Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tijuana and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,303 in Tijuana, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Tijuana
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Tijuana Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Tijuana

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,303

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,303 in Tijuana versus $996 in Lima.

Tijuana $1,303
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Tijuana versus $1,594 in Lima.

Tijuana $2,067
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,831 in Tijuana versus $2,191 in Lima.

Tijuana $2,831
Lima $2,191

Living in Tijuana is roughly 31% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tijuana 3% lower, Lima 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.98 MX$218

$4.42 PEN 15.21

171.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.25 MX$641

$35.04 PEN 121

0.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.69 MX$176

$6.84 PEN 23.52

41.67%

Cappuccino

$4.34 MX$78.9

$3.27 PEN 11.26

32.72%

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

$1.42 MX$25.91

$1.10 PEN 3.80

29.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.12

$0.65 PEN 2.23

87.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 MX$61.3

$2.58 PEN 8.88

30.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.51 MX$118

$4.47 PEN 15.39

45.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 MX$32.32

$1.59 PEN 5.48

11.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 MX$52.3

$2.58 PEN 8.89

11.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 MX$32.83

$1.36 PEN 4.67

33.09%

Eggs

$3.25 MX$59.2

$2.95 PEN 10.14

10.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.15 MX$148

$9.10 PEN 31.30

-10.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.55 MX$137

$5.81 PEN 19.98

29.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.06 MX$219

$9.83 PEN 33.80

22.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 MX$52.3

$2.01 PEN 6.92

42.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 MX$30.47

$1.08 PEN 3.70

55.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 MX$34.47

$1.37 PEN 4.71

38.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.31

$1.48 PEN 5.08

12.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 MX$28.96

$0.96 PEN 3.32

65.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.10

$0.85 PEN 2.93

120.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$27.59

$0.88 PEN 3.03

72.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.73

$0.87 PEN 2.98

18.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 MX$80.3

$5.90 PEN 20.31

-25.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.24 MX$150

$8.81 PEN 30.31

-6.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 MX$39.55

$1.92 PEN 6.59

13.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 MX$74.8

$3.20 PEN 11.02

28.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 MX$20.54

$0.68 PEN 2.33

66.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.84 MX$561

$26.74 PEN 92.0

15.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.84 MX$51.6

$3.81 PEN 13.10

-25.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 MX$41.05

$2.04 PEN 7.02

10.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.42 MX$353

$7.14 PEN 24.57

171.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.01

$1.65 PEN 5.67

-6.67%

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

$21.5K MX$391.6K

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

-2.93%

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

$24.7K MX$449.7K

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

-3.69%

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

$46.78 MX$851

$73.0 PEN 251

-35.95%

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

$34.62 MX$630

$16.26 PEN 55.9

112.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.93 MX$544

$27.60 PEN 94.9

8.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.13 MX$748

$33.07 PEN 114

24.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.05 MX$147

$19.49 PEN 67.1

-58.70%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 MX$126

$7.39 PEN 25.41

-6.50%

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

$209 MX$3,803

$182 PEN 626

14.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,606 MX$83.8K

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

-65.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 MX$987

$52.6 PEN 181

3.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.02 MX$855

$34.23 PEN 118

37.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MX$1,885

$83.8 PEN 288

23.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.0 MX$1,274

$79.0 PEN 272

-11.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$868 MX$15.8K

$723 PEN 2,488

19.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$481 MX$8,746

$340 PEN 1,170

41.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,553 MX$28.2K

$1,184 PEN 4,074

31.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$905 MX$16.5K

$635 PEN 2,183

42.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 MX$56.3K

$2,449 PEN 8,423

26.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,713 MX$49.3K

$1,372 PEN 4,718

97.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$951 MX$17.3K

$653 PEN 2,245

45.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.07

8.94

35.01%

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

Last update for Tijuana: October 4, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tijuana

$481 36.8%

Lima

$340 33.6% 29.3% $141

Groceries & Markets

Tijuana

$268 20.5%

Lima

$226 22.4% 15.5% $42

Eating Out

Tijuana

$217 16.7%

Lima

$124 12.3% 42.9% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Tijuana

$124 9.5%

Lima

$112 11.1% 9.2% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tijuana

$111 8.5%

Lima

$117 11.6% 5% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Tijuana

$55 4.2%

Lima

$48 4.7% 12.9% $7.1

Getting Around

Tijuana

$49 3.8%

Lima

$43 4.3% 12.1% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $868 in Tijuana and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tijuana pays 46% 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: $35.00 in Tijuana vs $35.00 in Lima. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $226, with Lima cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tijuana

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

00:22 12:22 AM

2 h ahead of Tijuana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,810,645

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 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

Tijuana Lima 6,530 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Tijuana
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

Tijuana vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tijuana and Lima differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($1,303 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 46% higher in Tijuana, 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: $868 in Tijuana versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $209 in Tijuana versus $182 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Tijuana. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,303 in Tijuana, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Tijuana. 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 31% less than in Tijuana. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.