Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Turrialba and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $1,014 a month against $1,726 in Turrialba, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Turrialba
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Turrialba Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Turrialba

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,726

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$1,014

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,726 in Turrialba versus $1,014 in Lima.

Turrialba $1,726
Lima $1,014

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,753 in Turrialba versus $1,613 in Lima.

Turrialba $2,753
Lima $1,613

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,779 in Turrialba versus $2,211 in Lima.

Turrialba $3,779
Lima $2,211

Living in Turrialba is roughly 70% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.97 ₡5,370

$4.42 PEN 15.19

170.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$34.56 PEN 119

76.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 ₡5,283

$6.80 PEN 23.37

73.24%

Cappuccino

$4.34 ₡1,946

$3.30 PEN 11.34

31.52%

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

$2.75 ₡1,233

$1.06 PEN 3.64

159.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₡871

$0.66 PEN 2.26

193.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 ₡1,488

$2.54 PEN 8.71

30.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 ₡1,973

$4.24 PEN 14.55

3.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.58 PEN 5.43

48.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 ₡1,372

$2.61 PEN 8.97

17.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,134

$1.34 PEN 4.60

88.81%

Eggs

$3.60 ₡1,612

$2.93 PEN 10.08

22.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,726

$9.45 PEN 32.45

11.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,630

$5.75 PEN 19.75

79.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.16 ₡6,352

$9.69 PEN 33.29

46.13%

Apples (1kg)

$5.07 ₡2,273

$2.02 PEN 6.95

150.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₡705

$1.07 PEN 3.66

46.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,124

$1.37 PEN 4.70

245.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.97 ₡1,782

$1.47 PEN 5.05

170.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,754

$0.95 PEN 3.25

311.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.71 ₡1,663

$0.91 PEN 3.14

307.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡505

$0.90 PEN 3.10

25.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,431

$0.89 PEN 3.04

258.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.07 ₡2,724

$5.74 PEN 19.71

5.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.24 ₡9,076

$9.21 PEN 31.64

119.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 ₡1,274

$1.84 PEN 6.31

54.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 ₡1,613

$3.11 PEN 10.67

15.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 ₡574

$0.72 PEN 2.46

77.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.03 PEN 89.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 ₡1,101

$3.54 PEN 12.17

-30.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡704

$2.07 PEN 7.12

-24.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ₡3,948

$7.75 PEN 26.62

13.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡671

$1.71 PEN 5.86

-12.28%

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

$22.2K ₡10.0M

$21.6K PEN 74.1K

3.02%

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

$34.6K ₡15.5M

$28.6K PEN 98.2K

20.88%

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

$96.4 ₡43.2K

$68.2 PEN 234

41.48%

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

$35.27 ₡15.8K

$15.73 PEN 54.0

124.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 ₡26.5K

$26.48 PEN 90.9

123.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.7 ₡33.0K

$33.94 PEN 117

117.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.10 PEN 69.0

Cinema Ticket

$7.87 ₡3,527

$7.22 PEN 24.80

9.00%

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

$993 ₡445.3K

$201 PEN 689

394.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K ₡7.8M

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

33.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.0 ₡32.3K

$53.7 PEN 184

34.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.4 ₡25.3K

$35.88 PEN 123

57.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.5K

$83.8 PEN 288

52.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₡60.1K

$78.8 PEN 271

69.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$808 ₡362.3K

$729 PEN 2,505

10.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₡280.7K

$349 PEN 1,197

79.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,870 ₡838.7K

$1,186 PEN 4,073

57.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₡577.2K

$696 PEN 2,391

84.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,360 PEN 8,105

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,356 PEN 4,657

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 PEN 2,278

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

8.78

-1.82%

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

Last update for Turrialba: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Turrialba

$626 36.3%

Lima

$349 34.4% 44.3% $277

Groceries & Markets

Turrialba

$402 23.3%

Lima

$227 22.4% 43.4% $174

Eating Out

Turrialba

$227 13.2%

Lima

$123 12.2% 45.7% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Turrialba

$191 11.1%

Lima

$110 10.9% 42.2% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Turrialba

$176 10.2%

Lima

$113 11.2% 35.4% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Turrialba

$89 5.2%

Lima

$48 4.8% 45.9% $41

Getting Around

Turrialba

$15 * 0.9%

Lima

$43 4.2% 178% $27

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 $808 in Turrialba and $729 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Turrialba vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $402 vs $227 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Turrialba

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

06:31 6:31 AM

07:31 7:31 AM

1 h ahead of Turrialba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,000

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 24, 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 24, 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

Turrialba Lima 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Turrialba
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

Turrialba vs Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Turrialba and Lima differ by about 70% in total monthly costs ($1,726 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 $2,589 in Turrialba 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: $808 in Turrialba versus $729 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you'll spend $1,726 per month in Turrialba versus $1,014 in Lima – a 70% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,014 in Lima versus $1,726 in Turrialba, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Turrialba. 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, Turrialba 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 70% less than in Turrialba. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.