-5.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 MX$69.3

$4.24 PEN 14.55

-11.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.77

$1.58 PEN 5.43

-1.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 MX$49.05

$2.61 PEN 8.97

1.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 MX$29.96

$1.34 PEN 4.60

20.90%

Eggs

$2.43 MX$44.94

$2.93 PEN 10.08

-17.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.09 MX$149

$9.45 PEN 32.45

-14.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.32 MX$154

$5.75 PEN 19.75

44.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.49 MX$212

$9.69 PEN 33.29

18.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.72

$2.02 PEN 6.95

14.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$29.23

$1.07 PEN 3.66

47.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MX$38.50

$1.37 PEN 4.70

51.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MX$33.81

$1.47 PEN 5.05

24.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 MX$34.94

$0.95 PEN 3.25

98.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 MX$33.37

$0.91 PEN 3.14

98.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 MX$29.91

$0.90 PEN 3.10

80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.12

$0.89 PEN 3.04

22.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.0

$5.74 PEN 19.71

-25.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.18 MX$170

$9.21 PEN 31.64

-0.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 MX$31.66

$1.84 PEN 6.31

-7.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$3.11 PEN 10.67

-1.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 MX$11.19

$0.72 PEN 2.46

-15.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.03 PEN 89.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MX$49.11

$3.54 PEN 12.17

-24.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 MX$31.45

$2.07 PEN 7.12

-17.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.99 MX$185

$7.75 PEN 26.62

28.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 MX$24.73

$1.71 PEN 5.86

-21.64%

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

$25.3K MX$467.0K

$21.6K PEN 74.1K

17.05%

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

$23.0K MX$424.7K

$28.6K PEN 98.2K

-19.60%

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

$54.4 MX$1,006

$68.2 PEN 234

-20.12%

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

$23.70 MX$438

$15.73 PEN 54.0

50.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.93 MX$498

$26.48 PEN 90.9

1.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.17 MX$687

$33.94 PEN 117

9.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.73 MX$346

$20.10 PEN 69.0

-6.82%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 MX$92.6

$7.22 PEN 24.80

-30.61%

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

$245 MX$4,528

$201 PEN 689

22.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,825 MX$89.2K

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

-62.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 MX$1,060

$53.7 PEN 184

6.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.06 MX$759

$35.88 PEN 123

14.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 MX$1,820

$83.8 PEN 288

17.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.8 MX$1,696

$78.8 PEN 271

16.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 MX$12.4K

$729 PEN 2,505

-7.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 MX$7,904

$349 PEN 1,197

22.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,080 MX$20.0K

$1,186 PEN 4,073

-8.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 MX$14.2K

$696 PEN 2,391

10.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,952 MX$36.1K

$2,360 PEN 8,105

-17.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,087 MX$20.1K

$1,356 PEN 4,657

-19.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 PEN 2,278

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

8.78

28.70%

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

Last update for Tapachula: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tapachula

$428 36.8%

Lima

$349 34.4% 18.5% $79

Groceries & Markets

Tapachula

$259 22.3%

Lima

$227 22.4% 12.3% $32

Eating Out

Tapachula

$181 15.6%

Lima

$123 12.2% 31.8% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Tapachula

$130 11.2%

Lima

$113 11.2% 12.7% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tapachula

$105 9%

Lima

$110 10.9% 5% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Tapachula

$47 4.1%

Lima

$48 4.8% 2.5% $1.2

Getting Around

Tapachula

$14 * 1.2%

Lima

$43 4.2% 215% $29

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 $673 in Tapachula and $729 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $41.00 in Tapachula vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $259 vs $227 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tapachula

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

04:54 4:54 AM

05:54 5:54 AM

1 h ahead of Tapachula

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,550

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 22, 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 22, 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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Between locations

Tapachula Lima 3,440 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Tapachula
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

Tapachula vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tapachula and Lima differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,164 vs $1,014 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,745 in Tapachula and $1,522 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: $673 in Tapachula versus $729 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Tapachula. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,164 per month in Tapachula versus $1,014 in Lima – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,014 in Lima versus $1,164 in Tapachula, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Tapachula. 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 15% less than in Tapachula. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.