Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tibas and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,012 a month against $1,712 in Tibas, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Tibas
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Tibas Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Tibas

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,712

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,012

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,712 in Tibas versus $1,012 in Lima.

Tibas $1,712
Lima $1,012

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,656 in Tibas versus $1,589 in Lima.

Tibas $2,656
Lima $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,599 in Tibas versus $2,167 in Lima.

Tibas $3,599
Lima $2,167

Living in Tibas is roughly 69% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tibas is 27% above, Lima is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.27 ₡5,502

$4.40 PEN 15.10

178.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.09 ₡15.3K

$35.17 PEN 121

-3.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 ₡4,837

$6.89 PEN 23.65

56.46%

Cappuccino

$3.90 ₡1,751

$3.26 PEN 11.20

19.63%

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

$2.23 ₡1,001

$1.12 PEN 3.84

99.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡834

$0.62 PEN 2.11

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.78 ₡1,248

$2.65 PEN 9.09

4.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 ₡1,971

$4.41 PEN 15.15

-0.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 ₡1,051

$1.63 PEN 5.61

43.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₡1,404

$2.56 PEN 8.78

22.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,136

$1.35 PEN 4.65

87.41%

Eggs

$3.41 ₡1,527

$2.90 PEN 9.96

17.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 ₡4,813

$8.85 PEN 30.38

21.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.50 ₡4,710

$5.98 PEN 20.52

75.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 ₡6,296

$9.78 PEN 33.59

43.56%

Apples (1kg)

$5.10 ₡2,289

$2.05 PEN 7.02

148.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 ₡730

$1.06 PEN 3.66

53.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.68 ₡2,099

$1.35 PEN 4.64

246.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 ₡1,746

$1.50 PEN 5.15

159.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.93 ₡1,763

$0.88 PEN 3.03

346.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.60 ₡1,613

$0.92 PEN 3.15

291.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.89 PEN 3.07

25.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₡1,389

$0.90 PEN 3.10

244.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,698

$5.90 PEN 20.27

2.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.15 ₡9,035

$8.52 PEN 29.26

136.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 ₡1,275

$1.88 PEN 6.45

51.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,582

$3.22 PEN 11.05

9.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 ₡599

$0.68 PEN 2.33

95.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.86 PEN 92.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ₡1,064

$3.81 PEN 13.09

-37.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡732

$2.02 PEN 6.93

-19.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.59 ₡3,851

$7.11 PEN 24.41

20.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ₡666

$1.72 PEN 5.91

-13.37%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$22.3K PEN 76.6K

-2.34%

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

$34.9K ₡15.6M

$25.5K PEN 87.6K

36.65%

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

$94.7 ₡42.5K

$73.1 PEN 251

29.62%

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

$35.71 ₡16.0K

$16.35 PEN 56.2

118.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.9 ₡26.4K

$27.47 PEN 94.3

114.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.7 ₡33.1K

$31.90 PEN 110

131.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 PEN 66.7

Cinema Ticket

$7.77 ₡3,484

$7.05 PEN 24.23

10.21%

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

$975 ₡437.1K

$182 PEN 627

434.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K ₡7.8M

$13.0K PEN 44.8K

33.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.6K

$53.8 PEN 185

31.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 ₡24.8K

$34.32 PEN 118

61.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 ₡58.7K

$82.8 PEN 284

57.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡59.7K

$78.2 PEN 269

70.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$791 ₡354.5K

$721 PEN 2,476

9.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₡280.3K

$343 PEN 1,179

81.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,884 ₡844.7K

$1,219 PEN 4,186

54.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,262 ₡566.1K

$651 PEN 2,235

93.99%

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)

$980 ₡439.5K

$648 PEN 2,226

51.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

8.94

-3.58%

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

Last update for Tibas: 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

Tibas

$625 36.5%

Lima

$343 33.9% 45% $282

Groceries & Markets

Tibas

$401 23.4%

Lima

$226 22.3% 43.7% $175

Eating Out

Tibas

$216 12.6%

Lima

$124 12.3% 42.7% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tibas

$189 11.1%

Lima

$117 11.6% 38.3% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Tibas

$175 10.2%

Lima

$112 11.1% 36.1% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Tibas

$89 5.2%

Lima

$46 4.6% 48.4% $43

Getting Around

Tibas

$16 * 0.9%

Lima

$43 4.3% 174% $28

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 $791 in Tibas and $721 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tibas pays 51% 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: $34.00 in Tibas vs $35.00 in Lima. Groceries flip the comparison at $401 vs $226, with Lima cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Tibas

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

07:56 7:56 AM

08:56 8:56 AM

1 h ahead of Tibas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,842

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tibas Lima 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Tibas
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

Tibas vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tibas and Lima differ by about 69% in total monthly costs ($1,712 vs $1,012 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 51% higher in Tibas, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $791 in Tibas versus $721 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 77% higher in Tibas. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,712 per month in Tibas versus $1,012 in Lima – a 69% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,012 in Lima versus $1,712 in Tibas, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Tibas. 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 69% less than in Tibas. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.